Shortly after moving to Dorset with his family in 1993, Nicholas Hely Hutchinson walked to the ancient chapel of St Aldhelm’s overlooking the sea and was immediately captivated by the drama and beauty of the coast. Since then, he has explored the coastal path in every season, painting its towering chalk stacks, harbours, villages, tidal  pools and winding paths.

 

This Ancient Shore brings together, for the first time, Nicholas’ most celebrated paintings of the Dorset coastline. Travelling westwards from Studland to Lyme Regis, often accompanied by his dogs, he captures the changing moods of the landscape in all weathers: its cliffs and sea, farmland and forgotten lanes, distant fields and quiet coves. Accompanied by Nicholas’ own reflections on the places he has painted, this publication offers an intimate portrait of one of Britain’s most remarkable coastlines, and will delight residents and visitors alike.