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Overstrand
Overstrand maps
Historic maps of Overstrand and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Overstrand maps
Overstrand area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Overstrand and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Overstrand
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Overstrand.
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The Beach Huts
We spent many lovely holidays here and my lasting memory is of our first job was to race down to the beach and see 'Dick' Davies and sort a beach hut for our 2 weeks stay, they were a little piece of calm when the weather was rough, plus a place to keep all the beach bits not needed to be lugged up the slope. As we got older Claire and me would sit in there watching the world and the local 'lads' go past. I can still remember the smell of the huts and the wonderful days on the beach. As I got older I moved to local town and had some very different memories of the huts, mainly of being locked in one with a certain Mr Davies ....
What A Magnificant Building!
My memories are of working as a night care assistant from 1985 to 1990. Our work pattern was to work 7 nights on! This meant there was time during the shift to study and admire the fixtures and fittings throughout, as we had to clean it as well as look after approx 51 residents! Lots of wood floors, and panelling to dust and polish! Early summer mornings at 4.00am we could see the crab boats go out. What a view. Winter nights were drafty and at times spooky given the size of the buiding and rattly doors and windows. But it was a privelege to work in such a building, and let your mind wander to how it would have been for such a rich family to live in what was initially just someones house. I loved the delpht tiles and fancy taps in the bathrooms, and the ornate carvings up the front staircase, with the little weird carvings of symbols of suns and moons and fish entwined and disguised into... Read more
Overstrand Hotel 1903-47
Thanks to Mr T Richards for his historic knowledge of Overstrand, (and some delving into Overstrandonline) this is indeed the hotel which was built in 1903, suffered subsidence 1906, burnt down 1947 and subsequently fell down the cliff shortly after. Unless the sea has washed them away remnants of the holtel could still be found on the beach.
"The Cafe"
A familiar landmark for anybody who knows Overstrand. This picture could have been taken from my old front garden down Cliff Road. When I first became interested in cricket (1964-5 ish) around the age of 9 or 10, I would be watching the BBC coverage of the test matches during the summer holidays. I worked out if was quick enough I could run down to the cafe, buy myself a choc-ice and be back in front of the TV during the change of overs. I would by jelly shoes, footballs, shrimp-nets and all kinds of things from the "Cafe". Fond memories....and its still there and doing as well as ever I think judging from my visits every summer.
Helping Push The Boat up The Beach.
This was a familiar sight during the summer months. Health and Safety would put a stop to this kind of thing nowadays but back in the 1960s it was the thing to do. Lots of holidaymakers' kids would all rush to help push the crab boats up the beach. One of the crab boatmen would push the boat while his partner would throw the next 'skid or skeet' under the boat to roll it eventually to the the dry sand above the tideline where the catch of the day would be sorted and the boat would then remain until the next trip. Often a tractor would help but sometimes pure human effort was all there was.
The Shelter
What a wonderful picture this is, a lovely summer's day at the height of the summer season (by the look of the beach). The small shelter featuring in the picture disappeared overnight during a cliff-fall around the mid 1960s (a guess). We lived very close to this axcess point to the beach and my father heard the rumble of the fall.
Overstrand 1906 Ref; 56870
I think this picture is of 'The Londs', the narrow lane featuring fishermen's cottages leading from the village main street down to the small green and cliff top.
Many Happy Hours Spent on The 'Crick'
Living in Overstrand from the age of 3 to 16 (1958-71), I spent many happy hours playing football, cricket, throwing homemade boomerangs or gliders, playing kickball (a version of hide and seek but a bit more involved) even early courting days on the 'Crick' as the locals referred to it (short for cricket ground). The ground was always well cared for and a pleasure to use. During the summer months the mums would often stop off for a half hour on the way home from school so us kids could play and the mums could sit and have a chat.
