The promenade at Cleveleys north of Blackpool was upgraded around 2010 with a modern concrete stepped design. As part of this refurbishment some statues were introduced, inspired by the child’s story The Sea Swallow by Gareth Thompson. There is an Ogre statue, a large Ogre’s paddle and most notably Mary’s Shell a 17 ton sculpture that sits on the beach and is periodically covered by the incoming tide. Taken together, the statues and promenade design provide many photo opportunities, particularly looking west at sunset.
Location and Parking
Post Code: FY5 1DW
There is a small Pay And Display car park right on the front Cove Cafe, and a larger car park at Jubilee Gardens across the road.
Cleveleys Promenade
The promenade at Cleveleys has numerous sweeps and bends that provide excellent leading lines and lots of composition arrangements. The following images were taken late on a Boxing Day afternoon, with a little editing to isolate the figures.
Promenade Assignation
Promenade Education
There are also a number of shelters on the promenade, which make good sculptural subjects for photographs.
Cleveleys Shelter
Mary’s Shell
Mary’s Shell is a large sculpture positioned in Cleveleys beach just a few feet from the promenade. At high tide it is mostly covered with water, and makes a good photographic subject, especially in long exposure shots that give a minimalist view the sculpture. Mary’s Shell was installed in 2013, weighs 16.5 Tonnes and is 8m long and 3m tall. There is plenty of room to explore inside, and it is worth taking a closer look as the inside is inscribed with extracts from the Sea Swallow.
Mary’s Shell
Mary’s Shell makes a good subject for Mono images. In this image a moderately long exposure has been used to give some blur to the sea. The cloud blur has been enhanced focus attention on the Shell.
Mary’s Shell Mono
As Cleveleys beach faces towards the west, Mary’s Shell is a good subject for sunsets. The first two images were taken in late May, and the final one in July. To get a long exposure shot at sunset, it is necessary to check the tide times. Mary’s Shell looks best a couple of hours before or after the high tide.
Mary’s Shell At Sunset
Mary’s Shell At Sunset
Mary’s Shell Sunset
The Ogre
Close by to Mary’s Shell sits the Ogre, which is another character from The Sea Swallow. He sits close to a breakwater and is a bit further out than Mary’s Shell, so he gets completely covered by water at high tide, which he doesn’t look too happy about.
The Cleveleys Ogre
The Drowning Ogre