This view was taken in the mid 1930s, although it is postmarked 1954. The Ritz Theatre is shown but when this card was posted it was less than a year since it was destroyed in a spectacular fire. I can clearly remember standing on the Esplanade, near the Burdon Hotel, during the Easter School holidays, as the roof and towers collapsed.

A Channel Islands vessel, known locally as 'The Jersey Boat' turns in the Harbour. No roll-on/roll-off in those days everything was loaded by cranes. You could often see cars swinging out on pallets, but usually it was boxes of tomatoes, potatoes or daffodils!

The Boat Train departures were a feature of railway activity, between 3 pm and 4 pm the train would wind its way along the Quay and Commercial Road to join the main line just north of the station. The whistle signals of the lead locomotive and the engine at the rear to assist up the bank to Bincombe tunnel could be heard clearly across most of the town.