Friday 17 April 2009

A nautical flavour : the most marvellous sea in the world!



Exploring the harbours, ships, lighthouse, towns, villages, marshy shores, cliffs and headlands of ''the most marvellous sea in the world'': English Channel, this fabulous book, which I found about a year ago (and was completely bowled over when I opened it up!), contains the most wonderful sketches and paintings.

There are twelve, lovely, colour plates.

Would you like to share them with me?


Newlyn
* Fowey

*

In the Channel

*

R.M.S.Queen Elizabeth

*Yachts...a very CK scene, don't you think?

*Dover Harbour

* Ramsgate

*Palace Pier, Brighton

* Portsmouth Dockyard

* Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour

* Sunrise

*Dungeness

*

I wonder ,which is your favourite?


The book is called 'English Channel'.

Written by Peter Temple and illustrated by Keith Baynes.

Published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1952.


Which makes it slightly older than me...and just as well worn! ;-)

Or is it 'Worn well' ?!! ;-)



It's a great read ..and one to have on the sideboard with your lighthouse paperweight...that's if you have one!!


Or your 1950s Alfred Meakin 'Brixham' china! Very fitting!

Or your Alfred Meakin's Fisherman's Cove plate...



I just love these designs!



Nautical...and nice!

***
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! ;-)

18 comments:

  1. Those are lovely pictures, Sal! I had no idea there was a 'Brixham' design - it was probably too expensive, and possibly too modern, for my grandparents to collect it when they lived there.

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  2. Lovely illustrations - what a wonderful book. I'm torn between Fowey and Ramsgate but then I like the Sunrise one too:) The Meakin designs are wonderful - ah Brixham brings back memories of childhood family holidays:)

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  3. I'm not hardly getting time to sit down this week, so when I finally did get some this morning, this was an absolute delight to see. I am soooooooo envious, you obviously have a "good" eye for a bargain. x

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  4. What an enchanting book - I love the seaside and watched Coast last night where they travelled from King's Lynn to Felixstowe - love the Meakin china ... I have seen lots of Meakin over the years but have never seen this one ...

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  5. What a great collection and that book is lovely. Yes I can see now where CK got her inspiration from!

    I don't have a favourite picture, all are equally beautiful :-)

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  6. Love the china and I think the Fowey picture is my favourite :)

    Mel xxx

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  7. You and me both. I love those sort of sketches and the china goes well with the book. I have always lived near the sea. The view I really miss is the view from the kitchen window of the house my parents built in Dittisham, it was a view of the River Dart. What is it about the water?

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  8. Oooh...you have the same lighthouse paperweight as me, I have no idea where mine is, packed away somewhere still no doubt from the move. I bought mine as it reminded me of the Hoad monument in Ulverston, that stands high on a hill a couple of miles inland from the sea. I knew it was based on a real lighthouse.

    I love the pictures, what a wonderful book.

    Sue xx

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  9. What lovely illustrations, so simple and colourful and yet evocative of Brixham - and other coastal areas - as 'tiz was'!

    If you like books about the coast then might I recommend three books by artist Peter Collyer. I first came across his work in his book RAIN LATER, GOOD - Illustrating the Shipping Forecast. In this book he actually paints the various sea areas such as Cromarty, German Bight, Dover, Wight, Portland, etc. Another of his books is SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST - painting the Channel Islands. And the third is ENCOMPASSING BRITAIN - Painting at the Points of the Compass. He found the 'middle' of Britain, and then took 32 locations on the coast, from the centre. These are not 1950s books and don't have that lovely retro look to them, but they are certainly gorgeous books to have for anyone who loves coastal regions.
    Margaret P

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  10. Lovely pictures, I like the Ramsgate one. The china is great too :)

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  11. I love the view from Palace Pier, Brighton, probably because I have fond memories of a visit there when I first passed my driving test many years ago!

    I love the Brixham china ~ I've never come across this before.

    Marie x

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  12. What lovely pictures and so 1950's and of course I particularly like the ones of Kent. I never thought that the 50's would come back into fashion and think of all the things we have thrown over the years. My dad you used to keep everything with the notion that you never know when you might want it. I think now after all the years he was right:)

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  13. That is one of my favourite books Sal! We got a copy a few years ago and its illustrations are just beautiful.
    Kimx

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  14. what a lovely book, Dungeness is my favourite picture!
    Josie x

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  15. Hi Sal...I am positively drooling over the book and then the wonderful crockery...love and hugs Mrs Green Eye

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  16. I must get a copy of this book, it is fabulous. I think I saw it on Kim's blog a while back, and loved it then. Your 1950s/60s china is fabulous too. Everything looks just the part together. x

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  17. Incredible stuff
    I so love visiting your blog
    x
    Sumea

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  18. I was quite taken with that little book! My favourite is the RMS Queen Elizabeth.
    My family and I were on the SS America in 1955 to go to England, and the ships are so similar.
    Lovely illustrations!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment! ;-)