Once the Mumbles Train and later the Tram would have chugged to a halt at the pier head. On one occasion over a thousand people travelled on a single train. A picture shows them sitting on the top and hanging on the sides, even the ladies with their long frocks and parasols. For a sense of accomplishment they would wander up the road and climb the hill at Mumbles Head and gaze out over to Devon. One hopes there was a tea shop on this side of the water. The pretty little station built in 1926 for the trams is now an amusement arcade, colourful, noisy and packed. A fish and chip parlour adds tone with glass, brass and chandeliers. The pier itself is being renovated so is locked off leaving a large mechanical red dragon looking forlorn and lonely on the board walk.
And what about those determined Edwardian daytrippers picking their way up and over Mumbles Head? A hundred years later their pathway leads into a car park with a tomato shaped burger bar and a lot less grass. At the top, a line of railings with a "danger" sign beside a sheer drop makes a gesture to health and safety. But even today the sense of adventure is still real and much more exciting than the arcade.
Once the Mumbles Train and later the Tram would have chugged to a halt at the pier head. On one occasion over a thousand people travelled on a single train. A picture shows them sitting on the top and hanging on the sides, even the ladies with their long frocks and parasols. For a sense of accomplishment they would wander up the road and climb the hill at Mumbles Head and gaze out over to Devon. One hopes there was a tea shop on this side of the water. The pretty little station built in 1926 for the trams is now an amusement arcade, colourful, noisy and packed. A fish and chip parlour adds tone with glass, brass and chandeliers. The pier itself is being renovated so is locked off leaving a large mechanical red dragon looking forlorn and lonely on the board walk. 
And what about those determined Edwardian daytrippers picking their way up and over Mumbles Head? A hundred years later their pathway leads into a car park with a tomato shaped burger bar and a lot less grass. At the top, a line of railings with a "danger" sign beside a sheer drop makes a gesture to health and safety. But even today the sense of adventure is still real and much more exciting than the arcade. 
No comments:
Post a Comment