Bathing in Bexhill

These children had intended to bathe in the sea at Bexhill until they discovered this occasional fountain.

Their mother sat by with a bemused smile on her face as they ran, jumped and rolled around in the icy cold water. They were drenched through to the skin but seemed not to feel it.

Ah, the insouciance of youth.

Staircase,  De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill.

The new fountain feature has been installed on the seaward side of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill.

The Pavilion was built in the late 1930s in the art deco style of the day. I am always amused by the mock seriousness of art deco architecture. It seems to be lauding the modernist whilst alluding to the whimsical.

De La Warr Pavilion seen from the seaside.

Adopting the industrial system of iron girder framework (in this case welded not riveted) and concrete cladding, buildings in this style often suffer from the rapid visual deterioration of the concrete.

In the Pavilion's case, this was remedied by £8 million received from the Heritage Lottery Fund which was used to renovate this grade 1 listed buildling.

Block of flats, Bexhill seafront.

This block of flats was erected a few hundred yards west of the Pavilion about five years ago. As far as I am concerned it displays no architectural merit of any sort.

Some of the apartments appear to be unoccupied and the shops below have never found tenants. The orange colouring on the facade is the lichen that you find growing on World War 2 concrete bunkers.

Already falling apart....

A closer inspection of the facade shows that it is already crumbling away.

I hope this building does not last as long as the De La Warr Pavilion has done.