Today, I’m joined by the art critic and author, Laura Cumming, to discuss Laura’s brilliant book, On Chapel Sands,* which is a fascinating investigation into family history and family secrets.

Press the play button below to listen to our conversation:

In her book, Laura recounts her mother’s kidnapping one autumn afternoon in 1929 from a beach near Chapel St Leonards in Lincolnshire. Laura’s mother, Betty (as she was called as a child), was missing for five days before being found, but she lost all memory of the incident and only found out about the kidnapping when she was in her sixties. 

Laura, intrigued by this mystery, as well as other curious circumstances surrounding her mother’s childhood, began looking for clues in old family photographs. On Chapel Sands is an account of Laura’s investigations and her remarkable revelations.

The book is a beautiful portrait of a particular time, family and place, and it’s also a moving tribute to Laura’s mother. The story is told through Laura’s poetic prose, as well as through photographs and artworks of particular significance, and it’s Laura’s discerning eye and microscopic analysis of images that bring so many surprising truths to light.

On Chapel Sands is a marvellous read for anyone interested in family history, and I had a wonderful time chatting to Laura about how she came to write this account of her mother’s early life.

Links mentioned in our conversation:

• On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming (ebook and audiobook versions).

• The Vanishing Man by Laura Cumming.

• The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd.

• The Wire.

• Laura Cumming in The Observer.

• Find Laura Cumming on Twitter.

*Please note: affiliate links are used for Blackwells. If you order a book from Blackwells using one of my affiliate links, I may make a small commission from your purchase, at no additional cost to yourself. I like to support Blackwells by linking to their website, as I’m a big fan of their flagship Oxford bookshop, and they offer reasonable overseas shipping. You in turn support my work by shopping through my affiliate link. Thank you!