Not West Bridgford No 15

When I posted “Not West Bridgford No 14” in July 2015 and “Not West Bridgford Again” almost a year later, on both occasions I intended for them to be the last in a series of quirky reports on places which subjectively resemble aspects of West Bridgford, the suburb of Nottingham in which I grew up. Recently, however, I visited somewhere that was far too good to exclude from this selection of scenes that could be West Bridgford, ought to be West Bridgford, should be West Bridgford, but aren’t, and hence I felt the compulsion for another blog on the same theme.

For this is West Bridgford on Sea. For some strange reason, a high proportion of West Bridgford-alikes are seaside towns, despite the original being located almost at the geographical centre of England. I know – as per earlier blogs – that previously  I’ve detected traces in seaside resorts as far apart as Frinton in Essex, Ansdell and St Anne’s in Lancashire, and Colwyn Bay – jewel of the North Wales Riviera – but the photograph above is, atmospherically, the best yet. It is, in fact, a very pleasant  road in Rustington, West Sussex, and if you carry on down the thoroughfare in the picture, it turns right at the far end, briefly joins another road, and then there you are – at the sea front. Though neither West Bridgford nor Metroland, this is the perfect suburb, leaded lights in the front doors, the whole number … and with the breeze and shingle of the English Channel a couple of minutes’ walk away. It makes me so jealous !