Thursday 30 April 2020

Groynes from Guyanan Greenheart-timber protecting our Eastbourne seafront ...


Perhaps we don’t think of the seafront needing protection … but the power of the tides never stops … the constant rise and fall of the sea stresses and strains the tidal zone: between the sea and actual land.


2005 - Eastbourne seafront -
showing the groynes
The land where the town now stands was protected by its natural shingle shoreline … but as the shingle was naturally moved eastwards it was constantly eroding the shoreline.

 

Collapsed and useless groynes in 1990 -
after a number of storms prior to that date

The groynes were a Georgian/ Victorian engineering invention to counter this tidal subjugation – a necessity, in the late 1800s, when the town was being turned into a resort …




A sea wall was required, which then itself needed protection … the development of Eastbourne as a seaside town was started … sea-bathing, and even drinking sea-water, as cure-alls had been popularised from the late 1600s.


A railway advert - not sure of the date
 ... the cars look rather like toy ones?!


By the 1750s the south coast’s hamlets and fishing harbours were just starting to grow into the seaside resorts we know today.  Eastbourne being known as “The Empress of Watering Places” …






… probably because King George III’s children paid a visit to the sea-resort in 1780 … a ringing endorsement which popularised the town as a place to visit …


Restoration in 2016 taking place


… they stayed at the eastern end of the town, in ‘The Round House’ built over the ruined Roman villa, where the pier now stands … before the Georgian/ Victorian redevelopment of the sea front and promenade.






Toys for the boys ... work in progress 2016

A huge amount of reconstruction occurred as the sea-front was built to withstand the force of the sea … today it is eye-watering to think of the vision in the 1800s needed to design Eastbourne’s frontage …






In 2016 the plans of the works were displayed ... here
is shingle being pumped, from barges, onto the foreshore
The 94 timber groynes formed a major part in diverting the strength of the tides … they were replaced in the 1920 – 1930s, then after serious storms in the late 1900s when the shingle had been washed away … the groynes had gradually collapsed exposing the foundations of the sea wall.





Repaired groynes in April 2020
By the early 1990s it was decided that larger groynes would be used, with extra shingle being brought in from the Isle of Wight ... 


Greenheart  timber: in Guyana
Chlorocardium


... sustainable Guyanan Greenheart timber would be used, which is hard, durable, resistant to rot, abrasion and attack by marine woodworm.







So we come to the 2015 – 2020 when the groynes needing to be replaced … one shown here … the images giving you an idea of the ongoing repairs … along the nearly 4 mile frontage …




2016 - working to build up the shingle - which helps
to protect the seafront


As with many Victorian developments, the promenade was built on top of the shingle beach, particularly eastwards from the pier: this ‘fixed’ the shoreline in a position that was unsustainable …






… the sea would always breach … the seawall would be undermined, leading to collapse and Eastbourne town being flooded.


Groyne much loved by sea plants and
molluscs ... 


Thus the groynes are essential to our seafront today … the sustainable timber lasts about 40 years, while the older it gets the harder it becomes… and won’t even float in water. 




Groynes stretching eastwards -
all 94 of them


Maintaining our coastal defences against the power of the sea never stops … while the moon unceasingly controls the tides, so we need our coastal engineers and we need those groynes.






Eastbourne beach looking east from the pier

Two hundred and fifty years on we can safely, probably more safely, promenade along our seafront … and no doubt, in due time, the town will be full of visitors once more.



Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Saturday 25 April 2020

We are the World Blogfest # 36: the togetherness of the common man …




I am in humble admiration of all the health care and essential workers, who are keeping this country going …


… the same goes for all the volunteers, those who are desperate for new jobs in these times and those going above and beyond …



… also those who are complying and thus helping the country stay safe …



"The Common Man" - by
R K Laxman at Symbiosis
Institute, Pune, India
… my thoughts to all those who are grieving, all in distress, all in hurt and all anxious …



The others who are, to me, standing out: are those who are working together to resolve the situation we find ourselves in …




… those with passion, and who are committed to finding the best ways forward … 




… change – it will be … different, yet we can be positive … as long as we support each other and take care of the planet … 


"We're all in this together, brother, sister, you and I"


We are the World Blogfest
In Darkness, Be Light


I know many of you will be posting on the above … in your home areas – and I look forward to reading all the entries …

Stay Safe - Stay Strong

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Wednesday 22 April 2020

Hanging wall-façade of Claremont Hotel, Eastbourne …




One of my constitutionals along the sea-front ‘rewarded’ me by showing the hanging wall outline of the poor old conflagrated Claremont Hotel – now almost down to its bare footprint.


Claremont wall - next to adjoining to Burlington Hotel
- fortunately not burnt
 As you can see – the co-joining wall, between the fire at the Claremont and the Burlington Hotel (fortunately not burnt too much) ...




Slippage caused from the fire and in process of
demolition of Claremont wall 
... is now handily hangily exposed – meaning some form of reparation can be done, after which the Grand Parade can be re-opened to traffic …




What also interested me was the exposure of the lower ground floor … 


Demolition in progress ... but showing the
lower basement levels in the hotel -
the sea cannot be far away
... because at one stage (even today) the ‘tide could work’ its way into the town … swamping basements – so I was surprised to find these lower levels so near the sea here.



Summer 2016 - carpet gardens on Grand Parade -
Queens Hotel at an angle, before the run
of the two hotels: Burlington and Claremont

A photo I took in 2016 ... to show you the partial extended run of buildings along the Grand Parade seafront.


