‘A Shell Guide to Whitstable’
Currently preparing my guided walk of Whitstable and Seasalter.
‘A Shell Guide to Whitstable’ is a guided walk from Whitstable to Seasalter, where participants converse with artist Emily Whitebread on her research into John Betjeman’s Shell Guides to British Counties.
Walkers will be invited to mix and mingle, with an emphasis on informal conversation, examining the eccentrically entertaining atmosphere these guides created for their readers: a traveller is not a tourist, a traveller is a seeker of an authentic place. Their creation reinforced a sense of British culture and discourse that was carefully constructed through text, photography and design, to present an authoritative view of Britain. The walk explores the historical and cultural impact on our imagining of nationhood in the 21st Century and the snobbery attached to the revivalist attitude that Britain is now a destination for the British.
Meeting point Whitstable Harbour outside the RLNI Lifeboat Shop
Guide:
A printed guide is available to download from my website or collect from The Horsebridge Centre.
The guided tour with the artist will take 2 – 2.5 hours depending on the size and ability of the group.
Please also note that access to drinking water and toilet facilities will be limited.
All participants will each receive a ‘A Shell Guide to Whitstable’.
