Seaside Pleasures at Hunstanton

Artist Pippa Miller's family film of Hunstanton's South and North beaches, old lighthouse, and funfair, and Royal Sandringham Estate in 1972

Artist Pippa Miller's amateur film of Hunstanton in west Norfolk, which has all the modern seaside attractions; showing the South Beach with powerboat racing, pony rides, fairground rides, and promenade, and then the North Beach showing the distinctive three tiered cliff face. There are shots of Old Hunstanton’s Lighthouse, on St Edmonds Point, near the remains of St Edmonds Chapel. Next, the filmmaker heads south to Wolferton and the nearby Royal Sandringham Estate.

This family film was captured by celebrated Norwich artist Pippa Miller (1905-2006). Born in Oulton Broad to a boat-building family, Philippa Miller moved to her adopted city of Norwich to teach art and craft, from 1930, at what is now the Sewell Park Academy. Her love of both painting and of the Broadland remained a constant throughout her life, nurtured early in childhood when the Miller family would take to the water in a converted wherry, and Pippa would join her parents in painting the unfolding scenes. Two exhibitions of her paintings were held at Norwich Cathedral in 2005, her centenary year; “An Artist’s War” and “An Artist's Broadland”. Pippa Miller died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 101.