Beach area from the cliffs

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• This is a lovely picture, there appears to be a small fair on the grassed area. Mr Joe Irish and Mr Tommy Peak used to pitch here in the summer season, setting up a bingo stall and other amusements. I made the candy floss for Joe and Marie Irish until 1960 and I don’t think they ever came back after that year.

  The yard with the equipment in was used by the Harbour Works section, headed by Mr Bob Martin, a long time before the “Bonio” days.

  Terry Walton also worked at that little fair, his memory might be a bit sharper than mine.

  By Colin Brandon (05/06/2010)

• The ferry would be the ” Valencay ” or  Villandry “, they were pretty much identical. As for the activity they are probably clearing up the remains of the small railyard that was there being that the year is 1967 and the line to the breakwater had closed by then.

  By Rob Patten (25/06/2008)

• And just thinking about the other question, that area was used for storing equipment etc used for maintenance of the West Pier and breakwater. Is this too early for the first batch of ‘Bonio’s’ to be placed at the end of the breakwater, I wonder?

  By Andy Gilbert (25/06/2008)

• The ferry is either the Valencay or Villandry, hard to tell the difference ! Always remember the swell from the ferries especially the 4 o’clock coming in. We use to warn people who usually took no notice and then we would sit on the top and watch their clothes and food taken out to sea !! Regarding the activity in the middle of the photo, think this might have been when they started to make the strange shaped concrete ‘lumps’ that they eventually dropped at the end of the breakwater to help protect it but not quite sure, perhaps someone else remembers.

  By PaulBlackman (24/06/2008)

• It’s one of the ‘V twins’, Villandry or Valencay, taking out the morning sailing (10:30, I think), judging by the shadows.

  By Andy Gilbert (23/06/2008)