British surfing history on tour - 2010
Exhibition - 'An art history of British surfing'
It's time to pack your surfboard and get on the road
with the Museum of British Surfing!
From June 12th to September 19th, 2010 this exhibition of British
surfing history will be at:
Woodhorn, Queen Elizabeth II Country
Park, Ashington, Northumberland NE63 9YF.
Click here for information about this stunning venue on the east coast of England.
Art and surfing have been inextricably linked for hundreds of
years, and our latest exhibition looks at how these elements
combined to glide into British consciousness over the past few
centuries.
From early sketches of surfers during the voyages of Captain
James Cook in the 18th century and iconic hand sculpted wooden
surfboards, to the flower power of the 1960s and garish fluorescent
colours of the 1980s – paintings, posters, photography
and film – ‘an art history of British surfing’
is a visual feast.
The act of riding a wave itself is perhaps the purest form of
surfing art; the surfer propelled by a pulse of energy from
Mother Nature, painting lines on the ever-changing canvas of
the wave.
This exciting show has been put together by Devon-based Charity,
the Museum of British Surfing.
“Surfing is part of everyday culture in the UK today,
its imagery is the marketing person’s dream come true,“
said surf museum founder, Peter Robinson. “It is something
that has always captured the public’s imagination, probably
because of its innovation, free flowing form and laid back lifestyle.”
Among the artefacts on display will be original British surfboards
dating back almost a century featuring both art and sculptural
form.
It will be complemented by an eclectic mix of memorabilia showing
amazing artwork from the creative minds of surfers and those
drawn to this ancient pastime.
Also on show will be stunning replica of the board that would
have been ridden by Hawaiian-Scottish Princess Victoria Ka'iulani
in the late 1800s - it was hand sculpted by the Tom Pohaku Stone,
a lecturer in Hawaiian culture and surfer of legendary status,
plus you'll be able to see the eco surfboard featuring a design
by respected British artist Conrad Shawcross that was bought
with donations from museum supporters through the Surfers Against
Sewage 'drawing boards' campaign.
Eco surfboard donors list
Jem Oxenden and family - Jersey
Dave Gale - Dorset
Bianca Robinson - Brighton
Peter Robinson - Brighton
Sam Kiddy - South Devon
Darren Warburton - Thailand
Andrew Coleman - Brighton
Hugo Tagholm - Dorset
Henry Marfleet - Kent
Scarborough Malibu Club -
www.s-m-s-c.org.uk
Tiki Surf Company - Braunton, Devon -
www.tikisurf.co.uk
Doctors Jamie & Tabitha Morrison - Brighton
Sally Parkin - The Original Surfboard Company, Devon -
www.originalsurfboards.co.uk
Anneke Prins - South AfricaBob & Eileen Groves - Hampshire
Chas Walker - Brighton
Rowena Wilson - Brighton Surf museum latest news 2009 - 2010
What a year 2009 was for all of us involved in the Museum
of British Surfing!
We have become a Registered Charity; been awarded a £28,000
grant by the Leader
4 programme to help towards our development work; received
a second grant of £5,000 from the North
Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty sustainable
development fund to help pay for our Economic Feasibility
Study; have started our own fundraising campaign; and found
two sites with great potential for the museum to be based.
The surfing community and other businesses have pitched in
with donations of work worth tens of thousands - thank you
so much - we are truly stoked by your support, and together
we are creating something really special.
We think it's going to cost anything from £1 million
to £2 million to create our new carbon neutral 'eco-pod'
for the Museum of British Surfing - the costs depend on where
we finally end up and we have a long way to go with fundraising
and grant applications - if you can help please email
us.
So what are the options?
We already have planning permission on the former Saltrock
unit in Braunton (below), but it needs demolishing and re-building
- talks are continuing.
Braunton is a surfing hub for North Devon and not far off
the Atlantic Highway that runs down the coast to Cornwall.
The nearest surfing beach is Saunton, and we have now been
offered the possibility of a plot of land to build on next
to the beach car park (below) by the landowners the Christies
Estate. We're in the early stages of talking to the local
planners, architects and everyone else who might be affected
by this. If we go for this location it will be a long process,
but what we would aim to create is a wonderful sustainable
building using techniques like a 'living roof' so it blends
into the landscape.
We have made a lot of progress in 2009 - and thanks goes to
everyone who has made donations of cash, old British surfing
equipment for our collection and their work, help and services.
There is a huge amount to be done in 2010 and beyond, but
while we may not have the full museum open yet we are looking
for a temporary venue in North Devon to house an exhibition
to show you how the project is progressing - and of course
some of our amazing collection. Hopefully we'll have more
news on this soon.
