In Yachts at Lytham St Anne’s, painted in 1951, L.S. Lowry turns away from the busy streets and factories of the industrial North and looks instead to the calm of the English coastline. This scene shows a beach at high tide, where sailing boats rest quietly by the seaside town of Lytham St Anne’s, a place known for its tranquil charm.

The year 1951 was an important one for Lowry. He had gained recognition after his first solo exhibition in London in 1939, and by the early 1950s, his work was known across the country. That same year, he was asked to contribute to the Festival of Britain, a national event aimed at celebrating progress and recovery after the war. His choice to paint Lytham St Anne’s in that context is meaningful as it reflects a moment when Britain was both looking back with nostalgia and forward with hope. This painting offers a gentle, thoughtful view of that mood.

“Some people like to go to the theatre, some like to watch television. I just like watching ships.”
- L. S. Lowry

While Lowry is best known for his images of mill towns and his famous ‘matchstick’ figures, he also had a deep affection for the British seaside. ‘I used to draw little ships when I was eight’, he once said, a simple but telling memory that points to a fascination for the sea. He visited coastal towns such as Rhyl, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Lytham often. These trips offered him a change of pace, one shaped not by chimneys and workers, but by open skies, empty beaches, and still waters.

In this painting, Lowry creates a careful and thoughtful composition. The boats are spaced across the water, tilted slightly as if frozen in time. The colours are soft and muted — whites, greys, gentle reds, greens, and yellows — and they capture the pale light of a typical British summer day. The large sky above, painted with minimal detail, adds to the feeling of space and calm.

Although there are no people in this scene, the boats hint at human presence. Each one seems to have its own character, waiting quietly, giving the picture a sense of pause and quiet expectation. Lowry had a rare ability to capture emotion in simple scenes like this to make us feel something from a moment that might otherwise go unnoticed.

“It’s the battle of life – the turbulence of the sea. I have been fond of the sea all my life, how wonderful it is, yet how terrible it is. […] It’s all there. It’s all in the sea. The Battle of Life is there. And Fate. And the inevitability of it all. And the purpose.”
- L. S. Lowry

Lowry remains one of Britain’s most distinctive and beloved painters. He famously declined five British honours during his lifetime, including a knighthood in 1968, making him the record-holder for honour rejections. Today, a large collection of his work is on view at The Lowry, Salford Quays. In 2013, Tate Britain held a major retrospective, his first at the institution, and in 2014, he had his first solo exhibition outside the UK in Nanjing, China. These posthumous recognitions speak to the lasting appeal and importance of his work.

Yachts at Lytham St Anne’s invites us not just to observe, but to pause and to lose ourselves in the silent beauty of the everyday. Lowry’s seascapes reveal a quieter, more introspective side of his practice, one shaped by solitude, memory, and a deep sensitivity to place.