Welcome to a hot dry summery Rich and Strange, my monthly Substack about seaside towns and their culture.
Since the last edition, I’ve jumped into the sea a few times (there’s a mildly secret Thanet bay, less frequented by tourists - perfect). And have been down to Folkestone, to see the work of archaeologists (one of my daughters included) on a Romano-British villa site.
We caught Folkestone Pride while there, which was absolutely glorious. It felt like it mattered to people, while some Pride events these days feel a bit like a big noisy middle class party. On an old BBC documentary about the seaside, John Walton speaks about seaside as a place of experimentation, of trying on new things, and I think that’s why they’ve always been places for queer life. I spent a too-hot afternoon at Folk Week in Broadstairs, which feels like another expression of that spirit. Morris dance is a very queer space.
The exhibition I’ve curated in Dover is open for visitors at the Pines Garden. Cross Channel is embedded in the work of The Bay Trust, and weaves together chalk and communications, sea swimming and self-exile.
Meanwhile, a series of short videos made with Coast Projects in Margate have been something of a local hit. In them, I tell a story of Margate’s unreliable history. There will be more videos soon, and a new pamphlet about the town’s history to accompany the series. So this month, an exclusive short extract from that, for paid subscribers only.
And of course, yesterday, there was an incredible eclipse, with crowds filling the beaches and bays along the North Kent coast for the best views, possibly in the whole of the UK.
Dan Thompson’s Seaside History Club and Marine Studios present First Friday: Lighthouses. Friday 4th September, 6-8.30pm, at Marine Studios, Albert Terrace, Margate. Featuring more than 100 paintings of lighthouses by Dan Thompson, and a chance to make your own (miniature) lighthouse. Free admission.
From An Unreliable Historian’s History of Margate …
