Land, Sea And Sky

Skegness, 1982: Out there somewhere lies the sea. Somewhere behind us is the land. Between the two stretches an endless series of sand-filled boundaries - land and sea, sea and sky - inhabited by that hardiest of annuals: the seaside holidaymaker.

Committee Choice

Realising that I hadn't chosen an image for today’s calendar by 10 p.m. last night, I turned to a committee of friends I was sharing a drink or three with and asked them to choose a photo from my archives. They came up with this picture of Skegness Boating Lake, taken back in the early … Continue reading Committee Choice

Fair Question

Where do seaside fairground rides go during the winter? They sit in storage facilities, waiting for the sun to shine, waiting for the music to start again.

Seaside Shadows

A seaside holiday: flat caps, thick overcoats, and a bench overlooking the sun-stroked sands. Watching the worm diggers and perhaps sharing a potted-meat sandwich. The sun casts shadows across the stone jetty, while the sea leaves ripples in the sand.

Sound Or Silence

Back in the 1980s, as I was slowly losing what little natural hearing I had left, I would often go to Cleethorpes. I was drawn, in particular, to the latticework of timber and iron struts beneath the pier. I have dozens of such photographs in my archives. There was something about the almost digital arrangement … Continue reading Sound Or Silence

Liverpool!

This is a wonderful photograph - so much more eloquent than the usual smiling-face mugshot. That's my mother pointing, my brother Roger digging in the sand, and me looking attentively at what she's indicating. I suspect that could be Liverpool as the background suggest the photo was taken in New Brighton. Even the sloping horizon … Continue reading Liverpool!

Fishy Shapes

Like a cross between Halloween-costumed children and monsters auditioning for Doctor Who, these smokestacks dominated the skyline at Grimsby Fish Docks 40 or 50 years ago. I visited the docks whenever I could and took photographs of what was clearly a way of life living on borrowed time.

Yes, It is Me

What finer representation of 1950s Britain can there be?  It's the summer holidays and the family's annual week at the seaside (in this case, Bridlington in Yorkshire). The weather is such that plastic raincoats and heavy overcoats are standard issue. People sit on deck chairs and stare out at the grey, rain-soaked clouds. And the … Continue reading Yes, It is Me

The Quiet, Rhythmic Beauty Of Cleethorpes

There is a quiet, rhythmic beauty to the seaside that only reveals itself when the tide retreats, and this photograph captures that fleeting interval with striking architectural precision. The image is framed through the industrial skeleton of a Victorian-style pier, using the heavy, dark ironwork as a literal and metaphorical lens through which we view … Continue reading The Quiet, Rhythmic Beauty Of Cleethorpes