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Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather
Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

Some of them have record-breaking lidos and historical hotels to stay at too KENT WAIT Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE UK is set to welcome weather up to 26C this week - so there has never been a better time to visit the beach. One of the easiest beach spots to get to is the Kent coastline, with some being less than an hour from London. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Along with some more popular beaches, The Sun Travel team have rounded up some of their lesser-known favourites, where you are more likely to bump into a local than a tourist. Here are 10 of the best to choose from to make the most of the sun this weekend. Dungeness Beach, Romney Marsh Not your average parasol and sun lounger beach, Dungeness on the south Kent coast used to be known as Britain's only desert, thanks to its barren landscape. It's part nature reserve, part nuclear power station and part cod-fishing mecca, and also possibly the bleakest-looking stretch of coast in the whole of the UK. This is also its draw for many like me, who love how desolate it looks. The late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman felt the same way, and visitors still visit to see his quaint old seaside cottage and quirky garden. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire Stone Bay, Broadstairs While Broadstairs has seven sandy coves to explore, all linked by clifftop paths that offer spectacular views across the English Channel. But Stone Bay is a good alternative if you're looking to escape the crowds, with the traditional a British seaside resort alongside imposing Victorian buildings sitting alongside fisherman's cottages. With lots of family-friendly fun including arcades and rides, it's becoming a bit of a foodie mecca too. Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' Twenty Seven Harbour Street has stunning views and tasty treats cooked over fire. And must-visit is Morelli's - it's been serving up traditional gelato since 1932 with the fabulous Art Deco interior only beaten only just by the stunning sundaes. Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 Stone Bay in Broadstairs is slightly quieter but Credit: Alamy 9 Make sure to head back to Morelli's in town for ice cream Credit: Alamy Mermaid Beach, Folkestone Folkestone has it's all - a hidden sandy beach that comes with the tide and the main pebble beach lined with bars and restaurants. But the pretty Mermaid Beach- named from the rock shape formation looking like a tail - is where to go to avoid the crowds. You are more likely to be joined by local families with a BBQ than hoards of tourists, and it is right under the Leas Cliff Hall which has a new bar open this summer and live music. Mermaid Cafe has some great food and drink nearby too for when you need a snack, as well as the Lower Leas Coastal Park which is free to visit and undergoing renovation. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 You can tell why it is called Mermaid Beach Credit: Alamy Whitstable Beach, Whitstable Whitstable has long been the most fashionable of Kent's seaside towns, despite the surge in popularity of places like Margate and Folkestone with 'down from Londoners'. I love the town's beach, not for its soft yellow sand (it's instead full of grey pebbles) but for the awesome attractions, pubs and restaurants that line it. Sea Scrub sauna is a lovely experience, the Whitstable Oyster Company is a perfect place for lunch, The Forge oyster shack serves excellent no-frills seafood and The Old Neptune Pub is a great spot for a pint. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire 9 Whitstable is still a great destination despite it's popularity Credit: Alamy 9 The Old Neptune Pub is right on the beach Credit: Alamy Palm Bay, Margate One of Margate's big draws is the sandy Main Sands which you can see as soon as you leave the train station - but the nearby Palm Bay is my favourite. Having lived in Margate for a number of years, Palm Bay is where you will spot the locals. Tucked under the cliffs, it is much quieter than the main area and is round the corner from Walpole Bay lido - the largest of it's kind in Europe. Make sure to find the pop up sauna as well, and visit on the last Sunday of every month for Cliftonville Farmers' Market, with fresh food and drinks. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Palm Bay is quieter in Margate and near the famous lido Credit: Alamy Kingsgate Bay Beach, Broadstairs The walk from Margate to Broadstairs has some amazing hidden coves, one of which being Kingsgate Bay. With white cliffs on one side and Kingsgate Castle on another, you can even walk through the natural archway depending on the tide (reminiscent of Durdle Door). The sandy beach is often overlooked, as it is only accessed by a steep set of steps and there is very limited parking so it is mainly for walkers to visit. Make sure to grab a pint from the authentic Captain Digby pub above too. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Kingsgate Bay is hidden thanks to having steep steps and limited car parking Credit: Alamy Deal Beach, Deal While the broad sweep of pebbles on Deal's seafront may not be great for kiddie sandcastles, this is a very grown-up place for adult fun. With its upmarket bistros and historic buildings, it is picture postcard pretty and its high street behind has won awards for its range of independent shops. The Royal Hotel is the perfect place to admire the beach and sea views, you'll be in good company as Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were once frequent visitors. For somewhere great to stay, The Clarendon Hotel is an elegant 18th century building right on the seafront with great views across to Deal Pier where you can stroll by day to the restaurant at the end or watch anglers try their luck along its length. Trying to choose somewhere to eat? The Frog & Scot is a great small plates restaurant, while The Pelican is one for fish-lovers. Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 EWBEXG the beach at Deal in Kent, England Credit: Alamy Camber Sands Beach, Camber East Sussex lays claim to Camber Sands, but according to Wikipedia a small fraction of this seven-mile-long beach reaches over the Kent border. Which helpfully means we can use it as part of this round-up, as it is easily the best beach in the area. Backed by large sand dunes, Camber is so large that you can always find a spot - even on the hottest of summer days - if you are willing to walk. After an afternoon lazing in the sun, drive 10 minutes down the road to the medieval town of Rye for a pub dinner. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire

Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather
Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

THE UK is set to welcome weather up to 26C this week - so there has never been a better time to visit the beach. One of the easiest beach spots to get to is the Advertisement Along with some more popular beaches, The Sun Travel team have rounded up some of their lesser-known favourites, where you are more likely to bump into a local than a tourist. Here are 10 of the best to choose from to make the most of the sun this weekend. Dungeness Beach, Romney Marsh Not your average parasol and sun lounger beach, It's part nature reserve, part nuclear power station and part cod-fishing mecca, and also possibly the bleakest-looking stretch of coast in the whole of the UK. Advertisement Read more on beaches This is also its draw for many like me, who love how desolate it looks. The late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman felt the same way, and visitors still visit to see his quaint old seaside cottage and quirky garden. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire Stone Bay, Broadstairs While Broadstairs has seven sandy coves to explore, all linked by clifftop paths that offer spectacular views across the English Channel. Advertisement Most read in Beach holidays Exclusive But With lots of family-friendly fun including arcades and rides, it's becoming a bit of a foodie mecca too. Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' Twenty Seven Harbour Street has stunning views and tasty treats cooked over fire. And must-visit is Morelli's - it's been serving up traditional gelato since 1932 with the fabulous Art Deco interior only beaten only just by the stunning sundaes. Advertisement Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 Stone Bay in Broadstairs is slightly quieter but Credit: Alamy 9 Make sure to head back to Morelli's in town for ice cream Credit: Alamy Mermaid Beach, Folkestone Advertisement But the pretty Mermaid Beach- named from the rock shape formation looking like a tail - is where to go to avoid the crowds. You are more likely to be joined by local families with a BBQ than hoards of tourists, and it is right under the Leas Cliff Hall which has a new bar open this summer and live music. Mermaid Cafe has some great food and drink nearby too for when you need a snack, as well as the Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey Advertisement 9 You can tell why it is called Mermaid Beach Credit: Alamy Whitstable Beach, Whitstable Whitstable has long been the most fashionable of Kent's seaside towns, despite the surge in popularity of places like Margate and Folkestone with 'down from Londoners'. I love the town's beach, not for its soft yellow sand (it's instead full of grey pebbles) but for the awesome attractions, pubs and restaurants that line it. Sea Scrub sauna is a lovely experience, the Whitstable Oyster Company is a perfect place for lunch, The Forge oyster shack serves excellent no-frills seafood and The Old Neptune Pub is a great spot for a pint. Advertisement Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire 9 Whitstable is still a great destination despite it's popularity Credit: Alamy 9 The Old Neptune Pub is right on the beach Credit: Alamy Palm Bay, Margate One of Margate's big draws is the sandy Main Sands which you can see as soon as you leave the train station - but the nearby Advertisement Having Tucked under the cliffs, it is much quieter than the main area and is round the corner Make sure to find the pop up sauna as well, and visit on the last Sunday of every month for Cliftonville Farmers' Market, with fresh food and drinks. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey Advertisement 9 Palm Bay is quieter in Margate and near the famous lido Credit: Alamy Kingsgate Bay Beach, Broadstairs The walk from Margate to With white cliffs on one side and Kingsgate Castle on another, you can even walk through the natural archway depending on the tide (reminiscent of The sandy beach is often overlooked, as it is only accessed by a steep set of steps and there is very limited parking so it is mainly for walkers to visit. Advertisement Make sure to grab a pint from the authentic Captain Digby pub above too. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Kingsgate Bay is hidden thanks to having steep steps and limited car parking Credit: Alamy Deal Beach, Deal While the broad sweep of pebbles on Advertisement With its upmarket bistros and historic buildings, it is picture postcard pretty and its high street behind has won awards for its range of independent shops. The Royal Hotel is the perfect place to admire the beach and sea views, you'll be in good company as Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were once frequent visitors. For somewhere great to stay, The Clarendon Hotel is an elegant 18th century building right on the seafront with great views across to Deal Pier where you can stroll by day to the restaurant at the end or watch anglers try their luck along its length. Trying to Advertisement Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 EWBEXG the beach at Deal in Kent, England Credit: Alamy Camber Sands Beach, Camber East Sussex lays claim to Which helpfully means we can use it as part of this round-up, as it is easily the best beach in the area. Advertisement Backed by large sand dunes, Camber is so large that you can always find a spot - even on the hottest of summer days - if you are willing to walk. After an afternoon lazing in the sun, drive 10 minutes down the road to the medieval town of Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire 9 Camber is so large that you can always find a spot Credit: Alamy Advertisement

Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather
Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Our pick of Kent's best beaches from hidden bays to pubs on the sand ahead of the 26C weather

THE UK is set to welcome weather up to 26C this week - so there has never been a better time to visit the beach. One of the easiest beach spots to get to is the Kent coastline, with some being less than an hour from London. Along with some more popular beaches, The Sun Travel team have rounded up some of their lesser-known favourites, where you are more likely to bump into a local than a tourist. Here are 10 of the best to choose from to make the most of the sun this weekend. Dungeness Beach, Romney Marsh Not your average parasol and sun lounger beach, Dungeness on the south Kent coast used to be known as Britain's only desert, thanks to its barren landscape. It's part nature reserve, part nuclear power station and part cod-fishing mecca, and also possibly the bleakest-looking stretch of coast in the whole of the UK. This is also its draw for many like me, who love how desolate it looks. The late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman felt the same way, and visitors still visit to see his quaint old seaside cottage and quirky garden. Stone Bay, Broadstairs While Broadstairs has seven sandy coves to explore, all linked by clifftop paths that offer spectacular views across the English Channel. But Stone Bay is a good alternative if you're looking to escape the crowds, with the traditional a British seaside resort alongside imposing Victorian buildings sitting alongside fisherman's cottages. With lots of family-friendly fun including arcades and rides, it's becoming a bit of a foodie mecca too. Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' Twenty Seven Harbour Street has stunning views and tasty treats cooked over fire. And must-visit is Morelli's - it's been serving up traditional gelato since 1932 with the fabulous Art Deco interior only beaten only just by the stunning sundaes. Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 9 Mermaid Beach, Folkestone Folkestone has it's all - a hidden sandy beach that comes with the tide and the main pebble beach lined with bars and restaurants. But the pretty Mermaid Beach- named from the rock shape formation looking like a tail - is where to go to avoid the crowds. You are more likely to be joined by local families with a BBQ than hoards of tourists, and it is right under the Leas Cliff Hall which has a new bar open this summer and live music. Mermaid Cafe has some great food and drink nearby too for when you need a snack, as well as the Lower Leas Coastal Park which is free to visit and undergoing renovation. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Whitstable Beach, Whitstable Whitstable has long been the most fashionable of Kent's seaside towns, despite the surge in popularity of places like Margate and Folkestone with 'down from Londoners'. I love the town's beach, not for its soft yellow sand (it's instead full of grey pebbles) but for the awesome attractions, pubs and restaurants that line it. Sea Scrub sauna is a lovely experience, the Whitstable Oyster Company is a perfect place for lunch, The Forge oyster shack serves excellent no-frills seafood and The Old Neptune Pub is a great spot for a pint. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire 9 9 Palm Bay, Margate One of Margate's big draws is the sandy Main Sands which you can see as soon as you leave the train station - but the nearby Palm Bay is my favourite. Having lived in Margate for a number of years, Palm Bay is where you will spot the locals. Tucked under the cliffs, it is much quieter than the main area and is round the corner from Walpole Bay lido - the largest of it's kind in Europe. Make sure to find the pop up sauna as well, and visit on the last Sunday of every month for Cliftonville Farmers' Market, with fresh food and drinks. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Kingsgate Bay Beach, Broadstairs The walk from Margate to Broadstairs has some amazing hidden coves, one of which being Kingsgate Bay. With white cliffs on one side and Kingsgate Castle on another, you can even walk through the natural archway depending on the tide (reminiscent of Durdle Door). The sandy beach is often overlooked, as it is only accessed by a steep set of steps and there is very limited parking so it is mainly for walkers to visit. Make sure to grab a pint from the authentic Captain Digby pub above too. Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey 9 Deal Beach, Deal While the broad sweep of pebbles on Deal's seafront may not be great for kiddie sandcastles, this is a very grown-up place for adult fun. With its upmarket bistros and historic buildings, it is picture postcard pretty and its high street behind has won awards for its range of independent shops. The Royal Hotel is the perfect place to admire the beach and sea views, you'll be in good company as Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were once frequent visitors. For somewhere great to stay, The Clarendon Hotel is an elegant 18th century building right on the seafront with great views across to Deal Pier where you can stroll by day to the restaurant at the end or watch anglers try their luck along its length. Trying to choose somewhere to eat? The Frog & Scot is a great small plates restaurant, while The Pelican is one for fish-lovers. Head of Travel (Print) - Lisa Minot 9 Camber Sands Beach, Camber East Sussex lays claim to Camber Sands, but according to Wikipedia a small fraction of this seven-mile-long beach reaches over the Kent border. Which helpfully means we can use it as part of this round-up, as it is easily the best beach in the area. Backed by large sand dunes, Camber is so large that you can always find a spot - even on the hottest of summer days - if you are willing to walk. After an afternoon lazing in the sun, drive 10 minutes down the road to the medieval town of Rye for a pub dinner. Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire 9

A magical mystery tour of Liverpool, bug-eyed cuteness and the world of vineyards – the week in art
A magical mystery tour of Liverpool, bug-eyed cuteness and the world of vineyards – the week in art

The Guardian

time4 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Guardian

A magical mystery tour of Liverpool, bug-eyed cuteness and the world of vineyards – the week in art

