Path to the beach

Path to the beach. Oil on canvas board. 7"x5"

Available at nigelmasonart@yahoo.co.uk 

This winter has been wet - really wet - not much chance to get out to paint. But last weekend the sun came out and this is the result of a walk around the local beaches with my partner.

The building on the left is a disused cafe that served the beach in front of it. There's a lawned terrace in between the cafe and the beach where you would have sat to enjoy your tea and take in the view of the harbour. It may return to former prosperity - you never know! 

On the beach itself there is a kiln for smelting lime. Boats must have brought in the raw material to be processed in the kiln for use in building.

The lane at this point splits into two and the path to the right leads to another beach - much bigger than this one. In Victorian times the beach was used to make ropes for use on the fishing boats and sailing vessels. The virtually deserted path must, at one time, have  been a hive of industry. Workers would have walked down and back each day to work,  intermixing with horse drawn carts used to haul away the produce of the two beaches. How quiet it all is now!