Foolishly I set off Brighton-wards without bothering to check for engineering works, of which there were many and time-consuming...
But I eventually arrived at Brighton station, a testimony to the genius of its designers Mocatta and Wallis (the original trainshed, by Rastrick, was demolished when the station expanded in 1883, and Wallis's rather fine shed replaced it. Mocatta's original frontage buildings are still in place).
But I had other things in mind, and set off on part two of the journey -- towards Seaford along the East Coastway route.
I have never perfected the art of taking photos through the train windows, especially when they're as dirty as Southern's.
But there was something about the light on those greens which made me try and try again.
Yeah, still can't do it. Anyway, the train veered off the "mainline" and pootled along a single-track branch, through the near-derelict-looking Newhaven (once a vitally important ferry port in pre-Channel Tunnel days) to Bishopstone.
Why Bishopstone? Idle curiosity. Its Grade 2 (but rapidly decaying) unstaffed station was designed by the Southern Railway's architect JR Scott and opened in 1938, its debt to Charles Holden's work for the London Underground is obvious:
It's a slightly lumpen, Modernist pavilion, still rather fine, and with that typical air of once-genteel English seaside towns which have seen better days.
I had time to wander down to the sea, to admire the cliffs.
The beach is a vast expanse of pebbles. None of your namby-pamby sand here.
In the far distance, a groin [edit: apologies, I meant "groyne", of course. I think it's pretty obvious what was on my mind at the time I made that mistake.] protects the approaches to Newhaven harbour, and some sort of boring or piling is clearly underway:
And since I have probably already bored you to death, let's finish with this -- it was the vastness of the skies wot grabbed my attention.
LeDuc's day out to the seaside. See, that was fun, wasn't it?
4 comments:
You are certainly the accomplished photographer, LeDuc. I admire your work. I just wonder what you could do with your camera and a nubile model and some time?
Great postings today! Smashing pictures of trains, stations, the beaches and skies followed by angels and demons, Jake and manly chests. Not to forget those huge pictures at the beginning that showed no cock! But who cares, the guys were suitably hairy and very sexy.
Thanks again LeDuc.
Michael
Portland OR
PS BTW Ed Westwick is on TV every week here in some drivel called Gossip Girl.
I love praise, whether or not it's deserved. Thank you for feeding me.
Jim: I've toyed with hiring a model and getting to work, but a residual feeling that that would finally tip me over the edge into being an utter sleaze-bag has thus far held me back.
It won't forever, I suspect.
Do you remember the 1988 Channel 4 film "Two of Us" filmed in part at Seaford and Newhaven and starring Lee Whitlock and Jason Rush? A sweet little tale which caused a sensation at the time. Thank goodness my VHS still works!
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