The South Parade
The Parade comprises the sea wall and adjacent road along Parkgate front, completed in stages between about 1800 and 1840. It was built as a promenade at a time when the shipping had virtually come to an end, and the village had aspirations to become a leading seaside resort.
It starts at the South Slip, adjacent to the Old Quay public house, and continues all the way to the Boat House and Old Baths, a distance of just over 1 km.
The Parade
In the picture two rowing boats are laid up on the steps; you can also see some of the old houses on the South Parade. These were demolished by 1962 to make way for the present Old Quay pub.
The South Slip
In this earlier picture you can see there are actually 16 steps to the slipway, leading down to the sandy shore. Boats could be hauled up and down the steps, if need be; they also made a relatively easy way for people to gain access to their boats on the shore, or just to paddle in the sea water when the tide was in.
This is a newspaper report from 1915
This recent photo shows the 9 feet of smoother slope created on the seaward side of the South slip.
On Monday 18th April 2017, eleven volunteers from the Parkgate Society's Community Spirit Team spent a productive two hours clearing the weeds and grass from the South slip and the stretch of alleyway that runs along the seawall from South slip towards Manorial Road.
They filled over 70 bags of soil and grass as they uncovered six steps, but the old photograph above left shows there are still another 10 steps buried!!
Last Updated April 2022