Cromer: Norfolk’s seaside gem

October 9, 2022October 9, 2022 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Cromer is an English seaside town perched on the edge of the Norfolk coast. It’s traditional, picturesque and holds a lot of personal memories. Enjoy the photographs and read more below

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This was my first visit to Cromer in 25 years. I completed my initial stint as a fledgling newspaper reporter in the town. It was a time of new experiences, including a first significant relationship.

Cromer felt essentially unchanged, with its iconic pier at the centre of things. It was thronged with holidaymakers, relaxing with ice-creams and munching on freshly fried fish and chips.

Back in the late 1990s I wasn’t a habitual photographer, but this time was struck by the beauty of Cromer’s location. The wide stretch of coast that glimmered with gold at dusk, and the rows of candy-striped beach huts.

The town’s architecture is richly-coloured with turreted Victorian houses and full of the detail I maybe didn’t notice the first time around.

Cromer is a long way from Manchester and north-west England’s Irish sea coast but was worth the trip. Nostalgia and fresh eyes can often work hand in hand.

Have you gone back to a memorable place years later? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

The Lancashire seaside

October 8, 2017October 7, 2017 / mikeosbornphoto / 13 Comments

My latest exploration of Manchester’s expansive hinterland took me north to Lancashire. The coastal resort of Lytham St Annes is close to Blackpool, but a world away from its neighbour’s glitzy, brash vibe.

I walked from St Anne’s and its green pier along a tranquil, sombre stretch of tidal coastline to Lytham, with its curious windmill and grand white-tiled church. It’s also on the estuary of the River Ribble – calm, mysterious and perfect for wide skyscape photographs.

This trip veered from brash man-made colours to stark minimalism. The kind of contrast I favour on a photo excursion…

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A very British resort

September 4, 2016September 11, 2016 / mikeosbornphoto / 9 Comments

Take an English seaside town on a holiday weekend. The gods are smiling and the sun is shining. In fact, it’s blazing hot. Broadstairs on the Kent coast has all the traditional elements – commanding Victorian buildings, sandy bays filled with deck chairs and windbreaks, a plethora of beach huts. Throw in a fish and chip lunch at a pub, an ice-cream sundae at an old-fashioned cafe and a touch of sunburn, and you have a day of memories. It was the same for the throngs who joined us that day, bringing so many people into this pen portrait of British life by the sea.

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Bracing

January 3, 2016 / mikeosbornphoto / 14 Comments

The British coast in winter is often freezing. A little desolate. And with leaden, depressing skies. But it’s not all bad news.

The coastline around Hunstanton in Norfolk has broad, sandy beaches and a magical low tide which make bracing walks longer and more invigorating. Those skies stretch the horizon, while the empty beach huts stand proud and colourful. Strong winds brought paragliders to the water and dozens of strollers were not deterred by the odd miniature sandstorm.

I came here three years ago but this time it felt different. My eyes were drawn to the architectural details of the seaside and those huge vistas which the camera devoured with pleasure. The inspiration had changed but it was still winter – and was wrapped up warmly.

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Beach huts

December 21, 2013December 21, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 24 Comments

They’re a traditional, essential and practically iconic feature of the British seaside. It’s a shelter, somewhere to change into your bathing costume, a place to make a cup of tea.

The coastal resort of Bournemouth in Dorset, on England’s south coast, is a bastion of the beach hut. The first municipal beach huts were built there in 1909, and there are still hundreds of them there today.

Long lines of little dwellings in every imaginable colour are a sight to behold on a chilly December day. They’re mostly locked up for the winter, but a couple of hardy souls were sat outside their miniature English castle.

They are irresistible to photograph – and this is a collection that simply cannot be presented in monochrome.