On The Edge

One The Edge : Karen's Cairn

I walked up and down the beech looking for a particular type of pebble; ones that were once clay bricks. They stand out quite clearly because they are so red. I was doing this as my partner on this project (Karen) had done this a day or two earlier and built a cairn on a groyne post. I was now following up thinking I would make a red brick beech installation of some kind? 
The reason Karen was using the sea tumbled bricks was she had wondered if any of them were originally part of a terrace of houses which were lost to the sea between 1909 and 1911 at this location in Hampton Herne Bay. My interpretation of the title 'On the Edge' was a description of these houses before they fell into the sea!

This ill fated oyster fishing company which was established in Hampton in the 1860s is really the starting point for our project. Their community was destroyed and plans to create a seaside residential estate also failed. Rapid erosion of the coastline meant that only a few houses were constructed, and before long they too had to be demolished as the sea came further inland.

Close to the Edge (Old family photo provided by Margaret Phipps)

Hernecliff Gardens

So, were we building our beech installations with what was left of the houses of the original Hamption community? You would hope so. 
I was wondering what to build with my carefully selected collection of sea tumbled brick pebbles and felt really taken by this powerful action of the sea. I noticed how it had worked away at the wooden groynes leaving the odd stone embeded between the planking. In a intuitive response I found myself plugging up the gaps in between the eroded timbers, as if to attempt some kind of repairs to keep the sea out.

building with bricks from the past : Robs Repair

building with bricks from the past : Robs Repair

Much more about this original Hampton Community can be read on the Abandoned Communities website click here
http://www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk/hampton.html

2nd post by Rob.