Weather report - heatwave over Britain and much of Northern Europe - warnings 'to take care'. It's not unusual for Wimbledon tennis fortnight to be hot - I sympathise with the tennis players fighting it out on the courts like gladiators of old in this weather. Wishing to escape the heat ourselves we took off for our nearest resort hoping to find some refreshing ocean breezes, but the seascape shimmered - and it was hot
Clevedon is an English Victorian seaside town - bandstand, pier, ice creams, lunches outside beneath stripey parasols, old folk sitting along the seafront gazing out to the distant horizon
Rock pool hunters seeking shells, shrimps, and any other aquatic treasures they might discover
Partially made out of discarded Isambard Kingdom Brunel railway lines, Clevedon Pier opened in 1869. It was described by Sir John Betjeman as "The Most beautiful little pier in England". The coastline beyond is Wales - Cardiff is over there somewhere. At the turn of the C20th there were over 100 piers around our coastline, but now there are only 56. All the ones that are left are now listed, and being actively preserved
Victorian seaside villas
Not a cloud in the sky
Victorian crown chimney pots marching along the rooftops!
It's a birds eye view from up here
Clevedon has the second highest tidal range in the world rising to over 47 feet from low water on Spring Tides - it can be very dangerous
Beautiful last photo of the pier...
ReplyDeletePretty place to cool off...
The only trouble was that when we arrived it wasn't cool there either Margaret
DeleteThat is the most beautiful pier I've ever seen - and your photographs capture the character of the place beautifully Rosemary. I'd never heard of Clevedon before and wish all our seaside towns looked as cared for.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree with Sir John Betjeman - unbelievably although it is less than an hour from where we live we had never been before, I had imaged it was an awful place. Just shows how wrong you can be.
DeleteGreat pics
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Thanks
DeleteI love the old Victorian piers in your country which often show past glory. This one in Clevedon is really beautiful. The Victorian crown chimneys are new to me, wonderful, and I love the old bandstands which we still have in our country too. But again this is a great one with the painted music instruments and flowers.
ReplyDeleteI think that the local and visiting brass bands play there through the summer months at the weekend which must be rather pleasant. People like those chimney pots, if they can get hold of them, to plant flowers in the top and have them sitting in their gardens.
DeleteWhat a beautiful pier, and a beautiful seaside spot too. I love those chimney pots - we have seen them bought and sold on Bargain Hunt! We have seen reports of your heat wave on the media, and, Australians were a little bit amused at a reporter exclaiming about the temperature reaching 30c. As it stays above that for months on end here, I guess we have toughened up on the coping with heat. Above 35 though, and I go on strike!
ReplyDeleteDo you watch our lovely Tim Wonnacott - he must have a room full of clothes and drawers full of spectacles.
DeleteVictorian chimney pots are worth lots of money, but these were sadly way out of reach and belonged to the house anyway!!!!
Yes Rosemary, we enjoy watching Tim Wonnacott from time to time - on Bargain Hunt, and we also like the Antique Roadtrips with Tim's voiceover. What a wardrobe he has - I'd love some of his specs!
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DeleteThat last photo is very pretty, we only have one pier here and it is in a very bad shape. I suppose the sand beaches we have here are not so appropriate for piers. This one looks very pretty but not so studdy. That heatwave is very hot indeed, and it lasts very long, for five days already, thunderstorms on the way for this afternoon...
ReplyDeleteThe pier must be sturdier than it looks as it as stood there in all weathers for 150 years - it appears very delicate from a distance, but looks can belie.
DeleteDear Rosemary, A different and interesting view of the English coastline. When we built our house I spotted several chimney pots in an antiques shop. All three now sit proudly on top of our roof with no purpose but to provide a perch for the birds. On top of our guest house roof reside a couple of pineapple sculptures just as in your photo of the Seaside Villas.
ReplyDeleteAs always your beautiful photographs tell a story. It is so unusual to see so few people about. We are also experiencing a prolonged heat wave here in Utah. .
Dear Gina - I like the idea that you have two pineapples sitting on your guest house roof - I am sure that you are well aware that pineapples symbolise welcome.
DeleteGreat photos, particularly the last one. The pier is so different looking, glad they preserving them. We're hoping your heatwave will end and it will be cool when we get to England. We have enough heat here, we love the cool English summer.
ReplyDeleteIf that is what you want then I hope that the weather does cool for you, but my growing seedlings, beans etc are loving the warmth at the moment.
