Sea front at Sidmouth, Devon

The success or otherwise of a seaside town that relies for its livelihood on tourism is very dependent on what it offers for visitors to see and do. Attractive, interesting buildings contribute enormously. So too do activities connected with the sea. The small Devon town of Sidmouth has a good mixture of buildings and sea-linked activities, in fact rather more than you might expect in a settlement of its size.

 
The building shown is a fanciful mixture of styles and materials, something that is a feature of many British seaside towns.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Thatched cottage, Deeping St James

This unusually small thatched cottage (named Clematis Cottage) stands by the road in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire. It sits uncomfortably next to a taller, later neighbour, with a narrow space between the two buildings to allow maintenance work on the walls. Like many thatched or timber-framed buildings it has a brick chimney for safety, this one relatively tall and braced with a strip of metal. The keystone/datestone shows it to have been built in 1819 using local stone featuring the area's "signature" courses of irregular width. The thatch has wire netting over it to lessen the impact of weather and birds. Access to the back of the cottage is via the gate which is probably shared with the adjacent neighbour. There appears to be a (necessary these days) extension and I wouldn't be surprised if the narrow plot stretches back quite a way.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus E510   2009