Amazing photographs chronicle Brighton across 20 years

Cream pie fights, tugs of war, Morris dancing, snowy streets and volleyball on the beach – Nigel Swallow’s new book chronicles many moments from Brighton’s history across two decades.

A man snowboards the steps down to the seafront in February 2009. Brighton hadn’t seen snow for almost 30 years. (Image: Nigel Swallow) Nigel Swallow was born in Brighton and returned to the city aged 30 after some time away. He said: “I grew up in the 1980s which was quite a greedy era. When I came back, I wanted to do something which emphasised community.”

Back in 1999, Nigel produced a calendar featuring his snaps taken around the city. 16,000 copies were sold, and its success was used to fund the North Laine Photography Gallery.

A boy on rollerblades with grandmother at the beach huts (Image: Nigel Swallow) Nigel closed the gallery in 2011 and passed on the running of the calendar to ArtHoc in 2015.

Back in May this year Nigel held an exhibition at Ewan Clayton’s calligraphy studio on Sillwood Road, showcasing 400 photographs taken over a 20-year period between 1998 and 2019.

Brighton looking like something out of a fairy tale (Image: Nigel Swallow) He asked visitors whether he should make a book and invited them to vote for the 200 snaps to make the cut. The result “The Joy of Being Brighton” was published on October 26.

He said: “The book celebrates Brighton’s diversity and community principally through joy. I have always felt that you connect to the wider world through joy, compassion and kindness. When you smile at someone else’s joy, you’re opening yourself to the world.

“Compassion, joy and peace – that’s my raison d’être.”

A 2001 black and white shot of people in the tunnel which runs under West Street to the seafront (Image: Nigel Swallow) Nigel, who is completely self-taught, learned his craft using film – “it’s where I’m most happy” – and took all his photos on film until 2009 when his camera was stolen and his insurance company gave him a digital replacement.

Five years ago, he stopped taking photographs and has since turned his attention towards calligraphy and writing. He said: “I was always into community celebration – photography was a tool to open that up.”