Regency Brighton and Palace Pier

Regency describes the years from 1811 to 1820 during which George III was judged to be incapacitated and his son, the Prince of Wales, acted as Regent. Architecturally, however, it flourished for more than three decades until it gradually withered during the reign of William IV. One of its main protagonists was John Nash, who transformed the Prince’s more modest pavilion with an amalgam of Mogul Indian, Scottish Baronial and Chinoiserie features. Palace Pier was opened in 1899 so of a later period but it fits well with the Regency buildings of the Old Steine area immediately inland with the dominant domes of the Royal Pavilion.

Art Deco Saltdean: 2. Lido and Cafe

Saltdean's Lido was constructed in 1938 (architect, R.W.H. Jones) and is the only Grade II listed Lido in the UK. However, due to its sea-facing location, the structure has suffered decades of chloride-attack which has allowed sea salts to penetrate the building. I last visited in 2016 when the site, after years of neglect, had been purchased by the Saltdean Lido CIC (SLCIC) with a mission to safeguard and restore Saltdean Lido for the benefit of the city and future generations to come.

Ann Miles Blog: Saltdean, Sussex. Lido and Seafront (pin-sharp.blogspot.com)

The pool opened for three summer seasons (2017 onwards) and attracted nearly 40,000 visitors in the first year. The 40m pool tank is the largest in Brighton and makes it an ideal facility for serious swimmers, and families.   

However, the Grade II* listed Art Deco building is in a dilapidated condition and was largely closed to the public. This is a common issue shared by many coastal modernist structures of this period - most notably, the De La Warr Pavilion. The rennovation is now under way but  the building remains on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register. 

The 1930's cliff-top cafe is a delight with blankets and even hot water bottles supplied and the walk along to Rottingdean just as I remember it from childhood holidays.

Christmas Walk at Bridlington

We decided to drive to Bridlington on Christmas Morning and enjoyed a walk in sunshine along the beach and around the harbour. Since I last visited quite a few years ago, they have built a very impressive Leisure Centre - a good addition to my collection of architectural studies of concrete buildings!

Walk along the Humber

On Saturday, we walked along the Humber towards the Docks on a bright sunny morning. Part of the route took us alongside the Sieman's factory where they manufacture the huge wind turbine blades. Our walk back from the Ferry terminal was via the streets.

Happisburgh Beach

During our time on Happisburgh beach, the skies changed from uniform grey to give some cloud structures, conveniently centred on the remains of the sea defences.  Played with shutterspeeds and water splashes - series are taken at 1/60th,1/8th and 1.5 seconds.