ProfFred Gray
Emeritus Professor (Centre for Community Engagement)
University of Sussex Business School
- Emeritus Professor (Centre for Community Engagement)University of Sussex Business School
RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP SUMMARy
Since the 1990s Fred's primary research and publication focus has been on the architectural history and social and cultural geography of seaside resorts in Britain and other Western countries.
He was the curator of an exhibition, Resorts of Delight: A Celebration of England's Seaside Architecture, funded by the Arts Council of England, the English Tourist Board and American Express. The exhibition, which received considerable national and regional media coverage, toured nationally between 1993 and 1996 at venues ranging from Brighton to Scarborough and from the RIBA in London to Southport and Plymouth.
As the Brighton West Pier Trust’s honorary historian and archivist he is the author of the definitive history of the pier to 1997 Walking on Water: The West Pier Story. In 2016 he wrote the official guide to Brighton’s new seafront observation tower, the British Airways i360.
Fred is the author of Designing the Seaside. Architecture, Society and Nature, a cultural geography and history of seaside architecture. Published by Reaktion Books in July 2006, the book was shortlisted for the 2007 Sir Banister Fletcher Award and (both in 2009) issued in paperback and published in Russian.
The book received much media and academic acclaim. The Guardian thought Designing the Seaside was ‘a fine celebration of a very English invention’ while Coast believed it to be ‘a perfect blend of the scholarly and the entertaining’. The Metro London review described the book as an ‘illuminating study’ while for the London Evening Standard it ‘manages to be both scholarly and colourful and offers a timely history of seaside art and architecture’. The Brighton Evening Argus saw it as ‘an entertaining, thought-provoking book . . . gloriously illustrated. . . a pleasure both to read and to handle.’
The reviewer for the Journal of Design History argued the book was ‘fascinating, well written and lavishly illustrated … a most thought-provoking, informative and enjoyable read.’ Similarly, the Annals of Tourism Research commented ‘This is a splendid book, solid, substantial, and beautifully illustrated in a variety of idioms, and a delight to read and peruse.’ The Tourism Management Journal believed Designing the Seaside to be beautifully illustrated … [although this] … should not be allowed to overshadow the text, which is deeply informed and fluently written . . . Gray’s book is a tonic, to read and enjoy for pleasure.’ The reviewer for Modernism/Modernity thought ‘This instructive, enjoyable, and beautifully presented book is a must for anyone interested in the evolution of the material fabric of the seaside resort.’
In 2009 he was the co-author with David Powell of a study of the economic recession and cultural regeneration in four southeast of England coastal towns.
His interest in seaside places in tropical and sub-tropical countries led him to write a cultural and economic history of the palm, the signature plant of tropical islands. Palm was published by Reaktion Books in 2018. Writing in Gardens Illustrated, Alys Fowler believed Palm was ‘A must-read book. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in palms, you should probably know how crucial a role they play in your life . . . [Palm is] beautifully written and perfectly peppered with good references, photographs and paintings. It's a pleasure to read, but it wasn't until I got to palms and capitalism that for me this book became something else . . .’
John Dransfield, writing for Palms: Journal of the International Palm Society, thought ‘Here is an easily read, palm-themed book, filled with entertaining anecdotes and serious political matter … gently informing the reader about selected aspects of this most magnificent of flowering plant families.’ For The Quarterly Review of Biology it was a ‘delightful foray into the world of palms and their intersection with human history, culture, and commerce.’ American Biology Teacher described Palm as a ‘well-written, detailed, entertaining, and intense analysis of the biology, history, geography, diversity, economic significance, cultural impact, and symbolism of this beautiful plant.’ The reviewer for Botany One believed ‘There’s not only great depth, there’s also tremendous breadth in this comparatively slim volume, and you never really know where your palm adventures will end up. But, that’s a big part of the delight and surprise in this book, and one which is not only abundantly illustrated, but also stylishly and well-written.’ The book has been published in Arabic and, in 2023, in Japanese.
Fred’s most recent book is about seaside piers, those often-extraordinary engineering and architectural confections on the margin between the land and the sea; The Architecture of British Seaside Piers was published by Crowood Press in July 2020. Tim Phillips, Vice-Chairman of the National Piers Society, wrote that the volume was ‘excellently illustrated’ [and] a beautifully produced book on pier architecture and engineering that is both a fascinating and illuminating read and … highly recommended.’ The Beucher Newsletter described it as ‘a visually-immersive exploration of the history and the design processes behind the piers which became the crowning glory of many British seaside resorts.’ The reviewer for the Spring 2021 issue of the Ancient Monuments Society newsletter asked ‘Who in their right mind would thrust a mile of rustable iron into the salt water of the sea? Gray brings together the threads of the story where the heroes are precisely the men who had the stomach to do that …’. Reviewing the book for the Royal Institute of British Architects in August 2021, Will Wiles described a book ‘crammed with detail and interest, and richly illustrated, including many photographs from the author’s personal collection. It promises to be the definitive work on a fascinating topic.’
