Beaumont, Texas

The Port of Beaumont is a deep-water port located in Beaumont, Texas near the mouth of the Neches River.
Its history as a deepwater port dates to 1908, however, when a canal nine feet deep was dug in the Neches River from Beaumont to the Port Arthur ship channel. In 1916, the channel was deepened to 25 feet and a turning basin scooped out in the bend of the river. Local businessmen, meanwhile, had developed dock facilities on the waterfront. The port channel was deepened to 30 feet in 1922, increasing Beaumont's importance as a shipping centre.

Lowry refers to the port in his novel Ultramarine when one of the crew of Oedipus Tyrannus recalls visiting the port; " ' Beaumont, yes. We tied up to the trees in the park there, why, it's only a spindle-head, that place, that's all it is, just a spindle-head. It was a bit of an event too, a ship coming there. And all the girls from the park came and dabbled their feet in the water. We had 'em up on the ship afterwards for a dance. We put an officer ashore there with rheumatism.' " (Pg. 176).

There is no record of Lowry visiting the port on his 1929 trip to the USA. We must assume that Lowry recorded a conversation of a crew member of Pyrrhus.

Lowry's reference to a "spindle-head' probably has to do with Beaumont's oil business. A spindle top is a headstock or tailstock for a spindle or boring bar. Oil was discovered at nearby Spindletop on January 10, 1901. Spindletop became the first major oil field and one of the largest in American history. With the discovery of oil at Spindletop, Beaumont's population grew from 9,000 in January 1901 to 30,000 in March 1901.

The park mentioned by Lowry is probably Riverfront Park.

Bull Bay, Anglesey, Wales

Bull Bay (Welsh: Porth Llechog) is a village on the northern coast of Anglesey, Wales. Its Welsh name, Porth Llechog, means "sheltered bay". The English name is derived from Pwll y Tarw ("the bull's pool"), which is located near the shore close to the bay.

The village is located on the A5025. It is the most northerly village in Wales and also contains Wales' most northerly golf course which was opened and funded by a local aristocrat in 1913. The island of East Mouse lies within the bay, the coastline of which is rocky and contains many caves. Some of these rocks are over 570 million years old which make them amongst the oldest in Wales.


Lowry refers to the golf course in his novel Ultramarine when Taff one of the crew of Oedipus Tyrannus says; "Amlwch I lived. I used to work in the forge near Bull Bay. I was a caddy on the links there for a time-" (Pg. 50)

Amlwch, Wales

Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. The town has no beach, but it has impressive coastal cliffs. At one time it was a busy port, with boats sailing to the Isle of Man and to Liverpool. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to the town in his novel Ultramarine when Taff one of the crew of Oedipus Tyrannus says; "Amlwch I lived. I used to work in the forge near Bull Bay. I was a caddy on the links there for a time-" (Pg. 50)