Fishermen's tales

Today all is silent.
But when the sea surges
And the gale vents its fury
Ghosts whisper
While timbers moan.

The Old Neptune sits resolutely on the beach at Whitstable and keeps an eye on the Isle of Sheppey in the background. Its timbers are warped and twisted and it reeks of history and atmosphere, so I chose the cinematic treatment I think it deserves.

The original building, probably a boatyard workshop, was long ago washed away and the first Old Neptune beer house built on the site was badly damaged in 1853 when an exceptionally high tide combined with a northerly gale washed away its foundations. Thirty years later, it became a temporary morgue when another great storm wrecked several vessels awaiting repair along the shore. After another storm completely washed away the old wooden building and several cottages in 1897, the Old Neptune was rebuilt, using timber reclaimed from those buildings.