Deal in Kent

The picture set this week features the town of Deal on the Kent coast. Back in the 13th century, Deal was one of the busiest ports in England and the town has a rich maritime history as well as a long association with the Royal Marines. Almost two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar landed at nearby Walmer and the first Roman road still leads inland from the coast. Nowadays, however, Deal is a quiet seaside resort with a charmingly old-fashioned feel to it. Leaving aside the rather ugly concrete pier from the 1950's, the town is blessed with much excellent domestic architecture from the 17th century onwards. Charles Dickens set part of "Bleak House" here and other famous visitors have included Daniel Defoe and Samuel Pepys. Pepys, writing in 1660, described the place as "pitiful". He was wrong. It's a lovely place, an English seaside delight.

Last week's pictures were about bicyclists

Last week's pictures were about bicyclists. Was there ever a more universally beneficial invention than the humble bike ? Certainly not for transport and the environment. And though people might justifiably complain about macho cyclists who charge selfishly along pavements, bicyclists in general are a pretty beneficent bunch. Far better than the tossers in 4x4's for sure. You don't often see a miserable bicyclist, except in the rain or having been cut up by one of the fore-mentioned tossers. That's more than can be said for the average motorist, crawling around the sclerotic roads of South East England.

Other recent pictures of the week

A fortnight ago, the picture set took a little look at Amsterdam architecture, as seen in August 2007. The centre of this great Dutch city overflows with fine buildings from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and it also has a great deal of excellent modern architecture, mainly on the outskirts. It all reflects the Dutch genius for domesticity. Crammed into a small country and at constant risk from flooding, they have long excelled at creating houses and urban spaces that are practical, homely and very attractive. The Dutch just know how to live well, individually and together. Here in England, still building miles of soulless estates on flood plains, we could learn a lot from them.

We went on holiday to Amsterdam earlier this month and had a great time. It's a very fine city - historic and beautiful, but also packed with modern life. Urbane and relaxing, yet still with a proper city edge to it. Going round the place with our 2¾ year-old son (who loved it) was obviously not all that conducive to serious picture-taking. But hopefully the picture set three weeks ago still managed to show a decent selection of Amsterdam sights in August 2007. Be warned however - the first snap is not for the faint-hearted !

Gay Pride took place in Brighton on August 4th and it was a huge success, attracting an estimated 150,000 people. The event has become, for almost as many straights as gays, one of the most glorious and fun-filled events in the contemporary urban social calendar. The picture set four weeks ago looked back at previous Brighton Prides since 1995 to provide a happy selection of gay pride smiles.

About this site and picture library

There are now almost 50000 images in the library and they can all be keyword searched from the picture search page. New or updated subjects include Deal, bicyclists, Amsterdam architecture and sights, gay prides, fishing boats and sales signs. The site has several ways to help make relevant and fruitful searches, including index pages for both subjects and events & places.  There is also a useful search guide and information page.

A good showcase of the type and range of photography available can be explored in the pictures of the week series. Published on the site since December 2001, this now totals more than 2600 images. Every week there is a set of ten pictures about a particular place, event or theme. Almost all the library's pictures are available for personal or commercial reproduction. Digital files can be delivered by email or CD, prices start from as little as £8 and there is further information on the prices and terms & conditions pages. You can also contact David Gray for quotations and availability for new photography commissions.