From April 9 to 12, 2013, I was on a family holiday in Dorset, staying in Chiswell, a village on the Isle of Portland beside Chesil Beach, one of the great natural features of the UK, a shingle beach (technically a barrier beach), which is 18 miles long (29 km), 660 feet wide (200m) and 50 feet (15m) high.
The location of the house where we were staying is actually known as Chesil Cove, and was formerly a deadly place for shipwrecks, and also for floods, although in recent years the floods have been stemmed by a sea wall, first built between 1958 and 1965, and reinforced in the 1980s.
The house itself is a solid, stone-built structure that was used as a chapel and then as a fishermen’s store, where the men used to sit around mending nets, as boys ran errands, hoping to be chosen to go out to sea with them. It has been converted into a guest house that is particularly suitable for artists, and this photo, taken shortly after 9am on April 10, 2013, shows the bathroom, revealing one of the house’s many charms — its woodwork in keeping with its history, and the use of old objects. With the exception of a very modern and efficient heating system, the entire house is a fine example of how to avoid the kind of soulless makeovers that are encouraged by TV shows and DIY superstores.
For more on Andy Worthington, see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/
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