Amble Old Caravan Site

[Coquet]

Just looking at this old card of when the caravan site was right on the dunes at Amble. It got me thinking back to one night when we had a most severe easterly gale. I went for a walk on the "Big Shore" the next morning - what a sight! many of the caravans had been blown over the dunes and had crashed onto the beach and were smashed to bits with their contents scattered everywhere. Must have been heartbreaking for the Caravanners.

I wonder if that event led to their removal from the dunes? I'm guessing this was about 1969-72 anyone remember that storm?

[Coquet]

And these adverts from 1969 will take you right back to that time...

Sea View Cafe...did nice chips

And the Blue Kettle....world famous I think.

[Coquet]

Allen's Cafe. Oh the humanity...

[Coquet]

What was the origin of the Sea View Cafe building? a WW2 gun housing or something?

[Alan J.]

I believe the cafe was in fact the housing for a costal defence gun to cover the area from Hauxley point to Boulmer point and the harbour entrance. There were underground rooms beneath it presumably for ammunition storage, these were used in the 1950's as a body building / weight training club by some local youths. The cafe was operated for a while by a man named Hughes who also had an ice cream kiosk near the East cemetery and later was the mine host at the Dock Hotel, late 1950's. He also, prior to this had a toy shop and lending library where the TSB is now. The caravans on the links were blown over more than once during their time and were moved over to their present site when the council decided to get more organised and this was the begining of the caravan park as we know it today

[hollydog]

I remember as a 8/9 year old 1973ish - in those days us lads went all over at that age and played in the cafe and other old buidings including also a drift shaft west of Moorhouse farm. The cafe / gun emplacement was I believe dismantled (I'm not sure but small detonation charges were used - memory is fading!) because it was a hazard to local kids playing in it!!

Not quite as dangerous as my father's generation after the war playing on the military targets (old tanks) at Druridge Hadston Scaurs area though!!!

[Coquet]

Originally Posted by Alan J.

I believe the cafe was in fact the housing for a costal defence gun to cover the area from Hauxley point to Boulmer point and the harbour entrance. There were underground rooms beneath it presumably for ammunition storage, these were used in the 1950's as a body building / weight training club by some local youths. The cafe was operated for a while by a man named Hughes who also had an ice cream kiosk near the East cemetery and later was the mine host at the Dock Hotel, late 1950's. He also, prior to this had a toy shop and lending library where the TSB is now. The caravans on the links were blown over more than once during their time and were moved over to their present site when the council decided to get more organised and this was the begining of the caravan park as we know it today

That's interesting. Just realised my uncle was one of those 'youths' you mention - I knew he did some training over in that location in some war time building or other and now understand from what you say it must be the ammo bunker of that gun emplacement.


pic below, not a good one but you can see this is a concrete structure:

[MBA]

The photo of the caravans must be the late fifties or the early sixties. My parents had a caravan in this area which would have been close to the road and there was a camp shop there I think it was run by the Jones's ( not shown). our van was damaged in the storm mentioned. When Amble UDC purchased the Links farm they moved all of the vans off the public land so they could have more control and charge higher rental fees.

[MBA]

Ned Fenwick's is a name that comes to mind with the Sea View Cafe