Warmth and nostalgia: the beauty of an English summer through the lens of Chanel Irvine
For many English people, summer is both a great excitement and a massive letdown. We wait for those desperate glimpses of the sun to shine through the clouds during the first few months of every year, ready to ditch thick jumpers and turn off the heating we’ve had cranked as high as we can afford. Yet, when it finally comes, only a small group of us can actually cope with the stuffiness and sweat as we battle with our sheets to try and sleep and rummage in our cupboards for an obnoxiously loud and dusty fan to use.
In spite of the yearly battles we face to cope in temperatures that we simply aren’t used to, summer is welcomed by so many English people because, along with the overheating and overpriced ice cream trucks, the season also brings with it a hearty dose of nostalgia and community. Who can say they haven’t raced to an overcrowded beer garden as soon as a clear sky has promised there’ll be no rain, just warmth?
Most of us have memories of going to the seaside as children, begging our parents to give us loose change to use on the 2p machines, usually winning nothing. These English beaches aren’t exactly glamorous, but they offer respite from concrete-laden cities and offices. Suddenly, we’re eight again, paddling through rock pools, eating fish and chips, and exploring little independent shops near the pier.
Chanel Irvine, a South African-Australian photographer, moved to England in 2019. She spent several years capturing the different ways that English summers are enjoyed, whether that be by the sea or walking through glorious green fields. Her findings can be viewed in the book An English Summer, published by Hoxton Mini Press.
In the introduction, the book states that Irvine “was struck by the enthusiasm with which Brits embrace the (rather underwhelming, by southern-hemisphere standards) summer. From 2019 to 2021, she travelled around the country documenting small summertime rituals and sweeping landscapes.” It’s these small rituals that make English summers so memorable and longed for, even if the bigger picture – the sweat, the crowded beaches, the price of days out – can overshadow them at times.
Irvine captures these simple moments, such as gazing out at the sea with your family members by your side or queuing for an ice cream, with the anticipation of which flavour to pick being the only thing on your mind.
Many of the images are taken in Cornwall and other southern seaside towns that are popular with tourists across the world – and the rest of the country – as well as areas of London, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire. Here, we see people truly immersing themselves in England’s natural world, as well as the shops, cars, and beach huts that allow us to make the most of these areas.
Irvine’s images beautifully capture the simplicity of English summertimes, which carry an innate beauty. These photos aren’t invasive or exploitative; her subjects are allowed to exist freely, and what she captures feels natural and warm, like the sun colouring most of the images with its golden hue.
Discover some of Irvine’s photos from An English Summer below. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
