Burgh Island
2021 - Gary McBar - Author
A testament to our long friendship - thank you McBar in every guise!
2021 - Modern Pirate Invasion Uproar
Plan for 8ft statue of 'lesbian' pirates at Devon beauty spot notorious for smuggling triggers uproar as critics slam sculpture as 'patriarchal view of two skinny women with holes cut out'
The concrete sculpture of 18th Century pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read has been proposed at a beauty spot on Burgh Island in Devon - image and strapline as seen in the MailOnline article - image © of South Hams District Council
- Statue of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read is proposed at Burgh Island, Devon
- Locals have argued tributes to the pilchard industry would be more appropriate
- Other residents suggested a statue of a fisherman's wife would be more fitting
- Bigbury Parish Council had 13 objections and voted unanimously against statue
- Anne Bonny and Mary Read were infamous pirates hanged in the Caribbean
By Amie Gordon For Mailonline | Published: 16th February 2021 | Updated: 16th February 2021
Plans for a statue of two real-life female Pirates Of The Caribbean have caused outrage in a seaside community over claims they are 'totally inappropriate' and would 'glamorise' crime. The concrete sculpture of 18th Century pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read has been proposed at a beauty spot on Burgh Island in Devon.
'Plans for the statue: The marine concrete will provide a habitable environment for wildlife' - image and strapline as seen in the MailOnline article - image © of 99:40 Structural Engineers with thanks
The bloodthirsty pair were among the most notorious pirates as they wreaked havoc throughout the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy, which lasted from the mid-17th century to the 1720s. Some historians claim the two became lovers while others suggest they formed a three-way relationship with Anne's husband, the English pirate captain Jack Rackham - more commonly known as Calico Jack.
'The concrete statues were designed to celebrate the pair, depicted here, for breaking gender boundaries during the 18th century' - image and strapline as seen in the MailOnline article - image © of Getty Images
'Sculptor Amanda Cotton designed the statue, which will look out across the water' - image and strapline as seen in the MailOnline article - image © of South Hams District Council
But critics argue the monument would be a 'blot on the landscape', and suggested a tribute to the local pilchard industry or a fisherman's wife would be more appropriate. One local described the statue as a, 'very patriarchal view of two skinny women with holes cut out.' The concrete statues were designed to celebrate the pair for breaking gender boundaries during the 18th century. But a planning application to install the work on Burgh Island off the coast of Devon has been met with hostility from locals. (Read more on sidebar)
2021 - 8th February
Burgh Island has always had its fair share of famous, infamous and allegedly Royal visitors, but who could make a more majestic entrance than 'Queen Victoria' herself? - image and strapline sourced from the Burgh Island Fb page - 'Captured yesterday by our friends @discoverysurfschool, the iconic Queen Victoria cruised past the island. Certainly a beautiful sight to see for the explorer in us all.'
2020/21 - Happy New Year
We first met Gary 'McBar' on our 1st wedding anniversary stay on the Island in 1995. We stayed in Avon and loved every second of our stay, made so much more enjoyable by Gary's unintrusive service. We became great friends over the intervening years and are still so even after all this time. We look forward to Gary's first literary venture! - Image showing 'McBar' the supreme cocktailer sourced from the Burgh Island Fb page
2020 - Spookiness on the Island!
Beautifully atmospheric approach to Burgh Island in October 2020 - Image sourced from the Burgh Island Fb page
Burgh Island Hallowe'en Special - just the thing after an 'atmospheric' crossing in October! Image sourced from the Burgh Island Fb page
2020 - Unusual Aspect
Seen in an advertisement in 2020 - courtesy & © Burgh Island
2018 - House for Sale overlooking Burgh Island!
