Brigstowe Bay was a grinning moon banked by rocky spurs.
At the centre of the smile was a bank of grubby sand, the Grand Pier with its sagging wooden roller coaster and sun bleached stalls selling candy floss and hot dogs.
On the northern spur, looking towards Torquay, were the wide streets and Romanesque villas of Upper Cliffside, looking down on the promenade in more ways than one.
On the southern side, set apart from the wannabe millionaires of Cliffside and the hucksters and charming liars of the promenade, was an area locals called ‘Brig’.
The pubs and cottages lining Brig harbour resembled squat toadstools, warty with jerry-built extensions, sheds and stillhouses. What fishing boats remained ran the coast, ‘fishing’ for washed up whisky and smuggled brandy.
A boy from Brig could beat a Cliffside lad hands down in a fight.
Though maybe not a fair one.
***
Written for Crimson’s Creative Challenge #75. See Crispina’s inspiring pic and join in.
Word Shamble 
You describe a place I well know. The English seaside resort. You’ve captured it all. And I love the ‘looking down’ in more senses than one. While this doesn’t really capture Yarmouth it’s a fair representation of neighbouring Gorleston in its hay-day.
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There are a lot of areas like this – Bristol has loads of them. ‘Nice’ communities that rub shoulders with their less respectable cousins – people who claim to live in Southville or Totterdown instead of Bedminster because they can stick a few extra thousand in their house asking price.
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There are a couple of nudging-villages in the Norfolk Broads, the one claims elegance, the other belongs more the sheep and the working class.
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Reblogged this on wordrefiner.
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Thanks Mark ☺️
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Brilliant miniature description of the town’s social stratas and inhabitants in so few words- loved it
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Thanks so much Alyson. Glad you liked it
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This was wonderful, Lynn. I could just picture the place… And I’ve no doubt there would be brawls between the “factions”!
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Thanks very much Dale. Yes, I think you’re right
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I used to think I was pretty good at the killer last line, but you are, as in all things, a class apart.
Wonderful.
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Oh, bless your heart, C. Thank you so much x
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