England’s south coast is full of queer history and lively events, as Markus Bidaux discovers when he ventures to Dungeness, Hastings and Eastbourne

Markus Bidaux

HIGH LIGHT: The Belle Tout Lighthouse below the cliffs at Beachy Head

Photography Markus Bidaux

When we picture a gay British seaside destination, our minds automatically dart to Brighton, or maybe Bournemouth, but our south coast has plenty of other rainbow treasures, as I discovered.

The first stop for my boyfriend, our dog Freddie and I is one of the country’s most unique landscapes. It is a little unsettling, having driven through the vibrant, green, rolling hills of Kent to then arrive in Dungeness. Flat and sparse — save for a few wild flowers, including the indigenous yellow-horned poppy — it is home to the UK’s only desert and has one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe. It certainly seems to go on forever. There are shored-up boats decaying in the sun, and to add to the eerie, post-apocalyptic aura, in the distance, a huge nuclear power station looms large.

The handful of houses along Dungeness’s only road range from old converted railway carriages to fisherman’s cottages to a few newer builds that look more like bunkers than homes.

Although at first glance Dungeness might not seem to have much to offer visitors, a modest fisherman’s hut has always been a draw. Prospect Cottage once belonged to celebrated artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman, who made it his home after being enchanted by Dungeness.

Jarman died of an Aids-related illness in 1994 and bequeathed the cottage to his close companion Keith Collins. But after Collins’ death in 2018, there were fears that this hub of creativity and setting for Jarman’s 1990 film The Garden, starring Tilda Swinton, could be lost for good. Now, thanks to the Art Fund raising £3.5m in donations, it has been saved for the nation so that more people can be introduced to Jarman’s work.