When you tell people you live by the sea, they imagine you spend every spare moment with your toes in the sand and eating ice-cream cornets. The little beach we have here in Southampton isn’t quite like that though (although I am partial to a Mr Whippy).
What strikes you first about Weston Shore is the architecture. There are the brutalist tower blocks, five small ones and a big one, directly behind you…
Dotted along the shoreline itself are these 1930’s art-deco pillbox beach shelters…
Then there’s the oilrefinery and powerstations on the opposite coastline…
The water out there is deep and you’ll often see the to-ing and fro-ing of oil-tankers, huge container ships and luxury liners, like the Independence of the Seas…
You’ll see the odd dog venture into the water, but not many humans. I remember me and my friend Penny once went for a swim on a hot summers day and suffered a nasty rash for days afterward!
That said though, I do like the place. The bleakness is quite endearing – a bit like being in cold-war Russia. I have a lot of childhood memories of the place too, so whilst it may not be in any tourist guidebook or holiday brochure, I’ll always be happy to visit.
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