In the News
Byford in the Press - A collection of news articles highlighting the work, exhibitions, and campaigns of photographer and artist John Byford, from Skegness.
1. Coronavirus: Photographs Capture 100 Days of Skegness in Lockdown.
Date: 2020 (BBC) > MORE
As England marked 100 days of lockdown, photographer John Byford shared a visual record of how the pandemic transformed one of the UK’s most beloved seaside towns.
Skegness, usually bustling with thousands of visitors each week, became a near-silent ghost town. Shops, car parks, toilets, and attractions were closed. Even the traditional kiss-me-quick hats were nowhere to be seen.
Byford documented the early days of lockdown during his daily exercise, capturing the deserted seafront, and later returned as restrictions eased to record the town slowly reawakening.
He said the town had been “eerily quiet” at the start, but that the gradual return of visitors brought some relief. He noted that the enforced pause had unexpected benefits, including reduced litter, less traffic, and a renewed opportunity to appreciate the natural surroundings.
“Sadly, normality soon returns,” he said.
2. Time to Act Result! Campaigners Overjoyed as Clock Tower Signage Plan Is Withdrawn.
Date: 22 April 2020 — By Chrissie Redford. > MORE
Campaigners celebrated after a plan to install advertising signage around Skegness’s historic Clock Tower was withdrawn.
Former town councillor John Byford launched a campaign in the Skegness Standard after spotting the proposal on the East Lindsey District Council website with fewer than 24 hours to submit objections. Public outrage followed, and the story was covered by Look North television news. Over 40 formal objections were lodged.
Byford said: “It’s fantastic news for Skegness. I’m glad the powers that be have seen sense and listened. Hopefully, the Clock Tower will remain for another 130 years without advertising so future generations can enjoy our beautiful clock without interruption.”
The Clock Tower, built in 1899 by Edmund Winter to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, became even more significant after the pier was lost to the sea in 1984. The withdrawn plan had proposed installing four hoarding signs around the monument.
3. Under the Sign of Mars – The War Year 1918.
Date: 12 November 2018
To accompany the First World War exhibition, Claus Schrader delivered his final lecture in the City Museum’s Biedermeierzimmer, with free admission. The lecture reflected on the final year of the war and its impact both at the front and at home.
Schrader highlighted the personal tragedies faced by soldiers, young recruits, and civilians, focusing on the human experience rather than the familiar chronology of battles. Photographs of soldiers in trenches, injured troops, and civilians shocked the audience, bringing the horrors of war into sharp focus.
He also explored early aerial warfare and displayed images of future prominent figures, including Adolf Hitler as a soldier and Hermann Göring as a fighter pilot, linking World War I to the global conflict that followed.
Byford contributed to the memorialisation of the war through his artwork: the British telephone box on the Stiftsfreiheit in Bad Gandersheim bears the names of those lost in WWI from both Bad Gandersheim and Skegness. City leaders and citizens gathered there to commemorate the fallen.
4. Harzhorn Roman Coin – English Artist Gifts Harzhorn a Roman Coin.
Date: 2018 (HNA) > MORE
John Byford, councillor from Skegness, donated a Roman coin to Harzhorn during Open Monument Day in Bad Gandersheim. Remarkably, Byford discovered the 1,700-year-old coin himself near Skegness.
He said: “I feel connected to the past in a very real way when I hold this coin. I would be delighted if visitors to the Harzhorn could feel that same connection.”
The coin, minted in AD 226 during the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander, corresponds to the Battle of the Harzhorn, believed to have occurred around AD 230. Byford also presented the official export licence for the coin. Mayor Franziska Schwarz described the gift as a symbol of “the European idea.”
Byford’s passion for treasure hunting began in 1980 with a Christmas gift of a metal detector. His most significant find to date, a Late Iron Age chariot wheel axle linch-pin, is displayed at the Verulamium Museum near London.
5. SO Festival Sperm Whale Photo Withdrawn Over ‘Sexual’ Title.
Date: 2 July 2013 (BBC) > MORE
Photographs by John Byford were withdrawn from the SO Festival in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, after organisers objected to a sperm whale image with a “sexual” title.
Festival director Robin Morley said: “The combination of the image and its title could be interpreted in several ways, some with strong sexual connotations, which would not be appropriate for a family audience. This is not about censorship; it’s about displaying artwork appropriate for viewers.”
