Skinningrove

Photographs made in Skinningrove, North Yorkshire, from 1982 to 1984

“The village of Skinningrove lies on the North East coast of England. Hidden in a steep valley it veers away from the main road and faces out onto the North Sea. Like a lot of tight-knit fishing communities it could be hostile to strangers, especially one with a camera. I last photographed Skinningrove in 1984 and didn’t return for twenty-six years. When I did, I was shocked by how it had changed, as only one boat was still fishing. For me Skinningrove’s sense of purpose was bound up in its collective obsession with the sea. Skinningrove fishermen believed that the sea in front of them was their private territory, theirs alone.”