Swanage Pier - a photo opportunity

Swanage is a small seaside town on the Purbeck coastline of Dorset. Although I had been to the town before I had not seen the pier, so a quick detour to our journey seemed like a good idea, despite the fact that we would arrive mid afternoon and the light would be fading fast. There wouldn't be a great deal of time for photography but in many ways the short stop was to see whether or not another visit would be worthwhile when I had more time. As we parked the car I noticed a 'Trompe L'oiel' on a derelict building opposite the pier. In the bottom right hand corner was this inscription. An omen perhaps?

All the photos were taken using the Olympus OMD EM5 and Olympus 45mm f1.8 prime lens.

There are in fact two piers at Swanage. The remains of the original pier which was built in 1859 and the 'new' pier, which was built in 1895, the latter having undergone considerable restoration in recent years.

The original pier

As I walked along the pier I noticed that the vast majority of the wooden planks included a small brass plate with an inscription. In one or two cases a floral tribute had been left, probably on Christmas Day which only adds to the poignancy of the next two images.

Another floral tribute

There are many benches along the promenade looking out to the sea. On this particular bench was a pair of shoes and a single sock. I only hope the owner returned from his paddle, together with the missing sock, on what was a particularly cold day.

The magnificent trompe l'oiel I referred to at the beginning of this entry. The 'photo opportunity' inscription can be seen in the bottom right hand corner.

Another trompe l'oiel which has been painted on a shutter board in a window

As the light faded the full moon joined the sea gulls in the sky

Swanage Pier is definitely a 'photo opportunity' and one I hope to return to in the not too distant future.

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