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Seaside Town Collection

Seaside Towns: A Journey Through Nostalgia and Change

"The landscape assumes all the aspirations of the heart—it is a boundless field of poetic freedom, a crossroads of emotions. It ceases to be just a place and instead becomes the essence of a generation for whom romanticism is not just a style, but a deep and enduring connection to life and vision."  by Henri Lemaître

The Changing Face of British Seaside Towns

Emptiness, isolation, separation, seclusion, vast space—these words describe the feeling of standing on a British beach, looking out over the endless horizon, detached from the noise of urban life. The British seaside has long been a place of nostalgia, once thriving with holidaymakers escaping industrial cities, but now often overlooked in favor of overseas travel and package holidays.

In the mid-19th century, the expansion of railways brought millions of people from Manchester, London, and Birmingham to the UK's coastal towns—places like Blackpool, Scarborough, Brighton, and Margate—transforming them into bustling hubs of leisure and recreation. Today, however, with the rise of budget airlines and international tourism, many of these historic seaside resorts face decline, their grandeur fading, their piers and promenades holding echoes of the past.

 

An Ongoing Artistic Exploration of Coastal Britain

Since 2011, I have embarked on a long-term project to explore and document the shifting landscapes of British seaside towns through paint and printmaking. My work captures the stark contrast between past and present, exploring themes of abandonment, nostalgia, and resilience. The images I create reflect the once-thriving atmosphere of these places—where the laughter of children on cobbled promenades has been replaced by the silence of empty arcades and shuttered beachfront kiosks.

The Language of the Seaside: A Nostalgic Tribute

The cultural identity of the British coast is deeply rooted in the language of its signs and traditions. In my paintings and prints, I incorporate color studies and text inspired by the unique typography of seaside signage—words like Promenade, Kiss Me Quick, Rock, Pier, Donkey Rides, Fortune Teller, and Amusement Arcade. These phrases evoke a sense of nostalgia and lost traditions, preserving the memory of UK coastal holidays before the era of cheap flights and all-inclusive resorts.

My goal is not only to capture the beauty of Britain’s coastal towns but to reflect on what has been lost, documenting the shift from the great summer exodus to the seaside to a new reality—where the British coast is more of a forgotten retreat than a thriving holiday escape.

A series of Paintings documenting the decline of British seaside towns, featuring nostalgic signage and capturing their emptiness and isolation.

© 2025 by McKay Creative Art. All rights reserved.

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