The Suffolk Coast- the map book ...progress continues and concludes.

The Suffolk Coast -a beginning of kind

                                  

One of my biggest faults has always been coming up with ideas but never actually getting on and doing! This project, however, has been brewing for so long that hopefully that flaw won't be a problem!

Lockdown and the pandemic has somewhat put a spanner in the works meaning that I am housebound even though living only a few miles from the coast.The obvious starting point therefore seems to be my home stretch of Suffolk coast,making a plan of the area that I will cover. 

There are many beautiful spots along this piece of coastline from crumbling cliffs to the mudflats of estuary, from Lowestoft to Felixstowe. As I have always loved handmade maps the idea came to make a small concertina map book for each section of the project as a way to introduce locations. The lack of scale or accuracy I don't see as a problem and indeed they could probably be seen as a feature of my work up to now!

                      

The map was drawn in ink and then coloured in thin overlaying washes in watercolour and gold paint.The places I will explore individually are listed and it illustrates a trawler from Lowestoft, fishing boats from Southwold and Aldeburgh and the foot ferry at Old Felixstowe.Initially I had thought of making it into a pocket book with hand painted luggage labels which could be pulled out with interesting facts on the reverse....Not sure, I might make two versions!

  

I began researching the statue on Lowestoft prom of Triton. He was created in 1850, apparently by a John Thomas Chalford (1813-1862) and made from bath stone. He is one of two, the other is carved into the promenade. I vividly remember this one from childhood trips but cannot for the life of me think where the other is...a trip post lockdown is needed! They were commissioned by Samuel Morton Peto a Victorian entrepreneur who was a major figure in the development of Lowestoft . You can find out more here...

https://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/places/a-z-of-suffolk/p-is-for-sir-samuel-morton-peto/

Triton was a Greek god of the sea, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, who lived in a golden palace. He is usually portrayed as a merman and here holds a large cornucopia at his side. 

I have  now embellished a reproduction of the map and made it into a small concertina book.

Next stage is more research and more experimentation with the labels and book construction!