The Museum of British Surfing intends to get out and about
as much as possible while the work on creating our new permanent
home continues - so if you'd like to see us please get
in touch.
Museum of British Surfing becomes a Registered Charity
The Charity Commission has approved the Museum of British
Surfing's application to become a Registered Charity (No.
1131433).
"This is wonderful news and a massive boost for the museum
project, it is recognition of Britain's surfing heritage and
our status as the national body to preserve and celebrate
this amazing history on behalf of the British public,"
said founder Peter Robinson, a former ITV News reporter. "It
is also formal backing for the work we are planning to do
on education, the environment and health through surfing."
The charity application was made possible thanks to the donation
of legal fees by Thea Longley of the law firm Bates, Wells
and Braithwaite in London. Thea is a bodyboarder and proud
VW camper owner who regularly holidays in North Devon.
Plans to open the surf museum in a new purpose built home
in Devon are still on track for next summer, and North Devon
Plus are helping to get the core funding in place.
The Museum of British Surfing has won support from all over
the world, including the Surfing Heritage Foundation in California
and the Surf World Museum at Victoria, Australia.
Alex Dick-Read the editor of the British-published international
surfing magazine The Surfer's Path said, "Britain needs
a centre for the collection, care, maintenance and dissemination
of our rich history and the Museum of British Surfing has
been the answer to our prayers. The founders have shown exemplary
understanding of archiving, collecting and storing the DNA
of UK surfing, but have also successfully enabled this to
be spread to people across the country via education and exhibitions
in which the surfing and non-surfing public can learn from
this store of collective knowledge."
Partnerships are being established with the British Surfing
Association, the University of Plymouth surf science degree
and the environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage,
along with local organisations such as North Devon's unique
Biosphere Reserve and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The first Britons to have a go on a surfboard were members
of Captain James Cook's crew in 1779. The earliest references
to surfing in Britain date back to the mid 1800s and film
exists in the museum's archive of a group of surfers taking
to the waves in Cornwall on a homemade wooden longboard in
1929.
The Charity's trustees are - Richard Gregory (chairman), Chris
Hines MBE, Andrew Coleman, Steve Frost, Jerry Powell and Hugo
Tagholm. The founder and project manager is Peter Robinson.
Photo shows surfer Hobart Braddick (left) on a North Devon
beach in the early 1900s.
Our history
The museum project was started in Brighton in 2003 and is
now based at Braunton in North Devon where we are working
towards creating the first museum in Europe dedicated to surfing.
As a Registered Charity any money that comes into the museum
is spent on the museum, its collection and our educational
programmes - if you're a UK tax payer your donation will be
subject to Gift Aid so we'll get an extra 25 per cent from
the Government.
Donations and loans of old surfing equipment are very welcome,
and will be subject to written agreement so you know what's
going to happen with them.
Our work isn't just about the past - we're looking at what's
going on now in surfing and the ocean environment, and what
will happen in the future, working closely with Surfers Against
Sewage, environmental organisations in North Devon, the Eden
Project and other groups to help educate everyone to protect
our seas and beaches and try to live in a sustainable way.
We're creating a living museum that will be a vibrant social
meeting place, educational, interactive and environmentally
aware.
The Museum of British Surfing draws upon the most extensive
and historically significant collection of surfboards, literature
and memorabilia in Europe.
Most importantly it's a museum being built by you, the British
surfer.
We've had around 200,000 visitors to our exhibitions around
the UK since the beginning of 2004 - we have been in Brighton,
Cornwall's fantastic Eden Project, the Captain Cook Birthplace
Museum in England's north-east, Aberdeen Maritime Museum in
Scotland, Havant Museum, Red House Museum Chichester, the
National Fishing Heritage Centre Grimsby, Covent Garden in
the heart of London, the International Surfing Centre in Newquay,
the wonderful Old Sunday School in St Ives, and Caithness
Horizons in Thurso, Scotland.
Photo below - a small part of our wooden surfboard collection
taken by our friend and talented snapper
John Isaac
Mission statement
The Museum of British Surfing has been established to preserve
and celebrate Britain's rich surf heritage that dates
back almost 250 years. The Museum hopes to inspire, educate
and encourage debate about our surfing culture and our second
home - the sea. Our unique and extensive collection
is a visual treat; an inspiring learning resource that is
a vibrant visitor attraction appealing to all.
Copyright © 2003-10 The Surfing Museum Ltd. All
rights reserved.
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