|
The Horsebridge Pier...
Recent entries to our Visitors Book have made reference to a
Whitstable feature that many younger readers will never have seen
or heard about. It was the substantial wooden jetty that jutted
out from the beach a few yards west of the Oyster House at
Horsebridge.
Now, thanks to Tony Stroud in Oz, we can get a glimpse of the
structure. Take a look at Tony's message and enclosure....
| Hi Dave,
A photo for the Horsebridge saga.....
From the incline of beach, there was a fair depth of
water at high-tide. The crane seems to be about one and
half times the height of the pier.
Tony Stroud |
The photo was taken close to the the old Anderson Rigden and Perkins
boatyard looking east. The jetty appears quite prominently in the
distance but the Oyster house is slightly obscured by a cabin
cruiser (see right). That boat may well be on the slipway of
another well known boatyard - R J Perkins. Below, we provide an enlarged extract of the background.....
The crane has caused quite a bit of discussion in the
Visitors Book with entries such as the following.....
| The Horsebridge jetty, taken down in the 50's, was a
place of great attraction to the lads of the town
particularly when the tide was in. It was nothing to have
30 to 40 kids diving and jumping from the pier..... and,
to be really outrageous, climbing the wooden derrick at
the end and jumping or diving off. The first person I ever saw dive off the derrick was
Binsa (Clive) Marshall . He paved the way and, after a
while, most of us could lay claim to diving and jumping
from the top.
Regards to Whitstable
Dave Jordan |
| (Bincer) Clive Marshall was my
younger brother. I remember like yesterday when he first
dived off that derrick. I pleaded with him not do do it as
I recognised that the water was not deep enough. He just
said it must be as the tide is in.
Most lads called him Bincer, but
to the family he was always BINNY. He was game for
any thing. Sadly he passed away on Easter Sunday 2000.
George T Marshall |
In his book, 'Merchant Ships of Whitstable',
Wallace Harvey writes that the pier was constructed of timbers
from the 'Herbert' in 1913 & demolished in 1956. It belonged
to the Whitstable Hoy & Trading Company. All this confirms the
importance of the Horsebridge as a landing stage for cargo trade.
The recycling of timber was not unusual along Whitstable's
waterfront use. Some time ago, John Harman pointed out that a 1917
photo taken at West Beach showed evidence that breakwaters had
been built form salvaged wood. Unfortunately, John's article is
still in the process of being transferred to the new Simply
Whitstable web site and I cannot yet provide a link to it.
(Now, I've depressed myself by how much still needs to be done on
the site!).
I can just about recall the Horsebridge jetty. I was
taken there by my brothers some time around 1953/54. It was an
amazing scene with kids crawling over the structure. Meanwhile,
craftsmen from the nearby boatyard were working on the beach. It
was all so typically Whitstable.... with leisure and commerce in
such close proximity.
I would like to thank Tony for taking the time to scan and
forward the photo..... and for bringing back quite a few personal
memories.
Comments...
|
Want to Comment?
If you wish to comment on any item on this page,
please ...
click here
We will insert your views immediately below the
relevant article. |
|
