Neither of these cards have been sent in the mail or dated. At a guess, and no more than that, the first is from the 1940s and the second from the 1980s.
St Margaret's Bay is very near Dover of the White Cliffs fame, and is a place very familiar to me. My parents lived in a house at the top of the nearest cliffs seen in the bottom postcard, with a beautiful view of the English Channel, of all the ships passing by, many going into and out of Dover. On a good day, you could see France.
I spent the best part of one summer down on that beach, with my two sons and my sister's children. You could walk down to the beach from the cliffs by the road, or you could scramble down a footpath. You can guess which the children preferred. It was, and presumably still is, a great beach for playing and exploration. It was shingle rather than sand, which discouraged an awful lot of people but made it great for us. OK, so it may be a little uncomfortable but you don't keep finding it for days afterwards. And at low tide rock pools appeared with all sorts of creatures to be examined. Great fun for all of us.
Read more about the bay
Ahhhh! I
ReplyDeleteI have loved England, dearly and deeply,
Since that first morning, shining and pure,
The white cliffs of Dover I saw rising steeply
Out of the sea that once made her secure.
I had no thought then of husband or lover,
I was a traveller, the guest of a week;
Yet when they pointed 'the white cliffs of Dover',
Startled I found there were tears on my cheek.
I have loved England, and still as a stranger,
Here is my home and I still am alone.
Now in her hour of trial and danger,
Only the English are really her own.
That looks like such a lovely spot and one which you would return to, year after year, with such delight. I never visited Dover, though my friends, who I met twelve years ago when they were table mates on a cruise, recently bought a wonderful 15th century farm house in Rye, and I've spent several days there...and I will visit again. I must ask them to take me to Dover.
ReplyDeleteLook very contrast but still beautiful in a way. I prefer the sunshine and nice color of the second one.
ReplyDeleteYou Got A Posty
All Little Things I Like
That looks like a beautiful scenic place to live.
ReplyDeleteThat cliff side wall looks quite steep and sheer....it is hard to believe you should scramble down any path. :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful weekend
Some day I shall visit those shores...lovely postcards! Happy PFF!
ReplyDeleteI agree those cliffs look steep! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love the 2 cards of the same place. It looks just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI keep telling you - it is NEVER a good day if you can see France!
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm kidding, right?
Right?
Looking up "shingle" now...
(Have a feeling you are not talking about roofing materials or the disease.)
shingle
ReplyDeletenoun
1 a rectangular tile of asphalt composite, wood, metal, or slate used on walls or roofs.
2 dated a woman's short haircut in which the hair tapers from the back of the head to the nape of the neck. [ORIGIN: so named because of the layering.]
3 a small signboard, esp. one found outside a doctor's or lawyer's office.
Wait. Ah, yes...
noun
a mass of small rounded pebbles, esp. on a seashore.
(Please note this is not really spam.)
Just returned today from a beach area I never knew existed out on Long Island. Called Huntington Bay. Your St Margaret's Bay is lovely! Glad Relax Max explained "shingle," Sheila!
ReplyDeleteI'm gland you all liked it. I'm very fond of the place. Sorry for the puzzle over "shingle". :) I never know when and at which point British English diverges from American English, even after some intensive tuition.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be pleased to know that St Margarets Bay has not changed much from what is shown in the postcards.
ReplyDeleteWe hada day out there last year and also climbed up the hill to South Foreland lighthouse (well worth a visit).
Glen
Hello Glen, and thank you for visiting. By coincidence, I visited St Margarets, for old times' sake, just a few weeks ago, almost a year after posting these cards. I didn't have time to explore, so I must go back again. I'd like to see the lighthouse.
ReplyDelete