Seaside

I grew up by the seaside, at Weymouth on the south coast of England.

I was a teenager in the long hot summer of 1976, when it didn’t rain for months and temperatures were in the mid 30s everyday (that’s over 90 degrees Fahrenheit). After school and all the time during the summer holidays we would escape to the beach.

It was then that I learnt to swim.

There were rafts out on the bay; you could walk to them at low tide and we would spend all afternoon bobbing on the waves. Eventually, though, we would have to return to the land. Now, with the tide in the only choice was to swim so I threw myself in and began to thrash with my arms and legs. I was surprised that I could make progress and in the right direction. Every so often I would pause and try to touch the bottom for reassurance. Eventually my toes felt the sandy seabed and after a while I waded the rest of the way home.

The seaside is the perfect edge.

I have always been fascinated by edges, the places where one thing ends and something else starts. Sometimes it can be the frayed edges of a city but the perfect edge is when you stand on the shore looking out to sea.

A few years ago I explored these edges, cycling along the coast of Dorset and taking every turn that would lead me to the sea, dirt tracks that would fade out at the water’s edge. Later I cycled from London to where the road ran out at Bradwell on Sea in Essex.

The seaside resort gets a bad rap.

Because they are on the edge they are left behind and forgotten about except by those seeking to feed off long simmering grievances.

Even those who might be more sympathetic tend to look down on them. They see them as cheap and cheerful, bucket and spade, bright and garish in comparison to more favourable holiday destinations, usually overseas.

Some of the resorts are beginning to change, though. Margate is now the home of the Turner Contemporary Gallery and Weymouth, where I grew up, is making a name for itself as a culinary destination.

I wanted to celebrate the seaside resort.

For a few months I headed off to different seaside resorts, mostly in the south and south-east of England, close to London. I photographed piers, harbours, still waters, troubled waters, light houses, secluded beaches, funfair rides, sunset and sunrise. I travelled to Southend and Leigh-on-sea, the seaside resorts of Isle of Thanet and to London by the sea (Brighton!) Of course I went to Dorset; Boscombe, Bournemouth, Swanage and Weymouth; I give no apologies for that 🙂

In an all cases though I wanted to record the positive aspects of each place I visited to celebrate them. I hope that I have done that.

Every year I produce a calendar – an act of faith in the future.

For 2025 I will be celebrating the English seaside resort. A work of art on your wall every month in 2025. It’s on sale now. Click here to find out more about how to buy it and to explore some of the places I visited.