Bude Sea Pool, Summerleaze, Cornwall · Travel Poster

Not just a view, the heritage behind it. Ella writes about the place, its hidden history, and the details that never make it into the guidebooks, all printed on the poster.

The Atlantic arrives at Bude with the whole width of an ocean behind it, which is magnificent to look at and rather less obliging to swim in. So in the late 1920s, with trains and motor cars bringing visitors to the coast in search of healthful salt water, Bude found them somewhere gentler. Under the cliffs at Summerleaze lay a rocky hollow known as Saturday's Pit. It was deepened, a wall was sunk into the beach, and on 10 July 1930 the sea pool opened, 91 metres long and free to everyone, which was the one condition the Thynne family set when they agreed to share the cost.

Nearly a century on it still works exactly as it did. The tide climbs over the wall and changes the water itself, with no pumps and no power, and on the terraces above it the beach huts that have stood there since the 1950s keep watch in a neat row. It is looked after now by volunteers and the Friends of Bude Sea Pool, and it is still free, to anyone, any day of the year.

An original illustration, available in colour or black and white, created for the Ella's Adventures travel poster series.

No frame included.

Please note that, to protect the original artwork from copyright infringement, the images shown on this website are low resolution. The poster you receive is printed in high resolution, with all the detail and clarity of the original.