Amber and Abstract coastal forms

England’s coastline is shaped by the tides. Twice each day, the sea advances and retreats, exposing landscapes that can feel entirely different from one hour to the next. Along t

he Thames Estuary, this tidal movement is particularly dramatic, with the water receding far across mudflats and sandy foreshore before returning once again.

For over a century, coastal towns such as Southend-on-Sea and the Thanet resorts developed ways to adapt to this rhythm. As holidaymakers flocked to the seaside, marine pools were constructed along the shoreline to retain seawater during low tide. Hidden beneath the sea at high water, these concrete structures slowly emerge as the tide retreats, holding pools of water long after the beach has been exposed.

While these pools were built for a practical purpose, what interests me most is their visual presence within the landscape. Exposed at low tide, they become geometric forms set against an ever-changing natural environment. Their rigid edges and reflective surfaces contrast with the organic textures of mud, sand, and sky, creating scenes that feel surprisingly abstract. They often remind me of a Paul Nash painting, where simple shapes and muted colours transform an ordinary location into something contemplative and unexpected.

This trip, based in Southend-on-Sea, started at 3.30am. Dawn was only just beginning arrive over the horizon, casting an incredible amber light across the estuary. There was no one else around. Boats rested quietly on the exposed foreshore, or sailed into the morning light from the docks, and the sea had retreated into the distance. Emerging from the landscape were the marine pools themselves—perfectly rectilinear forms filled with still water, each acting as a mirror reflecting the early morning sky.

In that moment, the pools seemed suspended between land and sea, function and abstraction. Created to solve a practical problem, they have become something else entirely: quiet architectural interventions that reveal themselves only for a few hours each day, before the tide returns and the cycle begins again.