John Worrall

Suffolk has a special beauty. The coast of England’s easternmost county embraces the towns of Lowestoft, Southwold, Aldeburgh and Felixstowe, and remote places such as Benacre and Shingle Street. Several rivers thread through its landscape, heading for the North Sea, including the Stour, Deben and Alde, while the port of Ipswich on the River Orwell is the county town. Historic Bury St Edmunds is the centre for West Suffolk, and Newmarket on the western edge is famed for its horse racing. There is medieval wool wealth on display in several villages, most notably in Lavenham, while the gentle rusticity of the county’s undulating interior – its fields, woods and heaths – through the seasons delights the eye. Photographer John Worrall has captured Suffolk’s essence in this collection of stunning images, portraying the county at its best. For those who are proud to live in Suffolk and for those visiting, this book is a must. Look through these photographs and you will quickly see why this corner of England has such enduring appeal.

Coastal fishing is a way of life within an industry that has provided a living for communities up and down England’s east coast for generations. Today the inshore fishery is under pressure as never before and the number of people working in it has dwindled, but these coastal waters around our country have been fished for various fish and shellfish for millennia. The work is often difficult and dangerous, and the hours are unsocial, but many traditions continue alongside modern methods and technology. This is a visual portrait of those people who are still trying to maintain this remarkable way of life and an important part of our food chain, as well as our national heritage. Look through these photographs and you will quickly see the unique challenges of making a living by coastal fishing today in the stunning but at times harsh environment of the coastal waters of the east of England on the edge of the North Sea, from the north-eastern ports, along the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coast, to the Wash, East Anglia and the Thames Estuary.