Sunny delight

The British yearn for summer like no other season. Then, when it arrives, we break out the deckchairs, barbecues and sun hats – and head to the nearest stretch of water, open space or chocolate-box village.

For a population used to spending time indoors, these summer trips to the seaside and stately homes do something to us. We paddle in the water like kids, eat ice cream and pretend to enjoy sunbathing.

“There is a particular magic – and a fragility – to an English summer”

Photographer Chanel Irvine spent two years between 2019 and 2021 photographing the British at play in summer. And now her images have been collated in a new book, An English Summer. Here you’ll find artfully washed-out images of candy-coloured beach huts, sun-bleached pubs, bathers splashing about in usually deserted rivers and old ladies taking in the sun by the sea.

The publisher, Hoxton Mini Press, says: “There is a particular magic – and a fragility – to an English summer. During the colder months, we long for lazy, hot days; when they arrive, they feel all too momentary. This exquisite collection of images by Chanel Irvine – taken against the tumultuous backdrop of Brexit and the pandemic – captures the unique, tender mood of a time when so many of us rediscovered the gentle beauty of England’s landscape.”

Seems it really did turn out nice again.