In 1897 Alfred Sisley spent a summer in Penarth, painting the cliffs, the Bristol Channel and the ships in the Roads — the only Welsh paintings by a leading Impressionist. Where he lived, what he wrote in his letters, his Cardiff wedding, and how to walk his views today.
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A Penarth to Lavernock walk along the Wales Coast Path: the Penarth Clifftop Walk, sea views towards Flat Holm and Steep Holm, Jurassic cliffs and a Welsh dinosaur, Lavernock Battery, a tiny church, and the spot where Marconi's first radio message crossed open water in 1897.
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For a long time, my flat in Penarth had a few windows facing east, towards the channel. I could see a slice of esplanade, a black line of railings, and the long grey shape of Penarth Pier walking out into the Bristol Channel. I painted that view a lot for 3 years. Mostly sitting inside and looking out. Sometimes from the beach, looking up at the pier. Once even from Alexandra Park, but I couldn’t see the pier itself from there, only a small piece of sea.
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