Porty People and Places

This is Alfred Strand - no relation! Since 1906 his family, the Codanas, have owned and run the Portobello Fun Park. The park enjoyed its hey day in the inter war years and was still popular until package holidays in the guaranteed Costa sunshine put paid to the venture as a going concern. The slot machine part of the business continued until the end of this summer and now it too is being demolished. (It was the subject of yesterday's blip.) Today's blip shows Alfred, with very mixed emotions at the end of an era for his family's business but on the cusp of seeing the land he has sold to a developer turn into 73 dwellings.