Rob Ball

DESTINATION FOCUS • June 2020

The Club’s guide to the great British seaside

From Southsea to Scarborough, Britain’s coastal towns offer bucket (and spade) fulls of comfy familiarity and childhood nostaliga. A specialist on the charms of the British coast, Funland photographer Rob Ball talks us through the memories behind his favourite seaside shots from the book.

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Sea Chef Restaurant, Great Yarmouth, 2018

Brighton Palace Pier, Brighton

Piers have always been a staple of the British seaside, offering landings for steamers from the big cities. Brighton Pier remains immensely popular and provides a focal point for visitors. In this image I concentrated on the weather-beaten signage and the barely functioning lightbulbs, some hanging on for dear life. The Coke cups act as a reminder of the seaside excess, everything duplicated and rarely recycled.

Bland’s Cliff, Scarborough

The British coastline has many constants, with food being perhaps the most prevalent. The cafés (almost always offering an all day special) usually exist alongside the candy floss and doughnut stalls on the seafront. This café at Bland’s Cliff in Scarborough felt very traditional with net curtains that are reminiscent of the suburban homes many visitors have come from.

Clarence Pier, Southsea

Behind the distinctive yellow and blue 1960s pavilion at Clarence Pier lies an arcade and amusement park. Here visitors go up and down and round and about for a small fee. Next door, people watch Britain’s only passenger hovercraft noisily arrive every 20 minutes to take passengers to the Isle of Wight. The hovercraft reminded me of a different era, one where machines like this were a sign of progress.

Herne Bay Pier, Herne Bay

I live near the pier in Herne Bay and the Sports Centre has always fascinated me. It seemed so incongruous but the typography was beautiful. In its heyday the pier hosted the first airspeed record of over 600mph in 1945, while the Sports Centre was home to two roller hockey clubs. Unfortunately it was condemned in 2010 and destroyed shortly after this photograph was made.

Sea Chef Restaurant, Great Yarmouth

The pristine Sea Chef restaurant in Great Yarmouth reminded me of childhood holidays thanks to its tables with chairs that remain rooted to the floor, Pukka Pies and triangular vinegar bottles. There are similar restaurants all around the British coastline that have remained in a similar nostalgic haze for decades.

The Boating Pool, Ramsgate

The Boating Pool in Ramsgate is a well known local landmark and I made this image in the winter after I moved to live by the sea. Following the move I became very interested in the melancholia one can feel all along the coast in the off-season, when the open spaces and attractions that are designed for large groups of people sit eerily empty.

Torbay Road, Paignton

Regency Palace in Paignton is one of the many beautiful arcades I’ve visited over the years. The signage and boldness of the front are always exciting for me and I am saddened to see original neon replaced with cheaper LED lighting. However, I love how this arcade exists on the main shopping street and most people walk past without even giving it a second glance.

Weston Beach, Weston-super-Mare

Funland on Weston Beach is where we took the name for the book. For this project I visited a Dreamland and a Leisureland, a Pleasureland and a Funland. All of the amusement park names are similar and suggest a joyous sense of escape, which is why I guess so many people visit.

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This article has been tagged Destination, Travel Tips

More from previous issues

Rob Ball

The Club’s guide to the great British seaside

Brighton Palace Pier, Brighton

Bland’s Cliff, Scarborough

Clarence Pier, Southsea

Herne Bay Pier, Herne Bay

Sea Chef Restaurant, Great Yarmouth

The Boating Pool, Ramsgate

Torbay Road, Paignton

Weston Beach, Weston-super-Mare

Brighton Palace Pier, Brighton

Bland’s Cliff, Scarborough

Clarence Pier, Southsea

Herne Bay Pier, Herne Bay

Sea Chef Restaurant, Great Yarmouth

The Boating Pool, Ramsgate

Torbay Road, Paignton

Weston Beach, Weston-super-Mare

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