The pleasure pier follows the story of Britain's relationship to the seaside, from the early links with the Romantics, to the engineering feats and technical advancement of the Industrial Revolution. They bear witness to the growth of the coast as a pleasure destination for a monied elite, as well as the working class' enthusiasm for the seaside brought on by the development of the railways and the bank holiday ruling. Britain's piers trace our changing economic fortunes too, from post-war boom to economic downturn, and now a slow re-awakening of our appreciation of these cultural and historic landmarks. At the turn of the last century, almost a hundred piers existed; now only half remain and several face an uncertain future. Whilst some are modest structures, others are elegant and exotic, thrusting out into the sea with characteristic Victorian aplomb.
Loosely following in the footsteps of Francis Frith, whose company made the last major photographic survey of these peculiarly British structures, Roberts has been documenting the remaining pleasure piers using his signature landscape style and 4 x 5" plate camera, echoing the aesthetic and tone of his highly successful previous book We English.
Author Biography
In 2010 Simon Roberts was selected by the UK Parliament as the official Election Artist to produce a record of the General Election. He has exhibited widely with solo shows at the National Media Museum, Bradford, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai. His work was included in Landmark: Fields of Photography at Somerset House, London, and Observers: British Photography and the British Scene (From the 1920s to Now) at Galeria de Arte SESI, Brazil, and is in major public and private collections, including George Eastman House, Deutsche Borse Art Collection and Wilson Centre for Photography. His previous books include 'Motherland' (Chris Boot, 2007) and 'We English' (Chris Boot, 2009). The book is introduced by Francis Hodgson, photography critic for the Financial Times, and the former Head of Photographs at Sotheby's, London.
