SEPTEMBER 2022 · WATERLINE
Weston Super Mare
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Weston-super-Mare has the largest tidal range in the world after the Bay of Fundy. When the tide is out, the beach extends so far that the sea is barely a line on the horizon. The beach in September, with the schools back and the season winding down, is mainly sand and signage.
The signage is extensive. A yellow triangular danger sign on a wooden post, positioned in the middle of empty sand with nothing immediately dangerous visible. A red high tide warning with traffic cones and wooden marker posts. A boating pond with a no paddling notice and a wooden post, the shallow water beyond flat and still. A metal mesh fence on a pier with weathered no access and damage warning signs. The beach is comprehensively labelled. The labelling appears to be in dialogue with an absent crowd.
The labelling appears to be in dialogue with an absent crowd.
Weston-super-Mare — September 2022
There's a rusty industrial loading crane on the concrete pier — the kind of utilitarian infrastructure that predates the tourist economy and is simply still there, too large and fixed to remove. A woman with British flags is meeting another visitor behind a metal crowd barrier. The flags and the barrier suggest an event that is either just finishing or has been set up for something that hasn't quite arrived.
An elderly couple and their small dog stand on the stone seawall looking out at the sand. The donkey rides van is parked on the beach: no donkeys visible, no queue. The ice cream kiosk on the promenade has balloon decorations. The kiosk is open. The promenade behind it is quiet.
The Grand Pier sits at one end, rebuilt after the 2008 fire, its electric-lit facade facing the sea. Behind the pier, Weston continues inland: the guest houses, the amusement arcades, the car parks. The town exists at a comfortable distance from the beach it was built to serve. In September the distance between them is particularly clear.
The danger sign casts a short shadow.
Stone seawall with elderly couple and small dog overlooking expansive sandy beach
Donkey rides vendor van on vast empty sandy beach under cloudy sky
Rusty industrial loading crane mounted on concrete pier extending over beach
Woman with British flags meeting another visitor behind metal crowd barrier
Yellow triangular danger sign on wooden post in middle of empty sandy beach
Red high tide warning sign with traffic cones and wooden marker posts on sand
Red boating pond no paddling sign with wooden post and shallow water beyond
Two visitors standing on stone seawall looking out at expanse of sandy beach
Metal mesh fence with weathered no access and damage warning signs on pier
Colourful ice cream and refreshments kiosk with balloon decorations on promenade