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Bulverhythe Beach, which lies between Hastings and Bexhill, is the site of an old wreck and a prehistoric forest. They can only be seen a low tide however so I didn’t photograph those, no doubt I will return to do so.
Here are my favorites from this session. I can’t decide which one I like the most.
#1 does it for me, really nice image…well done.
Thanks Pat.
These are all beautiful!! The light is stunning in #3 & #4, but #1 is my fave too. I love the sense of movement you have captured and I can almost feel the water on my toes. Love em 🙂
Thanks Katrina. You really wouldn’t have wanted to dip your toes in, it was pretty cold that morning!
Bulverhythe, not much there now, just an expanse of beach, a railway line runs close by, and large rocks have been placed along the highest point of the shoreline to keep the sea away……picture one shows steps leading down to the beach from path level, the railway line is no more the 10 yards away.
Towards Hastings are many brightly coloured beach huts…not much used in the winter, and a small fishing fleet …..called the “west enders” the “east enders” being the main fleet, based in the old town of Hastings.
Bulverhythe is historically significant for three reasons at least.
When the tide is out, he remains of a pre historic forest is exposed, and what in many cases appear to be rocks are in fact trees, local geologists under the Hastings Shipwreck and Heritage Centre proctect the area.
They also protect the wreck of The Amsterdam , a dutch ship that ran aground on 26th January 1749, having endured an horrendous voyage from Holland,
The Amsterdam was on its way to Java, East Indies, set sail in November 1748, laden with fine cloth, boxes of silver bullion, bottles of wine.
The weather was so awful the ship made little headway for weeks,and then had her rudder torn off as she entered the channel, and struck the seabed
Perhaps 90 of the crew died of disease,discipline was lost ,the cabin boy was almost certainly shot and murdered,and the Captain was obliged to run the ship aground.
She came to rest in the pre historic forest, and sank quickly into the mud of an old river bed, and on very low tides can be seen today.
Bulverhythe is also linked to smuggling, which was was a major industry between 1700 and 1840.
Smuggling today is often thought of being one person and a suitcase with hidden tobacco or drugs, but in those days boats would arrive offshore laden with tea, or tobacco, and perhaps 300 plus horses and big gangs of armed men would load up and take the goods to be sold in London, there were several local gangs, they ruled with terror, were not frightened to kill.
Bulverhythe was a notorious site for smuggling ,and close by is a pub called the Bo Peep.
It is said that the nursery rhyme Little Bo Peep has absolutely nothing to do with a shepherdess, and everything to do with smuggling, the lost sheep being barrels of brandy.
The smugglers used to drop the barrels over the side of the boats and let them float ashore, particularly useful if the Revenue men were waiting to search the boat on landing.
Hence leave them alone, and they will come home, the “tails” perhaps denoting ownership of the barrels in question.
Even the most unlikely of places have interesting pasts, when the surface is scratched. I will get a picture of the Amsterdam wreck and forest at some point. I may have missed the tides for now though…
Got to be No.1. Fell like I’m toppling into the sea. Almost 3D effect. Superb.
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