Among Fred’s other research interests are lifelong learning and continuing and higher education. For example, he edited a 2002 volume, Landscapes of Learning, about lifelong learning in rural Britain. He also edited Making the Future: A History of the University of Sussex published in 2011 in celebration of the University's fiftieth anniversary.
He was the curator of an exhibition, Resorts of Delight: A Celebration of England's Seaside Architecture, funded by the Arts Council of England, the English Tourist Board and American Express. The exhibition, which received considerable national and regional media coverage, toured nationally between 1993 and 1996 at venues ranging from Brighton to Scarborough and from the RIBA in London to Southport and Plymouth.
As the Brighton West Pier Trust’s honorary historian and archivist he is the author of the definitive history of the pier to 1997 Walking on Water: The West Pier Story. In 2016 he wrote the official guide to Brighton’s new seafront observation tower, the British Airways i360.
Fred is the author of Designing the Seaside. Architecture, Society and Nature, a cultural geography and history of seaside architecture. Published by Reaktion Books in July 2006, the book was shortlisted for the 2007 Sir Banister Fletcher Award and (both in 2009) issued in paperback and published in Russian.
The book received much media and academic acclaim. The Guardian thought Designing the Seaside was ‘a fine celebration of a very English invention’ while Coast believed it to be ‘a perfect blend of the scholarly and the entertaining’. The Metro London review described the book as an ‘illuminating study’ while for the London Evening Standard it ‘manages to be both scholarly and colourful and offers a timely history of seaside art and architecture’. The Brighton Evening Argus saw it as ‘an entertaining, thought-provoking book . . . gloriously illustrated. . . a pleasure both to read and to handle.’
The reviewer for the Journal of Design History argued the book was ‘fascinating, well written and lavishly illustrated … a most thought-provoking, informative and enjoyable read.’ Similarly, the Annals of Tourism Research commented ‘This is a splendid book, solid, substantial, and beautifully illustrated in a variety of idioms, and a delight to read and peruse.’ The Tourism Management Journal believed Designing the Seaside to be beautifully illustrated … [although this] … should not be allowed to overshadow the text, which is deeply informed and fluently written . . . Gray’s book is a tonic, to read and enjoy for pleasure.’ The reviewer for Modernism/Modernity thought ‘This instructive, enjoyable, and beautifully presented book is a must for anyone interested in the evolution of the material fabric of the seaside resort.’
In 2009 he was the co-author with David Powell of a study of the economic recession and cultural regeneration in four southeast of England coastal towns.
His interest in seaside places in tropical and sub-tropical countries led him to write a cultural and economic history of the palm, the signature plant of tropical islands. Palm was published by Reaktion Books in 2018. Writing in Gardens Illustrated, Alys Fowler believed Palm was ‘A must-read book. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in palms, you should probably know how crucial a role they play in your life . . . [Palm is] beautifully written and perfectly peppered with good references, photographs and paintings. It's a pleasure to read, but it wasn't until I got to palms and capitalism that for me this book became something else . . .’
John Dransfield, writing for Palms: Journal of the International Palm Society, thought ‘Here is an easily read, palm-themed book, filled with entertaining anecdotes and serious political matter … gently informing the reader about selected aspects of this most magnificent of flowering plant families.’ For The Quarterly Review of Biology it was a ‘delightful foray into the world of palms and their intersection with human history, culture, and commerce.’ American Biology Teacher described Palm as a ‘well-written, detailed, entertaining, and intense analysis of the biology, history, geography, diversity, economic significance, cultural impact, and symbolism of this beautiful plant.’ The reviewer for Botany One believed ‘There’s not only great depth, there’s also tremendous breadth in this comparatively slim volume, and you never really know where your palm adventures will end up. But, that’s a big part of the delight and surprise in this book, and one which is not only abundantly illustrated, but also stylishly and well-written.’ The book has been published in Arabic and, in 2023, in Japanese.
Fred’s most recent book is about seaside piers, those often-extraordinary engineering and architectural confections on the margin between the land and the sea; The Architecture of British Seaside Piers was published by Crowood Press in July 2020. Tim Phillips, Vice-Chairman of the National Piers Society, wrote that the volume was ‘excellently illustrated’ [and] a beautifully produced book on pier architecture and engineering that is both a fascinating and illuminating read and … highly recommended.’ The Beucher Newsletter described it as ‘a visually-immersive exploration of the history and the design processes behind the piers which became the crowning glory of many British seaside resorts.’ The reviewer for the Spring 2021 issue of the Ancient Monuments Society newsletter asked ‘Who in their right mind would thrust a mile of rustable iron into the salt water of the sea? Gray brings together the threads of the story where the heroes are precisely the men who had the stomach to do that …’. Reviewing the book for the Royal Institute of British Architects in August 2021, Will Wiles described a book ‘crammed with detail and interest, and richly illustrated, including many photographs from the author’s personal collection. It promises to be the definitive work on a fascinating topic.’
Among Fred’s other research interests are lifelong learning and continuing and higher education. For example, he edited a 2002 volume, Landscapes of Learning, about lifelong learning in rural Britain. He also edited Making the Future: A History of the University of Sussex published in 2011 in celebration of the University's fiftieth anniversary.