Anyone for ice cream?

Well the project is well underway now and it's time to be thinking about making some work for my degree show. I have decided to make a zine which will encompass some of many things that we see and do at the British seaside.

As we love to eat ice cream at the coast I couldn't resist including the traditional '99' in my images. Below are some examples of my drawings and experiments in photoshop so far. 

I will also be working with textiles and the final images will include text. The only thing I need to decide is what to add....sprinkles or strawberry sauce?!

An interview with Shoal Seaside Living

Seaside themed products on display in the shop

Early on in my project I decided that it would be really useful to do some research about seaside products and product design. I approached the owners of a relatively new shop to Albert Road in Southsea called Shoal Seaside Living. 

Anna and Michelle Martin opened the shop earlier last year and kindly agreed to help me with my project. Their shop is a welcome and quirky addition to an eclectic mix of shops established along Albert Road. 

As you enter the shop you feel embraced in little treasure trove of all things relating to seaside living which are quintessentially British. The products are well thought out and beautifully displayed on unique items of furniture that have been painted by Michelle.

I talked to Anna about the inspiration for the shop and she explained that it all started when she bought a couple of mugs made by The English Seaside Company from a lovely little shop in Anglesey. Michelle and Anna decided that together they wanted to create their own shop using totally British made products that were all about the coast.

The shop offers a range of products from home-wares to jewellery, personalised art, cards and children's products. Many of the items are in a very affordable price range and it's obvious that quality is a high on their list of priorities when selecting products to sell. 

Anna explained how important it was them both that they supported British design. She explained how it's often more difficult to find British made products and how it's much easier to get seaside products from big companies where the goods are often made abroad. They are both really proud of their 'British made' ethos and also support and sell the work of many local artists in the area including Colin Baxter Alan Smith and Peter Levy. Other products are made by artists such as Poppy Treffry, Caroline Tucker and The English Seaside Company.

The product research was really helpful to my 'Great British Seaside' project and gave me an insight into successful illustrative coastal designs. I would like to thank both Anna and Michelle for their help with my project so far. The only problem is, it's hard to go into their shop and not be tempted to buy something!

If you would like to find out more about the products they sell, then you can contact them at:

http://shoalseasideliving.com/

  

New Year's Day at Southsea Beach

Happy New Year!

The weather on New Years Day 2013 was gloriously sunny here at Southsea and it seemed that everybody flocked to the beach to enjoy the sunshine.

It was one of those rare winter days when the seafront was crowded with people. Everyone had wrapped up in warm clothes to enjoy a walk along the beach with family and friends. 

Crowds of people walking towards the South Parade Pier

Cars were parked bumper to bumper along the seafront and children rode their shiny new bicycles along the cycle paths as the sun shone brightly.

It was a very special start to the new year, and as you can see from the pictures below, the  afternoon sun setting over the beach looked truly stunning.

So here's to the year ahead and many more happy days at the beach.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2013!

The beautiful afternoon sun at South Parade Pier

Families played along the shoreline until late into the afternoon

Two sailors and a sea shanty!

On a Sunday afternoon in early December I went to Camber Dock in Old Portsmouth to board a boat called the Tiger Flower. The weather was a little chilly to say the least but I was greeted on board with a warm and friendly welcome from Andrew Collins. I had worked with Andrew some years earlier and remembered that he used to sing sea shanties; Andrew kindly agreed to help me out with my project and, rather fittingly, had suggested that I interview him aboard the Tiger Flower. Andrew co-owns the boat with other sailing friends, one of whom is Tony Spender, who not only sails with Andrew but also sings in the same group. Tony joins us a little later but in the meantime Andrew makes us both a warm drink and we take a seat below deck away from the cold air.

Andrew on the Tiger Flower

Andrew was originally in a barber shop chorus and from there he got into singing sea shanties; he has continued singing them for the last 15-20years. Andrew first started singing in a small group with Tony and two other friends. Their act was designed to take people around the world by sail, with a smattering of history and anecdotes thrown in for good measure. They both also sing with about a dozen other people in a local group called the 'Deck and Fo'c'sle. 

From the minute that Andrew begins to explain the history and meaning behind the shanty songs it's evident that he knows his stuff. Andrew tells me how the Shanty man was employed to set the rhythm and the pace of work done on board ship. The shanty would sing to the sailors and they would sing back at him. Using examples of certain songs and tasks to explain how the rhythm and pace was set, Andrew sang and talked me through how the shanty worked. It was fascinating to listen to his depth of knowledge on the subject.

I was interested in what singing meant to him on personal level, and he said that it was about community and friendship, stating, 'It's a very pleasant thing when you create harmonies together - it gives you a very good feeling.' 

I asked him if singing sea shanties gave him more of a connection with the sea to which he replied, 'Yes, I've been sailing for forty years and it can be a lonely existence. When I started sailing at 21 I didn't know a thing about it. When you sail you may not see another vessel for two 0r three days; singing sea shanties gives you a connection with the sea."

Andrew (left) and Tony below deck

It wasn't long before Tony joined us and it's easy to see how they're both such good friends. Listening to them both talk of their knowledge of sailing and shanties, I asked them if they felt that their singing was an important tradition to carry on, to which Tony replied, "Yes, very much so - we're very conscious of the heritage of things."

I asked them if they could ever see themselves living away from the sea to which there was a unanimous "No!" from both of them.

Andrew continued, "When I let go of my mooring and I'm going out of the harbour and I'm looking at people on the shoreline and I think, 'I bet you wish you were me'. Now I don't know what the journeys gonna bring; with a bit of luck I'll survive it, and wherever I get to there'll be someone there to meet me. There will be a birth, and I'll make new friends."

As the interview came to an end, Andrew and Tony finished by singing a shanty for me. And anybody passing by their little red boat in the harbour would have heard the lusty singing of two very interesting sailors indeed. An unforgettable moment for me.......truly magical!

Working life at the pier

Jan B (pictured below) is one of a group of early morning swimmers who meet for their daily swim near to South Parade Pier in Southsea. I had previously interviewed the swimmers as part of my 'Great British Seaside' project and it was during that interview that I discovered Jan's previous working life at the pier.

Up until two and a half years ago Jan spent five years as a cleaner at South Parade Pier and it was obvious from talking to her that she had lots of fond memories of her time there. Jan is a particularly warm and friendly lady and it was on a cold day in November when we sat looking out to sea and chatted about the past.

When Jan started her job as a cleaner, there used to be a fairground at the end of the pier which is sadly no longer there; other facilities were the newsagents, arcade, ice-cream shop and Albert Bar. I asked Jan what kind of functions would take place there and she told me that the pier would host a wide range of events from dinner dances, boxing matches, charity functions, Christmas and birthday parties to weddings, and tea dances.

Jan in front of the South Parade Pier

Jan recalled when she first got given a uniform to wear an how 'chuffed' it made her feel. She told me how she felt privileged to work there, saying, "I didn't even mind cleaning the rubbish because I had a sense of pride in the place'' 

Jan's main job was cleaning but sometimes she would be involved in setting up for events and she especially loved helping out at the tea dances and meeting the old people. She also recalled a particularly spectacular event, when she watched the Royal Marines band playing whilst marching up and down on the dance floor.

Telling me how she liked to spend her breaks outside having a cup of tea whilst watching the ferries go by she said, "There was such an atmosphere to the place and I loved watching the sea."

I asked her if she could sum up her time working there, to which she replied, "I really loved working there, I felt part of a team.......it made me feel happy."

Listening to Jan,  you realise that the pier is more than just a building...it's a part of our heritage that many people are proud of.                             

Working life at the beach

In early November I went to interview Dave and Jim at the Red Rooves Snack Bar on the beach at Southsea. They were both really friendly and helpful and gave me an insight into their working life at the beach.

Dave (on the left) and Jim at the snack bar at the beach

The snack bar is a family run business and Dave has been selling snacks and ice-creams from the same place for thirty years. He also worked there fifty years ago when it was a fruit shop. Dave told me how things had changed over the last fifty years. 

A selection of the foods that are sold from the snack bar

The weather dictates when they open but they are generally open for eleven months of the year, closing only in December. They sell a selection of hot and cold drinks, burgers, chips, sandwiches and sweets. They also sell ice cream from the stand next door.

Dave tells me that they mostly sell to day trippers these days as there aren't as many tourists as there used to be at the height of the seaside industry. He explained how there used to be eight coach hire buildings dotted along the shoreline between his snack bar and the pier. It was really interesting to talk to Dave as he had worked at the beach for such a long time and his local knowledge was invaluable to my project; Much of what he told me tied in with the history of the British seaside resort that I had discovered so far. At the height its popularity British holidaymakers would flock to the coast by train or coach.  I decided to try and get some photographs of that particular stretch of seafront and after a little research I found a photograph showing the eight coach stands that Dave had told me about.

                 The stretch of beach which shows the coach stands between Dave's snack bar and the pier

Dave and Jim pointed out where there used to be entertainment on that stretch of beach which included a children's roundabout, model boats on water, a trampoline and also a traditional seaside Punch and Judy show.

Both of them had also witnessed many historical and memorable moments from their time working at the seafront. These included seeing the Mary Rose being brought up. The Falklands war ships leaving and returning to port. The home coming of the Royal yacht for the last time. The 40th and 50th D Day celebrations and the Trafalgar 200 celebrations in 2005.

When I talked to them individually about how they felt about their working life at the beach they both gave identical answers to each other. They couldn't see themselves working anywhere else, stating,

"It's a way of life, every day is different, the people, the weather"

Jim said, "I see it as a bit of a privilege really. We've got people here we used to serve as kids and now they bring their kids. We make lasting friendships"

Looking around him and throwing his hands out towards the view his said,

"It's wonderful innit"

....I couldn't agree more Jim.

A harbour tour

On Tuesday 27th November I went to interview the skipper of a harbour tour boat at Gunwharf Quays. The company Solent and Wight Line Cruises kindly agreed to let me interview Dan Mahoney who was on one of their smaller boats the Jenny R. 

Dan Mahoney and the  harbour tour boat the Jenny R

I met three members of the company that day; Kev who sold the tickets on the quayside, Dan who skippered the boat and Matt who crewed the boat with Dan on the daily tours. Dan explained how the tours operated all year round but from March onwards to the summer months, it got steadily got busier and busier. The tour boats are based on the Isle of Wight but it has to be really bad weather for them not to come across.

I couldn't help wondering who could possibly want to take a harbour boat trip on a freezing cold late November day but sure enough, on the first tour of the day eight passengers boarded the Jenny R for a fifty minute tour around the harbour. I have to admit that I don't really travel well on boats, but the fun, lighthearted but informative commentary from Matt and the general atmosphere on the boat was a delight to experience.

It was evident that Dan really loved his job. He explained how although the basic routine of every day was essentially the same, the weather conditions, tourists and ever changing vessels in the harbour meant that every day varied. He explained how he could come over in the morning and it could be glorious sunshine and travel home at night in thick fog. Equally, he told me that eight boats could leave Portsmouth harbour overnight which meant a whole new commentary would have to be put together at short notice the following day. 

Explaining how "it's not just another job, it's a way of life" he summed up how lucky he felt by saying "Sometimes I have to stop the boat to let a seal go by. Where are you gonna get that on the M25?"

I thoroughly enjoyed my harbour tour; not only did I get to meet the lovely crew but I also got to see some of the various types of vessels that pass through Portsmouth Harbour each day. Thanks to the in-depth knowledge of Dan and Matt I also learn't several interesting facts about life in the harbour. Overall a great experience despite the chilly November weather. 

Crew member Matt and his humorous  commentary

HMS Warrior

I took photographs of many different vessels in the harbour that day. HMS Warrior looked even more striking from the viewpoint of the boat.

An old war boat that was being restored in the harbour

A police boat patrolling the harbour waters

The Wightlink Ferry on its daily route to the Isle of Wight