Liverpool BiennialTurner winner Elizabeth Price and Turkey's Cevdet Erek are the stars of this mystery tour of Liverpool that's occasionally magical. Various venues, Liverpool, until 14 September Yoshitomo NaraYou like bug eyed paintings of cute yet uncanny characters? Look no further. Hayward Gallery, London, 10 June until 31 August Sea InsideAn investigation of our relationship with the undersea world, featuring Hiroshi Sugimoto, Marcus Coates and more. Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, until 26 October Liliane Lijn: Arise AliveThis pioneer of art made with light and motion shows her works from the 1950s to the present day. Tate St Ives, until 2 November Rudolf StingelAbstract paintings inspired by vineyards, leading you into worlds of matted, knotted green. Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, London, from 12 June until 20 September Derek Jarman sometimes cast spells over his doomy black paintings, into which he threw his rage at society's treatment of queer people. Alex Needham writes about the film-maker and artist's galvanising spirit ahead of a new exhibition of his work, and the publication of an unfinished screenplay. Edward Burra is British art's great unknown The V&A's five-star show Design and Disability is a boundary-breaking triumph Philip Hoare has detailed how William Blake became a queer icon Photographer Jungjin Lee's landscapes roar with the supremacy of nature Performance artist Allen-Golder Carpenter is spending three days in a jail cell Banksy's been up to his newest tricks in Marseille Our critic wasn't sure what Leonardo Drew's towers of broken urban debris amount to Trump wants to fire the first female director of the US National Portrait Gallery Heinz Berggruen collected treasures of modernism branded degenerate by the Nazis Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion As Altadena begins rebuilding after the LA fires, a new show centres its creative history The glorious legacy of Gwen John is finally outshining her flamboyant brother's The Serpentine's first movable pavilion resembles 'an expanding crepe-paper ornament' Derek Jarman's brooding 'black' paintings throw fresh light on his genius Hamad Butt died too soon to win recognition as the most dangerous YBA of all The Lincolnshire Ox by George Stubbs, 1790 A prodigiously huge ox is shown off by its owner in this typically surreal and haunting masterpiece by the Liverpool-born animal painter who captured the curiosity of his age. It was a real animal, and John Gibbons, the man in the painting, made money showing it off: at the time when Stubbs portrayed it, the Lincolnshire Ox was on display to paying crowds in London. Its growth was attributed to being fed purely on grass, proof of scientific improvements in 18th-century British agriculture. Stubbs, who anatomised horses, shares this scientific interest. He exhibits the ox as a dreamlike wonder, using its owner as scale and admiring its profound placidity as it munches grass. The other animal, much more alert and assertive, is thought to be Gibbons's fighting cock. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool If you don't already receive our regular roundup of art and design news via email, please sign up here. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@

‘Sometimes he cast spells over them': the raging beauty of Derek Jarman's black paintings
‘Sometimes he cast spells over them': the raging beauty of Derek Jarman's black paintings

The Guardian

time03-06-2025

  • Health
  • The Guardian

‘Sometimes he cast spells over them': the raging beauty of Derek Jarman's black paintings

