Seaton

[puddleshark]

Seaton Harbour.



Seaton is a bit strange. A town by the seaside, but not a seaside town.

To the east, the harbour where the River Axe flows out through a narrow channel into the sea.





To the west, the old town: a pedestrianized lane winding uphill. Quite a few closed-down shops. Here and there, towards the top of the town, a few upmarket cafés and arty shops.













Between the harbour and the old town, the sea front.



A long concrete esplanade, but along it only houses and flats, and none of them architecturally interesting.



No decaying Regency splendour here. Seaton only became a resort in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway. But for some reason it seems to have missed out on the usual 19th century acts of civic pride. No pleasure gardens, no Victorian bandstands, no fancy seafront shelters. There's nothing along the seafront at all, bar a couple of kiosks selling ice creams and tea in polystyrene cups. Not a single café.

Behind the sea front, an area of 1970s flats, small businesses, which seems a little blighted by 20th century town planning. On the site of the old holiday camp, a new Tesco supermarket and a new housing estate (built on a two metre platform of imported earth, because it's where the River Axe used to flow in Medieval times, before the estuary silted up, and it's where the River Axe will probably flow again at some point in the future as sea levels rise.)


Back street.

I had originally planned to park in Seaton, and walk along the coast path to Beer. But when I went to pay at the long-stay car park, I found that the maximum stay was three hours. And I wasn't sure I could make it to Beer and back within three hours. With hindsight, it was an omen. The local council doesn't believe anyone would want to hang around in Seaton more than three hours.

Next to the car park is a large, closed-down Jurassic tourist attraction.

And next to that, for the time being at least, the public lavatories.


"Unique Opportunity. Public toilet premises available for creative repurposing..."

Truly, the mind boggles.

Comments

[heleninwales]

Seaton does look rather forlorn and forgotten.

[puddleshark]

It does. Most seaside towns look a bit shabby out of season (except Lyme Regis, which is super-upmarket), but Seaton seems particularly forlorn.

Though the harbour and the old town have a lot of charm.

[kaishin108]

So scenic!

[puddleshark]

I'm not so sure about the seafront - there's something a bit forbidding about that concrete esplanade. But the harbour and the old town have a lot of charm.