A take on the 'official guide' format with this Official Album Guide to Swansea, Mumbles & the Gower issued by Swansea Corporation's Information & Publicity Dept. in ca.1951. Marvellous cover with The Happy Family on the sunsoaked beach. #holidays @seasideferry.bsky.social ↘️ flic.kr/p/2s5wttQ

My next online talk celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain. I'll be looking at how the #seaside was represented at the South Bank and how design there, in its turn, influenced the look of resorts in the 1950s and 60s Book your ticket at www.ticketsource.com/kathryn-ferry

Thanks @garius.bsky.social So glad you enjoyed it! And it was a pleasure answering your questions 😊 See you next month!

Butlin's will officially turn 90 on 11 April so I'm starting the month off with my online talk exploring its much underrated #designhistory. There will be chalets, theme bars and monorails! Book your ticket at www.ticketsource.com/kathryn-ferry

These tiled steps are so cool! Patterns designed by local school children inspired by past #Ramsgate resident AWN Pugin, master of the #victorian Gothic Revival

Fell in love with this #artsandcrafts house on #ramsgate East Cliff. It was built 1889-90 by Ernest George and Harold Peto as a holiday home for William Wills of the tobacco family then was home to Dame Janet Stancomb-Wills who paid for the shelter in my last post. It's grade II* listed gorgeous 😍

Included the 1923 Winterstoke Sun Shelter on East Cliff, #Ramsgate in my talk last night but hadn't actually seen it in person til today. It's a monumental concrete structure set above cliffs sculpted in Pulhamite, an artificial stone used extensively around the town.

Arrived in #ramsgate yesterday evening as the sun was going down and the light was beautiful. My talk for the Ramsgate Society was sold out and I met some lovely people. Took loads of photos so be prepared for more!

Cover to the 1965 Official Guide to Cromer & District - Gem of the Norfolk Coast. Published to help lure holidaymakers it contains information as to the town's amenities & many adverts for hotels & "B&B" establishments. @seasideferry.bsky.social ↘️ flic.kr/p/2s3SPr1

Ever wondered where the idea for floral clocks came from? Well, I will tell you if you sign up for the #seasidegardens seminar with @seasidenetwork.bsky.social !

Bexhill is not only good for Modernist architecture, it also has more than its fair share of onion domes along the seafront. There was a late C19 trend for Orientalist structures at the seaside but very few survive so it's always nice to see these

Today, 21st March, is Erich Mendelsohn's birthday so where better to be than at the De la Warr Pavilion he designed, speaking to the Mendelsohn Initiative, a delegation of international scholars discussing his work? What a joy and a privilege

On my way back to #bexhill for my second visit of the week!

My book is in some exceptionally fine company in the De la Warr Pavilion shop.

Been in #eastbourne this morning looking at original drawings for the #pier. Also seen designs for an open air swimming pool that was never built. All in a private collection so a real treat

If you're a member @thevicsoc.bsky.social you may have seen me on the back page of the new magazine sharing plans for publications. I also wrote a book review and am leading a trip for the society around 3 Grade I listed buildings in #eastgrinstead in June!

Thank goodness for ferry wifi!

Intriguing #ghostsign in central Manchester -Macbeth Brothers, Habit Maker and Boys Clothier. Habits for nuns? Or are there other types of habit I can't think of? 🤔 If only the ad to join the team was for the original company...

Lots of #artdeco cinema facades had fins but this one has a wedge! The Longford at Stretford, also known as the Essoldo, opened in 1936. The auditorium is in the building behind and it has a 2nd entrance in a parade of streamlined shops. It's grade II listed but has been disused since the late 90s

My talk today was about #victorian #drinkingfountains so I was glad to visit one of the examples I illustrated. Given to Alexandra Park by the Band of Hope in 1876, it was cast by the Derby foundry of Andrew Handyside. The park lodge was designed by local architect Alfred Darbyshire

Gave a talk this afternoon for @thevicsoc.bsky.social #manchester at the rather attractive Stretford Public Hall. Lovely green tiles in the entrance and a fine Gothic exterior.

There are not many surviving interiors designed by #Victorian architect Owen Jones (1809-74) so it's always a thrill to visit St Bartholomew's at Sutton Waldron in #dorset. I wrote my PhD on Jones and to see his favourite primary colours yesterday, singing out after recent restoration, is wonderful

This is going to be great! And what a fantastic venue for our second #seasideheritage symposium with @hbap1924.bsky.social We've got a packed programme lined up for you finishing with 'chips and chat' on the beach thanks to @heritagenetwork.bsky.social Sign up NOW and we'll see you there 🌊🏖️

Do you remember the Butlin's pools with glass sides? Billy Butlin's 'human aquariums' were just one of many design tricks that helped ensure his brand's massive popularity. To find out more join me on 1 April for my online talk marking 90 years of Butlin's www.ticketsource.co.uk/kathryn-ferr...