Back to hanging façades – this one jauntily left sadly suspended at the first floor level of the junction wall to the Burlington Hotel … reminded me of one that is exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum …




Jettied frontage as exhibited
in the Victoria and Albert Musuem


… the jettied wooden frontage of Sir Paul Pindar's house exhibited at first floor level, as it would have been in Bishopsgate Street Without (just outside the City walls) in the 1600s …





The article below is really interesting … giving insights into London in the 1600s, its development, trade routes, meeting places et al …


Sir Paul Pindar and his brother, Ralph -
engravings by Thomas Trotter based on
a work of 1614
The frontage survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, and in the article there are some images from those times, showing its situation … before the house was demolished in the 1890s when the expansion of Liverpool Street station took place.



Fortunately it was realised the façade had architectural value … hence its presentation to the Victoria and Albert Museum.



Chrysanthemum on seafront
Funny (strange) how subjects can appear to provide an extra dimension to my posts …




Ceanothus


While ‘wandering’ around on my walks – I spotted these two beautiful plants in full April lock-down glory – a bright canary yellow Chrystanthemum indicum … I believe … while I’ve always loved Ceanothus – that blue is just gorgeous …





Two skeletal remains … one very sad, one in perfect health, suspended in perpetuity, at a museum of delight.


Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Wednesday 15 April 2020

Write … Edit … Publish … Bloghop/IWSG hop: Antique Vase



A parcel had been delivered from the archaeology site near London Bridge for us to investigate its contents …




… we knew that it was Ancient … that meant being over 100 years old … and excitedly we were asked to let them know about the object.



Archaeology definitely has its moments … we move from old tiles, to beads, early jewellery, pins, leather straps, clay pipes … numerous items needing to be identified and dated.


This well-wrapped item appeared … and as we unwound some of the packing … there were lots of protective layers and bubble wrap … then …




The chamber pot - so called vase by the archaeologists -
as a joke - NB no truth in this tale!


P h w o a h … the stench was appalling … what did they call it … bad eggs – oh too much … I wanted to retch as I made to move away from the pot …






… but had to go back to analyse the contents … the orange-yellowy encrusted ring, still apparent inside the pot, from which scrapings could be taken for investigation – though I knew it could only be a chamber pot – that stench was just appalling …


Demolition of  Old London Bridge 1832
The site archaeologists must have been laughing as they wrapped up the ‘Ancient Vase’ (as they called it) – knowing that we would not be expecting such a delightful object d’art to examine.


Who would think that an Antique pot could still stink after all these years … the men in the 1840s would have been anxious to back-fill and re-cover these ‘artefacts’ … hence the contents and stench remained for us to analyse.



The very smelly Father Thames 1855


Stink, Stench, Pong … that was just terrible having to spend the day confirming, no doubt to the archaeologists’ delight, that it was a chamber pot they’d found in the medieval cesspit.





I guess now our next job would be to clean the Antique Pot … in order for it to form part of a museum collection on this excavation.


Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Saturday 11 April 2020

Du Fu … Chinese poet …


Du Fu - “Poet Historian” or “Poet Sage” … who lived in the 8th century (712 – 770 AD) ...

Du Fu c/o Wikipedia - an artist's impression 

… at the time here in Britain the Anglo-Saxons ruled from the 5th Century to 1066 AD (William the Conqueror’s invasion) … during which time the Vikings marauded and over time (770 – 1066 AD) integrated …





There was a biographical programme about Du Fu – which I found really interesting … giving me some insight into the interior of China …


Two adapted quotes …


In the deep sky:
Scorpius in the Milky Way 

It may be almost as hard for friends to meet again …
... as for Orion’ and Scorpius’ stars in earth’s firmament to halt the precession …







Reconciliation
by Josefina Vasconcellos
We humans tread lightly on this world … can we look to leave it in safe hands … caring ones, empathetic ones … for the poor, displaced, discouraged … all peoples – everyone needs to be thought about … and remembered …


 
Take care, going carefully into each day … our world is strange today ... lets bring it back together into the compassionate one we'd all like to live in ... 



Du Fu - BBC 4 tv programme: China's greatest poet 

If you're not that knowledgeable about China's interior - there's a very good map in the Wiki post on Du Fu ... as he did not travel east to the coastal regions.  He lived during the Tang Dynasty ...


Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Tuesday 7 April 2020

No flour … pouff …




Indecision, indecision … I’ve changed my mind re posts so often that it’s not becoming me!


I found this in a health food shop - gluten free - 
from Doves Farm, Hungerford, Berkshire
Shortages of flour … I use very little, but ‘tis a store cupboard ‘nice necessity’ – no children, no husband … no need to bake, but managed to get some – it is self-raising, but that’s fine for the moment … I use it for sauces …



This looked a fun book -
I don't own it ... but the
descriptions made me laugh

Lots of cake baking being done, or bread being made – by others … no eggs either at some places – I’m glad I’m in a decent sized town with lots going on when it happens, a chance to walk by the sea … but civilised enough to have most things in the shop – and just about be able to walk right in …




A gaudy Simnel cake c/o Wiki - Doves Farm has
different images; for anyone who likes to bake
they have some interesting Easter recipes ...
Simnel cake, Easter biscuits and Hot Cross Buns
I do love the idea of Simnel cake – traditional at this time of year … it’s now a rich fruit cake, but in medieval ages the high-calorie simnel cake was useful to the domestic servant’s own family’s nutrition when they had their Mothering Sunday off to visit home …




Bread making in the 15th century

Its name dates back to Roman times … Latin simila means “fine flour” … but over time its exact history has been lost … though there is a reference in 1226 AD to “bread made with simnel” … so even back in the days – fine flour was being sought out.




Fate - by Alphonse Mucha (1880-1939)
We can manage … we will get by … we are luckier than most in the world … and we never know when our time is up … or how – we need to take care and share …





All the best for World Health Day …




Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories