Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside!
I do like to be beside the sea!
John H. Glover-Kind, 1907
Let’s have a few days by the sea this summer, we said. Let’s enjoy walks on the beach and cliffs, ice creams in the sunshine, maybe even paddle in the sea!
But of course the British weather had other ideas. So while we did enjoy our few days away this week, and did indeed go for walks and eat ice cream, sunshine was in very short supply. As a result many of my photos of our destination, Broadstairs in Kent, work better in black and white than in the original colour. So here is a small selection of them for this week’s theme-free Monochrome Madness, edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro.
A former fishing village and haunt of smugglers, Broadstairs was popularised as a seaside resort by Charles Dickens and also by Princess (later Queen) Victoria. It has retained a lot of its earlier buildings alongside more recent typical English seaside features. Its central beach, Viking Bay, was originally known as Main Bay. It was renamed in 1949 when the Danish government commemorated the 1500th anniversary of the AD449 Viking invasion of Britain by constructing an authentic Viking ship which sailed from Denmark to Broadstairs.
Early morning in Viking Bay
Eagle House, Viking Bay
This building was originally the HQ of the Coast Blockade. In 1815 Major Percy, aide de camp to the Duke of Wellington, was sent by the duke straight from the battlefield to report the news of victory at Waterloo to the King. He landed here with the captured French Eagle standard and was fêted all the way to London, hence the renaming of the building as Eagle House.
The Clock Tower in Victoria Gardens
Rocks between the beaches of Viking Bay and Louisa Bay
Pebbles and sea, Viking Bay
Rain clouds offshore, Viking Bay
Sunlight on the water, Viking Bay
The sun did finally come out, on the morning of our departure!
Paddling in Viking Bay
Detectorist on the sands of Viking Bay
Dog enjoying a game of fetch in Louisa Bay
Beach huts, St Mary’s Bay, seen from the cliff walk
Beach hut detail, Viking Bay
I last visited Broadstairs in July 2024 when all these photos were taken.
23 Comments
Annie Berger
Never heard the word ‘detectorist’ before, Sarah! Great set of shots. I’d be curious to see the huts’ shot in color as I wonder if they were all one color or vibrant colors. If the latter, they would remind me of brightly colored beach huts we saw in South Africa.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 🙂 Yes, the huts are in a variety of colours, as I see you’ve discovered in my more colourful Broadstairs post! The word ‘detectorist’ is how these people who use those metal detectors to hunt for ‘treasures’ like to be known, although many refer (wrongly) to the people as ‘metal detectors’, i.e. by the name of their device. Many of us in the UK have learned to use the preferred word because of a fabulous TV series called ‘Detectorists’, full of gentle British humour and beautiful English countryside. I’d be surprised if you can get hold of it but if you can I really recommend it!
Annie Berger
Great adding a new word to my vocabulary but not sure how much I’ll use it! Thanks for the tip on the TV series.
leightontravels
I must say that the black and white treatment does nothing to subside my intense nostalgia. The detectorist shot made me smile, at first glance that could actually be Mackenzie Crook that you snapped. Wonderful shot of Eagle House and the history behind it.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leighton 🙂 Aha yes, we thought of that wonderful series too – so very English, just as is Broadstairs in its own way!
grandmisadventures
beautiful pictures! I love how the lack of color in the water brings out the play of the surf and the bubbles
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Meg 🙂 That’s one of the qualities I like in B&W photography, it often makes you notice details you wouldn’t be so aware of in a colour image.
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Alison
I don’t think you can plan anything in the UK around the weather! There’s always lots to see and cosy pubs to shelter in. The photos look quite majestic in black and white
Sarah Wilkie
Ah yes, cosy pubs – we found a few of those!
Sue
Mono was a great choice,given the weather…
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue, it did seem that way 🙂 But I hope to be able to share some colour images from the trip too soon!
Leanne Cole
It may not have been ideal weather wise Sarah but you got some great images. I love photos in bad weather.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leanne – the weather may not have been ideal but we still had a good time and yes, there were plenty of photo ops 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
Some wonderful shots of very familiar places. Familiar rain clouds too, as it happens 😂. As others have said, this is a set of shots which really lent itself to the monochrome style. The sun glinting on the waves is particularly striking.
Sarah Wilkie
I thought you might recognise some of these spots Phil – glad you enjoyed my take on Broadstairs 😀 It was lovely to finally meet up with you both, and on your home turf too!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Yes it was a good evening indeed!! 😀
Anne Sandler
Loved these in black and white Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂
Monkey's Tale
Black and white seems so fitting for these, especially given your weather report. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, that was pretty much what I thought when I started to review my shots, although as I said to Margaret I do have a few more colourful ones to share in due course 😀
margaret21
I’m guessing your photos woud have been mainly monochrome even if you hadn’t made that choice. It’s been a very black and white sort of week,hasn’t it? I particularly like the Paddling Picture.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s pretty much spot on Margaret, although I did get a few shots that were quite colourful – to be shared soon hopefully 🙂