Sussex by the Sea

Millions visit the seaside resorts of East Sussex. Few know the great variety of scenery, architecture and history. To everyone, this handsome new volume by the author of the critically acclaimed book The South Downs will be a revelation. A series of striking images -breathtaking panoramic shots and arresting close-ups - creates a vivid portrait of a part of the world in which the photographer has been living for a number of years. Michael george's photographic journey through the coastal areas of East Sussex takes him from Rye and Winchelsea, "our ports of stranded pride", at the eastern extremity of the county, to the cosmopolitan city of Brighton, in the west, famous for its splendid Royal Pavilion, grand Regency terraces and a whiff of naughtiness in its bracing sea air. En route, he focuses on fun-seeking holidaymakers who crowd the shore in high season, and captures the exhilarating feeling of the solitary walker tracing the cliff path over magnificent Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters to the quiet combes of the unspoilt Cuckmere Valley.
At Battle, the site of an event that changed the course of history, he pauses in remembrance of all those who fell beside King Harold on that fateful field. In atmospheric Hastings Old Town, he pays tribute to the hard-working crews of the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe. In Bexhill-on-Sea, the unlikely location of the Modernist temple of art, the deservedly admired De La Warr Pavilion, he portrays, with affection, vivid scenes of daily life. On Eastbourne's stately seafront, he pays court to "the Empress of Watering Places". In beguiling Lewes, embedded in the Downs, he salutes the independent-minded citizens who cherish the county town's proud tradition as the crucible of liberty on both sides of the Atlantic. Michael George's fine photography, accompanied by his informative and incisive commentary, make this a compelling portrait of a region that is very close to his heart.