This seaside home overlooks the island where Agatha Christie wrote her crime masterpiece 'And Then There Were None' - image and strapline as shown in the Daily Mail article | image copyright of Savills/BNPS
A seaside home overlooking the island where Agatha Christie wrote her crime masterpiece 'And Then There Were None' has gone on the market for £2m. The four-bedroom abode in the village of Bantham in Devon looks out over Burgh Island which was the prolific author's writing retreat in the 1930s. It was there she wrote the 1939 bestselling novel as well as the Hercule Poirot mystery Evil Under the Sun in 1941. Source : Daily Mail
'The beach Onnalea overlooks has been the setting for various adaptations including Agatha Christie's Evil Under The Sun which was released in 1982 (pictured)' - image and strapline as shown in the Daily Mail article
2016 - Natural Special effects
To die for images taken from and on and © of Burgh Island in August 2016
2014 - Causing a storm!
Agatha Christie island and the divisive solar plot
Residents of Devon holiday spot favoured by crime author are up in arms over 'monstrous' plan to cover the hotel's tennis court with reflective panels.
A remote island that inspired some of Agatha Christie’s best-known novels could be used as a site for 200 solar panels. The crime author wrote books such as And Then There Were None and Evil Under The Sun while staying on secluded Burgh Island in south Devon.
General View of Burgh Island and Hotel, Devon Photo: SWNS.com
Now the owners have submitted a planning application to install 200 solar panels on the island. The application says that panels will be installed on a former tennis court and surrounded by a hedge that shields them from sight. But residents who live a few hundred yards away on the mainland contend that when they look out to sea they will be dazzled by reflected sun.
Burgh Island is approximately 270 yards from Bigbury-on-Sea. Tourists can walk out to the island at low tide or can be driven across by tractor. The coastal retreat has only three buildings and is dominated by the Burgh Island Hotel whose former guests include Christie, Noël Coward and The Beatles.
In papers submitted to South Hams district council, Deborah Clark and Tony Orchard, the owners, say their electricity costs have spiralled by 40 per cent in recent years. The 25-room Art Deco hotel, which opened in 1929, relies on an electricity supply from the mainland as well as expensive oil and bottled gas.
The owners say they considered fitting wind turbines or rooftop solar panels but decided to cover a former tennis court with panels made of “dark grey non-reflective glass”. They say the devices will produce 49.8kw – a 10th of the hotel’s electricity requirement – and will not be visible from the hotel, or from the east, south and north-west.
However Tony Porter, the island’s former owner, who is leading local opposition, said the panels would “spoil” the area, which is visited by thousands of holidaymakers every year.
Bea and Tony Porter, Tony is kindly dedicating his book to us - and we stayed for lunch!
Mr Porter, who sold the island in 2001, said: “We are horrified that this application has been lodged. We spent 16 years doing everything we could to restore it to its former beauty. Now this green island sleeping in the sun is going to be scarred by this horrible shiny thing. It will visible from miles away. It is going to glint in the sun and spoil the whole thing.”
Four objections have been received to date by the council, including one from Hubert Ashton of Folly Hill, which overlooks the island. He said: “This would be a monstrous carbuncle on an old friend. It would be ruinous for the beauty of the island.” The council is holding a meeting on November 12th to hear residents’ views about the proposal. Stuart Watts, the chairman of Bigbury parish council, said he thought it would be rejected. He said: “As a feature, the island is known around the world. So this is bound to prove controversial and stir up a huge amount of interest.”
John Chalmers, of the South Hams Society, said what was needed was a “practical and not an emotive view”. He added: “It is a totemic site but nevertheless the actual harm caused must be considered fairly minimal compared with other sites where you see a whole sea of panels.” Ms Clark and Mr Orchard, who say they have lovingly restored and conserved the Grade II-listed hotel for 13 years, were overseas yesterday and unavailable for comment – however their application letter urged planners to ignore “vexatious” objections. They wrote: “We are well aware that any proposals on the island will lead to objections, including possible vexatious ones, but we hope that you will see fit to grant the necessary consents.”
Page refreshed : 24th May 2021 (G)