If you like #vintage #swimwear then #Southend is the place for you! The Beecroft Gallery has a collection of more than 500 swimsuits and I was lucky enough to see a few yesterday. Thanks to the opening of their new Collections Centre last weekend these pieces will be more accessible to researchers

Took the opportunity to visit Southend's newest listed building, the 1928 Sun Shelter. It was added to the list at grade II last year thanks to @c20society.bsky.social Even got to see it in the sunshine after the fog cleared 🌞

Really positive morning in #southend where I went to speak about the value of #seasideheritage at an investment summit. Lots going for the city and great to be in the Cliffs Pavilion which appears in my latest book 😊

Thrilled to learn that #Southend Kursaal has a new leaseholder. Can't wait to see how they bring it back to life #seasideheritage @thevicsoc.bsky.social @seasidenetwork.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The latest issue of @themodernist.bsky.social magazine is all about Pleasure and features my article about the development of amusement arcades on #Blackpool Golden Mile. Loving the choice of orange paper, sets off my pics a treat!

Been on the trail of Eugenius Birch in #kent this morning. He designed piers for Dover, Deal, Margate, Sheerness and Folkestone, though not all of them were built

This sounds great! Definitely one for fans of #ArtDeco Kathryn will also be giving a talk at the Isokon Gallery on 30 April. Follow us on www.eventbrite.com/o/10598755560 for alerts when tickets go on sale.

If you have an image of #butlins in your mind does it include #1930s #artdeco #cocktail bars? Contemporary design was crucial to the #holidaycamp brand Billy Butlin launched 90 years ago. To find out more you can sign up for my online talk on 1 April here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/kathryn-ferr...

#victorian #drinkingfountains seem pretty niche now but if you lived in the 1850s, without access to piped water & only the pub to go to when you got really thirsty, they were an absolute marvel. As I'll explain @thevicsoc.bsky.social in #manchester next month www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/victorian-...

Is there somewhere or something by the sea that you would like to see nominated for the #bucketandspadelist? Now is your chance to help shape this year's top ten...

Had a blast yesterday recording the Harry Hill podcast alongside Taskmaster Alex Horne. Too many references to ferries at the seaside to count but great fun sharing my love of the #greatbritishseaside Watch previous episodes here harryhill.co.uk/podcast/

This spring I'm celebrating some seaside-themed anniversaries in a series of online talks. The first will be all about the architecture and design of #butlins holiday camps. Tickets from www.ticketsource.co.uk/kathryn-ferry/90-years-of-butlin-s-design-an-online-talk-by-dr-kathryn-ferry/e-yzajrz

Been to the restored 1938 Saltdean Lido today on a recce for the upcoming @seasidenetwork.bsky.social symposium to be held in partnership with our friends @hbap1924.bsky.social Full details will be available soon but you can save the date now to join us on *FRIDAY 26 JUNE*

So many examples of living heritage at the seaside! All the things in this image and much, much more. Please do show your support via the quick and easy form Thank you 😊

Would you like a space to write, with sea views? Dan Thompson Studio are offering a desk at Marine Studios to a writer. You'll have your own desk, 24 hour access, seven days a week. Views over Main Sands, the studio is a five minute walk from the station, Turner Contemporary, and the Old Town.

Golden Nugget amusement arcade #GreatYarmouth #Norfolk #England about the same date

Very Olde-Worlde, seaside hotel interior designed to look like a historic country house

BREAKING NEWS: We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the Southbank Centre - the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and skaters undercroft - has finally been Grade II listed by DCMS after a 35 year long campaign. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/southba...

🥁 Drum roll please... My next book will be about the Victorian pier engineer and architect EUGENIUS BIRCH so I took the opportunity yesterday to visit the Scarborough Art Gallery exhibition about his 1877 Aquarium. Demolished in 1968 the building was an amazing Indo-Moorish fantasy - with fish!!

The 3 #victorian incarnations of #Scarborough Spa as seen in paintings on display at Scarborough Art Gallery. First the Gothic Saloon by Henry Wyatt of 1839, then the music hall & observation tower of 1858 by Joseph Paxton & George Stokes, finally the current building by Verity and Hunt opened 1878

Had an enjoyable afternoon filming inside #ScarboroughSpa - just too cold to film outside 🥶 It meant I got to have a look around which was most fortuitous as I'm currently researching an article on the Spa's architectural history

Discover the surprising story behind Britain’s Victorian drinking fountains with historian @seasideferry.bsky.social Learn how they transformed public health, the designs that sprung up, and the people they memorialise. 📅 7 Feb, 2-3pm Online via Zoom Book now:

The sand does NOT care how much your #beachhut is worth

They had to get more chairs out for my U3A talk this afternoon - always a good sign! Now on the train heading for #Scarborough...

My next talk is all about the #Victorian drinking fountain movement. Sounds niche now but it captured the nation from the 1850s and saved thousands of lives by the provision of free, filtered water. Online THIS Saturday 7 FEB, book via the link @thevicsoc.bsky.social

So, if you vote for Reform you're voting to get the old Tories back in again? Hardly much of a reform is it? Just waiting for Liz Truss to sign up now...