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Seaside Shelters: Will Scott's wonderfully vibrant photographs of a bygone era

Acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Will Scott has travelled throughout the UK to lovingly chronicle the definitive collection of Britain's seaside shelters.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

Once a testament to the popularity of British summer holidays and the country’s inclement weather, many of these architectural gems now stand deserted, decorously preserved in time. Dedicated to documenting their faded grandeur and intricate designs, Scott travelled the length and breadth of Britain for the project, from iconic seaside resorts to lesser-known sites along the coast, including Blackpool, Margate, the Isle of Wight, Frinton-on-Sea, Southsea, Colwyn Bay, Weymouth and Exmouth.

For so many, these images evoke memories of childhood summers, when – not to be defeated by the undependable British weather – the seaside shelter meant that young and old could still enjoy the fresh air and fun of being on holiday even if that meant looking out to sea, eating ice cream or fish and chips and waiting impatiently for the sun to come out.

Scott's captivating set of photographs features diverse styles of structure, colour and design from late Victorian, Art Deco to Bauhaus in all their faded glory. These iconic structures represent a small section of quintessentially British architecture and perfectly represent our love affair with the seaside holiday.

Now you can enjoy his series during an exhibition launching on 20 July at the HENI Gallery on Lexington Street, London. Running until 19 August 2018, the show is accompanied by a new book, entitled Seaside Shelters, which includes an accompanying essay by Edwin Heathcote, architecture and design critic for the Financial Times.

Heathcote writes, "There is nothing, quite possibly, more British than the seaside shelter: the sense it embodies of a struggle against the elements; the loneliness of a small structure outlined against the vast horizon of the sea on a rainy day; the optimism of a day out at the seaside despite the weather; the municipal sense of a public good which is now mostly a memory. These small, intimate, curious works of micro-architecture are simultaneously reminders of a very particular world-view, nostalgia pods and wonderfully public places, perhaps the last architecture owned by us and open to all at any time of the day or the year."

Seaside Shelters is published on 19 July, priced at £14.99. The exhibition launches at the HENI Gallery on 20 July 2018. For more information, visit henipublishing.com.

A row of colourful beach huts lines a sandy beach below a tree-covered hillside under a cloudy sky
Modernist seaside shelter with pale yellow and white striped exterior on a pebble beach beside ornate railings and calm sea under clear blue sky
Ornate Victorian seaside shelter with a domed roof and weather vane standing on a paved promenade beneath a cloudy sky
Wooden pier with a central pavilion topped by a cross and turquoise railings, stretching toward the sea under overcast skies
Seaside shelter with cream-coloured pavilions and central red-roofed structure stretching along a wooden pier under blue sky with white clouds
Modernist seaside shelter with curved concrete columns and canopy roof beside an empty promenade facing the sea under overcast sky
A curved mid-century seaside shelter with a central spire and canopy roof stands on an empty promenade beneath two tall street lights, with sea and sky beyond
White seaside shelter with blue decorative panels featuring ship wheels and anchors, standing on a paved promenade facing the sea with railings and a lamp post
A blue and copper seaside shelter with a clock tower stands alone on a vast green seafront with houses and sea in the distance under a clear blue sky
Two white caravans parked either side of a black-roofed seaside shelter on a coastal promenade overlooking the sea under a partly cloudy sky
A minimalist seaside shelter with rust-coloured metal panels and wooden trim stands alone on a pebble beach under an overcast sky, with calm sea beyond
Modernist seaside shelter with repetitive window sections and wooden pergola roof stretching along a promenade against a blue sky with white clouds
A brick seaside shelter with a thatched roof sits on open grassland between two paths, with water and distant buildings visible under a cloudy sky
A bright yellow and turquoise seaside shelter with a grass roof sits on a seafront promenade, with Victorian and Edwardian buildings behind it under an overcast sky
A cream and green seaside shelter with a domed roof stands on a wooden pier overlooking a calm waterway, with residential buildings visible across the water
Modernist concrete seaside shelter with repetitive arched sections set in a grassy landscape under a cloudy sky
Yellow and white Art Deco seaside shelter with decorative roof detailing on a promenade overlooking the sea
Row of five cream-coloured dome-shaped seaside shelters nestled into a grassy hillside under clear blue sky, with a brick pathway leading towards them
Turquoise and cream seaside shelter standing alone on a vast, flat beach under a cloudy sky
Illuminated seafront shelter and lamp post beside a pier at dusk under a clear blue sky, with calm water reflecting the twilight
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