SEAS Photography ‘Beyond the View’ temporary exhibition opening at the Droit House in Margate

An exhibition displaying some of the remarkable images held by the South East Archive of Seaside (SEAS) Photography will be opening at the Droit House Visitor Information Centre, Margate on Saturday 20 August. The temporary popup exhibition will be available until Sunday 4 September for visitors to explore some of the nostalgic seaside images held in the archive.

SEAS Photography undertakes research into seaside photographic practices, communities and cultures and specialises in organising exhibitions and events that offer new and exciting perspectives on British seaside photography. It was established in 2012 with support from a Heritage Lottery Fund award and is based at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Broadstairs campus.

The exhibition is being supported by Thanet District Council’s Discover Thanet’s Coast project; a Coastal Community Fund initiative which is delivering activities and events for visitors and local people to encourage wider engagement with Thanet’s fantastic coast and heritage.

The exhibition will also coincide with Margate Festival: Sightseeking which runs from the 2^nd to 25^th September.

Gavin Waite, Thanet District Council’s Director of Operational Services said: “Thanet District Council is hugely privileged to own such an amazing archive of images that offer a fascinating glimpse into Thanet’s seaside story. This is a great opportunity, working in partnership with SEAS Photography, to share some of this fantastic collection – we hope members of the public enjoy this taster view into the archive!”

As part of the temporary exhibition programme there will be two special events;

SEAS Photography Community Collection Day – Saturday 27 August, 11am – 4pm

The SEAS project is locating, collating and archiving photographs taken along the South East Coast and would like Thanet’s residents and visitors to bring any photos they have on Saturday 27 August.

Photos must have been taken by Sunbeam or another commercial photographer. Photos should have a number or company name on the front or back. They may even be in a special “holiday wallet”. Come down to the Beyond the View exhibition at the Droit House on Margate Harbour Arm and have a chat with archivist Nigel Breadman and the SEAS team.

Any photographs you offer will be scanned, credited to you, catalogued with any detail you can provide and safely returned to you. If you wish to see how the ‘walkies’ collections are archived, go to the SEAS Photography website at; http://www.seasphotography.org.uk/archives/walkies

SEAS Photography Archivist Exhibition Talk – Sunday 4 September, 2pm

At Droit House Margate, Nigel Breadman the Archivist for the South East Archive of Seaside Photography (SEAS) will be giving an informal talk about the Sunbeam photographic company, from its inception in Margate just after the First World War, through to the company’s demise in 1975.

Nigel will talk about the subsequent rescue and digital archiving of the Sunbeam collection by the team set up at Canterbury Christ Church University, Broadstairs, and funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The talk is free and starts at 2pm. No need to book, just come along!

For more information or images for this story please contact:

Thanet District Council Press Office

[email protected]

01843 577034