The last occupants of the estate workers homes decanted about fifteen years ago, the other cottages were already well decayed and open to the weather. The chimney breast in the picture is what is left of one of those ruins. The field, now gone wild, in which the couple are strolling, would have been used by the estate employees.
Country-Sea -Sand-Dunes |
However, the arch has a dual purpose, the picture above doesn't show it.
There is an inner arch wall, (dark) and an outer one. It's not a trick of the camera. The thickness of the walls allow for two substantial recesses either side of the arches. These are being used by some fishermen as store places for low value kit they do not want to constantly cart back and forth. This is an informal harbour mostly used for leisure by local people. Expensive equipment would be stored more securely elsewhere. If you look through the arch across to the far side of the harbour, you'll see a guy putting a red buoy into the boot of his car, which would have been attached to creels. His boat is out of view.
This year, this area was one of those chosen to release bees into in an attempt to boost the bee stocks in the U.K. I saw a lot of busy buzzing bees out and about. Let's hope it is a successful enterprise. This one obviously likes the Scottish Thistle.
You can espy one delicate gossamer bee wing |
....And there was plenty blooming thistle flower for a bee to enjoy.
We left this natural wild place to cut through the ruins of the cottages. In the grass was this; how long could it have been there?
Footloose |
Returning via the harbour I was struck by this little cheeky touch of capstan/bollard artistry. Lavender, it seems, will grow in any conditions, anywhere!
6 comments:
A most enjoyable post, and terrific photos. It looks, and sounds,like you had a good day.
The vertical stonework in the top of the last picture caught my eye as being unusual compared to the lower horizontal wall.
Flighty xx
Thank you for your appreciation of my photos. You make an astute observation about the harbour wall, Mr F. It's what is known as a Bremner Harbour. See the following link.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jeOMfpYMOtYC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=bremner+harbour+walls&source=bl&ots=aD7BOVYf4i&sig=oZDGfKHs9PuqxDlzSvV-ovefaHM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FQHtU-uOFpCy7AaJsIGgDw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=bremner%20harbour%20walls&f=false
I would not be surprised if the same construction could be made to work in some of the flood areas we saw through the last Winter. Or, maybe that thought is too fanciful...
It looks a super place for a ramble - wild grass and flowers, bees and the sea. What more could anyone want? Great photos.
Hi GillyK,
I suppose a ramble would work, we ambled. The activity and scenery got me thinking the same as you.
Glad you enjoyed the pictures.
What a lovely post, you do have some sweet places to walk in. I always find something a little haunting and sad about deserted cottages, we see them in Formby woods by the beach, it gets you wondering as to who lived in them. I hope the bees go forth and multiply, their numbers seem to drop each year. They will love the thistle.xxx
Hi Snowbird,
Thank you for your comments. As mentioned, the last occupants of one of the cottages left in recent times. Once mum died, her son moved out onto other things. We wandered the through the empty property some months later, we gazed at wallpaper of time past, a chimney breast that was intact, as was the rest of the house. After that it was marked up as unsafe to enter. Truly, with neglect, it had deteriorated quickly.
It is known who lived in those houses when the estate was occupied and what the tenants' work and functions were. There is a nearby heritage centre, which is very well run where there are people who cannot only show pictorial history of life on the estate, some also remember it from their youth. It makes it less of a loss.
Like you, when I see ruins elsewhere, I too think about what kind of lives may have been lived and who lived them.
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