In recent years, the late artist and film-maker Derek Jarman has been celebrated for his house, Prospect Cottage in Kent, which was saved for the nation in 2020. Visitors flock to its extraordinary garden, in the shadow of Dungeness nuclear power station, in search of solace and relaxation. Yet focusing on this artistic haven threatens to overshadow Jarman's actual work, which was far from tranquil and domestic, and often angry, dark and disturbing. Two examples of this more challenging side of Jarman's output are about to resurface. The first is the publication of a treatment for an unfinished film called The Assassination of Pier Paolo Pasolini in the Garden of Earthly Delights, which Jarman wrote in 1984 as he was struggling to get his film Caravaggio made. Like Jarman, Pasolini was a queer film-maker (and writer) whose work often expressed a cri de coeur against political and sexual repression. 'I think Derek related to Pasolini because he carved his own path and made films in a very singular, distinctive way,' says Tony Peake, Jarman's biographer. 'He was also someone who stuck his neck out.' Pasolini was murdered aged 53 in November 1975, three weeks before the release of his final film Salò, an indictment of fascism and a gruelling depiction of its sadism. A 17-year-old rent boy called Giuseppe Pelosi confessed to killing Pasolini after the director picked him up, and it's this interpretation that Jarman riffs on in his film treatment, a vision of decadence and gay desire leading to doom, inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's painting, which Jarman saw in the Prado in Madrid. Yet since Jarman's death at 52 in 1994, new evidence has come to light suggesting that Pasolini, an outspoken Marxist who often wrote newspaper articles excoriating the Italian government, was killed by a far-right terrorist group working with the tacit approval of the secret services, a possibility Olivia Laing imagines in their compelling forthcoming novel, The Silver Book. Pelosi retracted his confession in 2005 and it's hard to believe that a single teenager could be responsible for the violence that Pasolini suffered in his final moments. He was run over several times by his car and his testicles were crushed, probably with an iron bar. Though Jarman wasn't aware of these horrors, there were plenty of others that oppressed him. On 22 December 1986, he was told that he had contracted HIV, a diagnosis that then meant certain death, and a stigma which Jarman defied by being open about his condition – kicking off the activism that coloured the final years of his life. The following year, the British government's campaign of leaflets and TV ads to warn the public about the danger of Aids brought forth a savage backlash against gay people, cruelly whipped up by the tabloid press. In response, Margaret Thatcher's government brought in Section 28, which banned local authorities from 'promoting' homosexuality and seemed to have work like Jarman's, with its unequivocally queer perspective, in its sights. 'All those things together felt particularly difficult and hostile,' Peake says. 