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ALDEBURGH IN 1956

Do you remember zigzag strips of postcard-sized pictures; you used to write a letter on the back and sealed them up to be posted?

These are some from a 1956 series showing the town in the days before almost everyone had a car, and parking tickets were almost unknown.

Also worth noting is that the sea has retreated from the north end of Aldeburgh’s beach, where you now face at least a 50m walk across shingle to get your feet wet.

ALDEBURGH BY TRAIN

A train journey on the now closed railway line from Saxmundham to  Aldeburgh.

At 45 seconds you can make out the house in the clouds and windmill at Thorpeness (see The Meare for a more up to date view) before the trains comes into "Thorpe Halt"  station for Thorpeness.  Part of the line is now a footpath.

The Station  at Aldeburgh was next to the Railway Tavern on the roundabout on the way into Albeburgh. It was built using the white Aldeburgh brick.  On its  demolition some of these bricks were reused on extending existing  buildings in Aldeburgh to meet conservation area requirements.

The  song is "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann, a lament to the closure of the railways under the much reviled Dr Beeching.  You can still walk along much of the path of the old line, but if you want to travel to Aldeburgh or Thorpeness, the nearest station is Saxmundum.