I see the workmen repairing our crumbling East Cliff here in Ramsgate have had it away with the fascia from one of our last remaining, albeit defunct, illuminations. The arch of lights over this cheeky chappy used to light up in sequence to give the impression that he was juggling his balls. These days the only ball juggling you're likely to witness is at the offices of our beloved local council.Thanks to regular contributor Millicent, however, there may be a solution. She's pointed out that Blackpool's go-ahead council is auctioning off a whole heap of its illuminations to make way for super-duper new lighting. Items being flogged off include genies with lamps, seahorses and seashells, and a 60 foot, illuminated replica of Thunderbird 3. Estimates range from a measly £50-£350.
Blackpool Illuminations still attract 3.5m visitors a year. With a bit of a whip round, we could put Ramsgate back on the seaside map!
Click here for full story on BBC website
7 comments:
Richard it seems that not the only thing going on, the council didn’t tell the workmen the new development ground floor level is lower than the old amusement building’s so at the bottom of the concrete cliff wall there is an er gap.
Seeing is believing if you go down to the bottom of the lift and look through the (hate to use the f word on a blog) fence, you see the concrete cliff wall weighing, I don’t know 100 tons at a guess, then cast your eye down and you see the concrete foundations and its all sitting on a little pile of mud.
Of course I am sure they all know what they are doing and it’s all quite safe, I bet they just can’t wait for the heavy machinery to turn up to build the access road, I wonder if it vibrates much.
I have been trying to get information about all this for my Pleasurama update, oddly enough no one seems to have replied to my enquiries.
NO! I moved from Blackpool to get away from all that tat and find a quiet seaside town!
I'll end in Margate at this rate...
Michael, at that rate is it able to support all the scaffolding erected or is all standing on the 'pile of mud'?
Might not be walking too close to the edge as I did today!
Yikes! So, far from preventing our cliff from crumbling, the works might actually precipitate it?
Must check my buildings insurance.
I have just received assurances from the civil engineers supervising the cliff repairs that the foundations are sound, from what I understand this is based on the fact that although the concrete façade is in bad condition the is no sign that it is subsiding. I would draw your attention to the following webpages that show the surveys of the cliff. link1 link2 link3
That's good to hear Michael.
I don't know what all the fuss is about these new fangled all electric illuminations. What's wrong with the traditional method involving a few gallons of petrol and a match?
Now I know some of the more cash-strapped developers have got bored with this approach, but it's attracting new devotees in the form of those ASBO sprogs exiled down here by the London boroughs.
Might be dreadfully old fashioned but at least it keeps them off the streets.
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