'And he felt that very, very strongly.' Jarman's fear and fury came out in his 1987 film The Last of England, which depicts the nation as a crumbling, authoritarian dystopia, culminating in a scene in which a screaming Tilda Swinton, playing a bride whose husband has been killed, tears off her wedding dress. He also started to make a series of 'black paintings', which are going on show in chronological order at Amanda Wilkinson's gallery in London this week. Wilkinson says that Jarman's companion Keith Collins told her Jarman insisted on total privacy when making the paintings, 'and sometimes he used to cast spells over them. I don't know whether that's true or not.' Thick black oil paint is smeared on to the canvases, into which Jarman has embedded objects ranging from sticks, a pebble and a circular blade in Dead Souls Whisper, to toy cars, barbed wire and broken crockery in Home Counties. Some paintings include text that draws on the formidably well-read director's fascination with psychoanalysis, Shakespeare and alchemy; another, called Strange Meeting includes two wedding rings and a protractor, and alludes to the Wilfred Owen poem in which he descends to hell and meets the German soldier he killed in the first world war. Then, in a second tranche of black paintings, there's Dear God, whose chalked text, laid besides nails and a pressed flower, implores the deity to 'send me to hell. Yours sincerely, Derek Jarman.' The paintings' darkness speaks to a current moment in which LGBTQ+ rights are once again being assaulted around the world, as fair-weather corporate 'friends' take down their rainbow flags for fear of getting on the wrong side of Donald Trump and other authoritarians. It's also apt that the black paintings are being exhibited at the same time as the UK Aids Memorial Quilt being displayed in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, each homemade panel commemorating a beloved friend, partner or family member whose life was prematurely claimed by the disease in the 80s and 90s. Yet for the modern viewer, there's also something galvanising about Jarman's resourcefulness as well as his rage, his protean creativity, and his determination to live his life and make his work regardless of the forces of repression ranged against it. 'He kept flying through the flak,' Peake says. 'He kept going forward and he was extremely unapologetic about who he was and what he liked to do. Shadowing his work is a great deal of distress and trauma, but you were very seldom aware of it in his company because he was immensely warm, positive and joyful.' Despite his work being unashamedly left-field, Jarman was also a prominent public figure in his later years, in a way that has few – if any – parallels now. I remember him being interviewed on Nicky Campbell's late night show on BBC Radio 1 in the early 90s when I was a teenager, around the time he published his journals, Modern Nature, which had caused tabloid outrage due to sections in which he described cruising on Hampstead Heath (Sun journalists expected gay men with Aids to become celibate). Jarman chose the Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want for the DJ to play, but stressed that the title didn't express what he felt about his life. 'I did get what I wanted,' he said. 'Or most of it, anyway.' The Assassination of Pier Paolo Pasolini in the Garden of Earthly Delights is published by Pilot Press on 7 June, £12. The Black Paintings: A Chronology Part 1 are at Amanda Wilkinson, London, 6 June to 11 July. The UK Aids Memorial Quilt is at Tate Modern, London, from 12 to 16 June.

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