DeleteHow great that Isambard Kingdom Brunel's structures were recycled — he lives on. I enjoyed seeing the crown chimney pots. I think I've mentioned how enamoured I am of all these charming designs.
ReplyDeleteStay cool!!
DeleteThe air is better now - I noticed all those chimney pots and subconsciously I must have thought Mark would like those!
DeleteWhat a beautiful seaside town Rosemary. I've not visited there, only been as far as Weston-super-Mare along the Bristol Channel.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are fabulous - did you get a new camera? If so, what are you using to give such clarity and color - perfection!
Piers, always dear to my heart - I was sad to see Torquay's Princess Pier had a recent fire yet again - not too much damage thankfully. Since the ballroom burned down many years ago it just doesn't seem the same.
Thanks for showing us Clevedon - hope it cools down a bit for you soon.
Hugs - Mary
Dear Mary - the camera is only a little point and shoot but it has a good lens and will happily zoom up to the chimneys on the rooftops and out to sea to the pier. If you want to see the details of the camera I have given the information to another Mary on the ♥Paris♥ post which is currently on my sidebar in Popular Posts.
DeleteWhen we first moved to the Cotswolds we visited Weston-super-Mare and it wasn't my kind of place, so I had imagined that Clevedon would be the same, and have never visited before. Obviously I was wrong it is a lovely quaint seaside resort.
Wonderful summertime, as I can see it in your beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Thanks summer has definitely arrived
DeleteWhat a gorgeous pier. Nice chimney pots too. Great photos. I've just hopped over here from Down by the Sea and am very pleased I did. Best wishes from the south-east coast. Sam
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit and kind comment - do call again
DeleteI hadn't heard of Clevedon before - it does look a pretty little place just right for a breath of fresh sea air after all the humid weather we have been having.
ReplyDeleteIt is the first time that I have visited Clevedon Elaine, I had assumed that it was a funfair and candy-floss kind of place - how wrong I was. We shall definitely return again.
DeleteIf i am not mistaken.. my parents took me and my sister there when i was a very young girl.. We used to go to Wales too.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so serene there. I can just see the old folk sitting in their deck chairs and enjoying their ice creams and watching the waves come in. When you think about it. Its a great way to grow old.. and enjoy the summer days.
I have been watching your weather.. you are not far behind us.
Its been so so hot again today. Thank god for the pool.
A very nice place to visit Rosemary.
val xxx
Clevedon was a much nicer place than I had anticipated Val and we will definitely return again. It had a quaint old fashioned feel to it as if the clock had been turned back a few decades.
DeleteWhat a lovely seaside town Clevedon in Rosemary. I enjoyed scrolling through your photo's. They make me look forward to our holiday.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week!
Madelief x
I do hope the good weather continues for your trip Madelief, although better if you are travelling that it should be a bit cooler.
DeleteHope you and the girls have a really wonderful time.
Amazing photos! I didn't know it can get so hot in the UK. The pier is gorgeous, is the sea warm enough to swim in?
ReplyDeleteIt has been hotter than normal but the sea around our shores never gets really warm - thank you for your visit.
DeleteI've never been to Clevedon! How could I have missed knowing about such a gem? I love your images, and that pier is so beautiful. Your post has lifted my spirits. x
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you LeeAnn - Clevedon is not too far from you either, just south of Bristol. My first visit too - I wrongly imagined that it would be like Western-super-Mare, which is not my cup of tea. Clevedon is really very pleasant and we shall return again.
DeleteHello. It really looks like a beautiful place to visit. Nice of you to share!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and visit - do call again
DeleteGlorious sunset photo! You capture the seaside so well. Maybe we'll take a day trip next time we visit my sister-in-law in Bristol.
ReplyDeleteI have always dismissed Clevedon without even visiting it as I imagined that it would be similar to Western-super-Mare, which is not my cup of tea. Clevedon is old fashioned, charming and extremely near to Bristol, I don't know for sure, but the weekends are probably best avoided - it was certainly quiet during the week.
DeleteClevedon looks beautiful it is somewhere that I have on my list of places to go. Those victorian piers are wonderful and we are lucky that this one in still standing- unllike sadly so many others.. I'm sorry you didn't find the sea breeze you were seeking, the change of scenery however, must have been refreshing. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteIt is much nicer than I had imagined, and we will return again
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