Tuesday 28 February 2012

The sea defence diaires - some latest finds 27/02/12

These are some of the latest finds I have found in the past week all found inside the harbour where the deep digging has been taking place .
This item made of brass is one of the marine items I have found in the mud. It was attached to a piece of decomposing wood and at this moment in time I am not sure what it's purpose was.




This ginger beer bottle is the one that I found and mentioned in a previous posting. It is impressed H D Rawlings and is a cork top and I am dating it around the 1880's. I have also found a number of broken pieces of Ginger Beer bottles bearing logos or impressed with local names. I have kept the pieces because the information will help put together records of the different designs of ginger beer bottles used by local manufacturers.




Another Baluster from the Balustrade that surrounded the original lighthouse on the end of the stone pier. The design of the Baluster is of a different design and size to the other pieces I have already found. This could suggest that the Balustrade was altered when the lighthouse was replaced in 1829 or the Balustrade may have suffered storm damage in the storms 1877 and 1897. My only way to find out will be in the Mick Twyman archives.



This bottle is the one third of a pint Thatcher the milk snatcher type. The bottle distributed by Weston Bros Dairies as written on the bottle and contained orange juice. The character on the bottle is a Suki and I am sure many local people will remember these bottles.
I am donating this bottle to the Margate museum collection as the bottle represents an era in local history.



Finally, this is an observation. The Kings Steps in most places is made of concrete and repaired in concrete. However part of the structure is made of granite blocks and some of these granite blocks are curved. This could suggest these curved blocks were taken from an arch.
One fact for sure is these curve blocks that form part of the Kings Steps have been salvaged from another structure. The question is where from. I suppose I could now add this to the list Margate mysteries .
Anyway it is down there for all to see for those interested.

4 comments:

Michael Child said...

Tony I think the top one is a boat throttle control, performs the same function as the accelerator pedal in a car.

A J Ovenden said...

Thanks Michael, looking at the photograph I should have put a coin next to it to give some scale.

Michael Child said...

No need Tony it’s a pretty standard item on small inboard engine boats made before about 1960, the handle bit is on a threaded stem and you turn it to lock it in place

Don Wood said...

Interesting stuff, I like the bottle. Kings steps recycled from somewhere else how today they were before they knew about the end of the planet is nigh.