Looking at this view of Albert’s Landing Beach on a rainy day you may not think of the days of The Great Gatsby. The Roaring Twenties. Parties at mansion estates in Long Island.
Soon children will be playing and swimming on this bay beach in Amagansett. A family-friendly beach on Gardiner’s Bay where the water is shallow and quiet on sunny days.
But yesterday late afternoon we headed the other way. A break in the rain to beachcomb amongst the Old Bell’s piers on the north side of Albert’s Landing.
In 1916 Dr Dennistoun Bell built a mansion estate set in over 500 acres above this bluff.
One of the grandest of the old estates in the Hamptons. With guest cottages, outbuildings, a garage for two Rolls-Royces, seven maids, 2 laundresses, 17 maintenance men, a tutor for his two children and a one mile long driveway.
In exchange for land given as a nature reserve to the town, Bell secured the beach below his 21 room mansion. In 1931 he built a dock for his 70 foot yacht.
In bygone days when the waters were deeper and a cogged wheel furnicular brought guests up and down the bluff.
Later it was owned by Reginald Bell, the first African-American to build a billion dollar company. But in 1991, three years after his family moved in, Broadview mansion burnt down.
Since then the land has been parceled off to developers. Now the area above the bluff is known as the Broadview Bell estate filled with multi-million dollar homes.
As my children wandered along the shell covered beach and wood posts, we came upon a fallen tree covered in shells. Maybe placed on the tree by some other beachcomber. Or caught on its branches in a storm?
Luce decided she wanted all the knobbed whelk shells, even though they were broken.
I thought it was seaweed she was holding too. After a recent beach field trip at school, Luce showed me that it was actually a string of whelk egg capsules. Each round capsule has 20 to 100 eggs inside.
Later at home she opened one of the capsules up and showed me the miniature whelks inside.
Theo tried to dig up an iron peg from the 1930s. 
He climbed the eroding bottom edge of the bluff. 
But I stopped him climbing an old staircase leading up to the Bell estate and its long gone Broadview mansion.
Among the debris in the sand on Albert’s Landing beach we found spider crab shells, jingle shells, Quahogs and an assortment of other multi-coloured shells and stones.
And I thought of the days in the past when members of the estate had walked on these sands. When the posts were part of firm piers.
Now an area with silent echoes from the past. Until the families flock in for the summer season.
Just as we drove away from Albert’s Landing beach, I stopped the car by some rushes on the edge of the road. Once Dr Bell’s property and now a nature reserve. We opened the car windows and listened to a chorus of birds singing in it as dusk approached.
Albert’s Landing Beach, Amagansett
Also known as Big Albert’s Landing Beach, this Amagansett bay beach is popular with families during the summer season and includes areas with BBQ grilles, picnic tables, and even a ‘comfort station.’  Lifeguards are only on duty during the summer season. There’s a large car park at the end of Albert’s Landing Road in Amagansett but resident parking permits from East Hampton township are needed for parking when the beach opens for the summer season. It opens weekends only from Memorial Day weekend and then full time from June 18th (2014) through Labour Day weekend.
Parking is allowed without permits anytime during the off-season. Albert’s Landing Beach and the Old Bell’s pier area are great to take kids beachcombing any time of the year.
Great times of my 1970’s childhood here. Don’t think I’ll ever get back, so thanks for the memories, terrific photos!
It is always delightful to see how you make memories with you sweet babies. As always your pictures are stunning. I enjoyed the stroll on the beach with you, and learning more about your area, thank you.
XOXO
p.s I love the tree with the shells!!
I’ve always wanted to visit the Hamptons. It just looks so peaceful and natural. Love that you can find such a great haul of shells too!
That’s such a fascinating story! It’s a different experience altogether to visit a place which has so much history. I love that photo of the pier posts, it looks fantastic!
Oh, that beach is stunning, what beautiful photos. It looks like Lucy and Theo had a wonderful time exploring and finding treasures x
I bet that beach looked very different back then, with people from the Grand Estate dressed in all their finery!! I love beaches and beach combing, we have some nearby, but they don’t have shells as exotic as those your daughter has found, on them.
What an amazing place with great history and stories, so wonderful for the kids to see it too from a different perspective. Some great finds too, those tiny welks are so small and perfect
Thank you! I had to do some digging around to find out about the history of the beach.
Such an interesting post, would love to step back in time and see how they lived in bygone times.
I know – I’m going to have to see soon what more I can find out at the local library,
Oh wow Kriss what a post! It sounds and looks absolutely amazing there, a fascinating story. What great finds too. I love that photo of Luce with all the shells athough they’re all wonderful 🙂
What a beautiful beach. Stunning photos too 🙂
Thank you – the weather was rather poorly so it will look completely different in the summer sunshine.
It looks like you were the only ones there! Out of season is often the best time to explore and this beach has so much historic features and wonderful stories. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.
Soon I won’t be able to visit some of these beaches without a parking permit which is rather sad.
I love beach combing. Haven’t done it recently, my daughter and husband love rock-pooling that’s why we never stray far from the rocks instead of combing the beach. One of these days, I’ll do just that! 🙂 Love the words and photos as always. #CountryKids.
I can’t wait to take my kids rock-pooling in Uk Dean!
What a wonderful spot to explore and I love all those goodies! Perfect spot yo have your camera too 🙂
There was something rather moody and atmospheric about the piers in the weather we had so great for photos.
It does look nice! I can see people in their old style clothes having a grand time in there. Looks gloomy but there is something nice about that gloomy weather. It made evrything so romantic =) #countrykids
It’s fun thinking of people in their twenties swimming costumes and outfits in the same place in its Great Gatsby style days.
Wow, great story, and can’t believe the variety of shells. We just don’t seem to find much on British beaches we’ve been to. I’d never have known about the whelk eggs either – amazing what they learn at school from field trips – shows what value they have.
There was a huge variety of shells there as it’s a shallow bay beach. Perfect for kids to go on a scavenger hunt.
It looks very beautiful there, and rich with history. I love the photos of your daughter with all of the shells!
Thank you Jocelyn – it will seem like a completely different place in the summer in the sun.
Wow what an interesting history this beach has! And so much treasure to be found, I would loveee to have a nature hunt somewhere like this… our beaches tend to have pebbles, bits of seaweed and a few tiny shells – never found anything else! That tree with all the shells is so cool – I can’t decide if I want the shells to be left there by the wind or left by an excited little adventurer… 🙂
My daughter insisted on taking ALL the shells no matter what their state. We now are getting rather a huge collection of shells at home!