Byford explained that the work was inspired by playful, risqué seaside postcards.
“When I create work like this, it provokes a reaction — usually a smile or a laugh. That’s life, and that’s what I do: capture life. The image and title together make the art.”
The whale photograph had previously been viewed by around 8,000 people in Skegness without complaint.
6. Cleethorpes Festival Photography Ban Sparks Controversy.
Date: 2 June 2005 (Jim Wright, Press Gazette) > MORE
John Byford faced restrictions while taking stock photographs at a two-day kite festival on Cleethorpes beach. Organisers prohibited photography due to concerns over including children in the images.
Byford, a father-of-three and Skegness councillor, said: “I was surprised and somewhat upset — I thought the restriction was unduly harsh. I wouldn’t have photographed children without parental permission. Treating every photographer as a potential paedophile seems a sad reflection on modern society.”
A council spokesperson said: “We regret any inconvenience caused to bona fide photographers, but the safety and welfare of visitors must be our first priority.”
7. A Visual Love Letter to Skegness. BAFTA winner Shane Meadows Meets John Byford on Skegness Beach.
Date: 25th May 2025 (BBC) - MORE
Acclaimed filmmaker Shane Meadows (This Is England, The Gallows Pole) has described his upcoming road-trip feature 'Chork' as a “visual love letter” to Skegness — and a chance encounter with local artist John Byford made its way into the story of the shoot.
While filming donkey rides on the beach and scenes around the pier, Meadows stopped to chat with Byford, recalling childhood holidays in Ingoldmells and his long-held affection for the area.
“It would be my proudest moment if the premiere could take place in Skegness,” Meadows said, calling it an honour to film in the resort he grew up loving.
Byford described the spontaneous meeting as “an absolutely brilliant experience,” and said he couldn’t wait to see the finished film.
8. A Decade of Friendship: Telephone Box turns Ten.
A much-loved landmark in Skegness’ German twin town, Bad Gandersheim, has reached a milestone: ten years since artist John Byford installed a classic British telephone box in the city centre as a symbol of friendship.
The anniversary celebration brought together local leaders, twin-town groups, and guests for a morning of speeches, memories, and cultural exchange.
Mayor Niklas Kielhorn praised the installation as “a symbol of our vibrant town partnership,” while renowned journalist Margarete von Schwarzkopf introduced guests to Alfred Lord Tennyson — the English poet whose words now appear on both the telephone box and the newly added Skegness Bench opposite.
Over the decade, Byford has redesigned the box five times, turning it into a shifting, living artwork that celebrates creativity, humour, and shared heritage. The “Two Voices” project remains a colourful beacon of cross-cultural friendship.
9. Shock and Sadness After Ship Collision Debris Washes Up on Skegness Beach.
Date: 19th March 2025 (BBC) > MORE
In the aftermath of a collision between two vessels in the North Sea, large amounts of debris washed up on Skegness beach, leaving residents shocked and emotional.
Photographer John Byford, who discovered the wreckage along stretches of the shoreline and near Gibraltar Point, said:
“This beach is my home. I often complain about litter, but this is much more serious.”
He emphasised the environmental impact but also the community spirit that follows such events, adding:
“We can all work together to clean up the beach.”
10. Skegness to Denmark: A Tale of Two Eras Through the Lens of Alec Manning and John Byford.
Date: 28th July 2018 (BBC) > MORE
A remarkable collection of 1950s Skegness photographs — discovered by artist John Byford in a junk shop in 1999 — is now being celebrated at a major arts festival in Helsingør, Denmark.
The images, taken by local photographer Alec Manning, were rescued by Byford along with hundreds of negatives and pieces of equipment after Manning’s death. Since then, Byford has catalogued more than 1,000 negatives and showcased the collection internationally.
Displayed alongside Byford’s own contemporary photographs of Skegness, the exhibition offers a powerful contrast between past and present.
“Mr Manning’s pictures are a wonderful illustration of life in Skegness in the 1950s,” Byford said. “I’m sure he’d be proud to see how many people are viewing them.”
The exhibition, part of the Passage Festival, also serves as cultural outreach.
“I’m here flying the flag for Skegness,” Byford added. “If this helps bring more people to our town, then that’s fantastic.”