Pilgrimage
Since I really got back into photography, around 2007 when I ‘upgraded’ my small Olympus C3030 to a Sony R1, Dungeness has been on the radar as at least an annual visit. That visit didn’t happen in 2021, my last visit having been three weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown started in late March 2020, so there’s been a bit of an impulse to get back down there - after all, it’s only around 50 miles away.
For those unfamiliar with the place it’s a shingle beach on a foreland made up by longshore drift on the southeast corner of Kent. The rate at which the headland builds up has been quite considerable, and has resulted in three early beacons and five lighthouses being built over the centuries. Each one has had to be constructed closer to the retreating sea and higher to afford visibility. Only the 1904 (41m tall), and the current 1961 tower (43m tall) stand today. From an ecological point of view Dungeness is important insofar that one third of the plant species found in Britain can be found there; it’s a major habitat for invertebrates such as moths, bees, beetles, and spiders (some of which are only found here in Britain); and various gravel pits containing brackish and fresh water are home to many bird species, native and migratory.
A small community live near the beach, in the shadow of the nuclear power station. Cottages are a mix of weatherboard, converted train carriages and old coastal buildings such as coastguard watch towers. The artist and film maker Derek Jarman lived on Dungeness and his cottage is still there with its garden decorated with driftwood, pebbles and other collected items. The beach formed a backdrop for some of Jarman’s film work and has later featured in various films (Terry Giliam’s Time Bandits and Danny Boyle’s Trance), television series (Dr Who, East Enders) and music videos (The Prodigy, The Lighthouse Family), as well as a number of music album covers (Pink Floyd, Aled Jones).
Fishing boats dot the shoreline and the remnants of older boats in various states of decay lie a bit further inland alongside the old winches used to land them from the sea. A recent spate of vandalism involving the setting some some of the old boats and disused net-sheds on fire has led to a gradual clearing of detritus from the area.
Photographs taken with a Fujifilm GFX50Sii with 23mm and 45-100mm lenses