Dungeness

This week we visited Dungeness in Kent. It really isn't at all what you'd expect to find in a home county. It's basically a remote and bleak shingle bank cluttered with 'shacks', a couple of pubs, a miniature steam railway station (we arrived by train), a cafe, a nuclear power station (!) and a couple of lighthouses. I could see how someone could visit and decide it was an absolute dump, but for me it was strangely captivating.

This was the view from the top of the old lighthouse....

There was also plenty of evidence of Dungeness' 'Bohemian' population. Several houses had arrangements of weird and wonderful 'clutter'.

Washed up debris....

Shoes.....

Posts....(?)
A nuclear power station always makes for an interesting backdrop...

And of course, there was Derek Jarman's garden at Prospect Cottage....

Even the road looked artistically shabby!

Comments

  1. The bike shed18 April 2010 at 20:44

    Dungeness and Romney Marsh is somewhere have never been but have always wanted to visit.

    Great pics - like the shoes especially

    ReplyDelete
  2. Balding Celebrities18 April 2010 at 20:51

    John's mum lives really near there! In a tiny windblasted cottage opposite an army firing range!

    Nikki

    ReplyDelete
  3. jim_greenan18 April 2010 at 21:18

    My dream (one of!) is to rent out the cottage to the left of the Old Smokery on the beach (I saw rented weekend people in it)and do art all weekend punctuated by blustery walks. I tried to but it is just about impossible to rent anything there. It seems it's all word of mouth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eric18 April 2010 at 23:58

    Well, the second visit to Monaco will just have to wait, I'm on my way this summer to Dungeness!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mark In Mayenne19 April 2010 at 06:57

    Looks interesting to me... I like strange shorelines.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Carol19 April 2010 at 12:07

    That looks like my kind of place!! Love the shoes!!

    Oh, and there is an award for you over at mine :-)

    C x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Molly Potter19 April 2010 at 13:42

    Mark - I think its unusualness is mostly because it's in Kent. I would expect to find the remoteness in several places in the UK but the remote barren setting with all that clutteredness makes it very odd! And atmospheric.

    Nikki - actually in Dungeness? Why are you a balding celebrity?

    James - yes I was looking for evidence of people 'holidaying' there but found none. most people appeared to arrive by train, go up the lighthouse and then return by train twenty minutes later. Actually I didn't see a huge number of people other than near the station.

    Eric - I'd stick with Monaco - which I a sure you intend to. I went to Monaco in 1987 and had a very pleasant time.

    Codgi - my sister made me aware of it. Won't be everyone's cup-o-tea.

    Carol -Yes I like anything a little out of the ordinary. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ken Devine19 April 2010 at 14:00

    Hi Molly P
    The shoe gallery...the heart and sole of Dungness. Oops, Dungeness.

    Thanks for convincing me to strike it from my bucket list.

    I would like to visit Kent though...England's garden rather than Derek Jarman's.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jonathan20 April 2010 at 14:48

    Fascinating. And I enjoyed Jarman's 'The Garden'. But, thanks to your pictures, I don't feel the need to visit in person.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nikki20 April 2010 at 17:46

    I was logged in on John's account! That's the blog he runs!

    It's not Dungeness itself, it's along the sea front near Rye, the road is called Jury's Gap.

    ReplyDelete
  11. moth4 June 2013 at 09:01

    Hello Molly,

    My name is Mei-en Lien, I am a reporter from Taiwan.

    I am really sorry to bother you like this, the reason I message you is because I am writing a book about London and place around London, I went to Dungeness and took some photos but my hark drives has broke up and I lost all my photos of Dungeness.

    I saw your blog on line and was wondering if it's possible to use some of your pictures in the book?

    I am sorry that I don't have any budget to pay for the images but I will credit your name below the images I use.

    thanks again for reading my message and I hope to hear from you soon.

    Mei-en

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. moth4 June 2013 at 09:02

      sorry, this is my contact email, dghair@gmail.com

      Delete

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