Austin 1800, Putsborough Beach 1973

This 1973 view looks across Putsborough Beach in North Devon, with an Austin 1800 parked on the grassy headland in the foreground and Woolacombe stretching away in the distance. The broad sweep of sand dominates the scene, backed by low surf, steep green hills and the clustered buildings of Woolacombe beyond, while below the car a long line of parked vehicles shows how popular this stretch of coast already was in the early 1970s. The white Austin 1800, registration LPH 780K, adds a strong period touch, its broad body and upright tail giving it the solid family-car look that once made the “Landcrab” such a familiar British sight. More than a simple car photograph, this is a very good general view of the North Devon coast as it was in the early 1970s, combining seaside parking, holiday traffic and the dramatic natural setting of Putsborough and Woolacombe in one frame.