Group portrait of local men and a dog on Victoria Pier, Lyme Regis, at sunrise

A photography project by Glyn Dewis

I Am Lyme

A photography and storytelling project celebrating the people and spirit of Lyme Regis.

Portraits and storiesExhibition at the Town Mill Gallery, September 2027

What is I Am Lyme?

I Am Lyme is a photography and storytelling project celebrating the people and spirit of Lyme Regis. Through portraits, seascapes and stories, it explores what truly makes Lyme Regis the unique and vibrant place it is.

From fishermen and lifeboat crews to shopkeepers, artists, hoteliers, cafe owners, council workers and more, Lyme Regis is more than its stunning views and famous Cobb; it's the people who live, work and breathe life into it every day.

It follows on from my 39-45 Portraits Project, documenting Second World War veterans, and continues my passion for storytelling through timeless, honest portraiture.

It's not about fame or perfection. It's about honesty, pride, humour, work, weather, family, history and the sea.

Why?

The project is building towards a public exhibition at the Town Mill Gallery in Lyme Regis in September 2027.

Alongside the exhibition, this page will be home to all the portraits, short videos and stories, so that people near and far can experience the project and get to know the people who are the beating heart of Lyme Regis.

This is a celebration of community, of real people and real stories; it's a way to honour the people who make Lyme Regis what it is, and to capture a portrait of the town at this moment in time.

If you choose to take part, your voice will help shape a legacy of Lyme as it is now, and preserve a piece of it for future generations.

The people so far

Each portrait comes with the story of the shoot. More are being added as the project grows.

Harry May in a pink T-shirt on the harbourside at Lyme Regis with boats behind

Harry May

Boat trips from the harbour

Read the story
Potter Harry Anderson holding a jug in his workshop at the Town Mill Pottery

Harry Anderson

Town Mill Pottery

Read the story
Yoga teacher Pip sitting cross-legged on the beach at Lyme Regis at sunrise

Pip

Beach yoga at sunrise

Read the story
Nicola Kathren at her sewing machine in Kathrens Rare Knitwear, framed by hanging plants

Nicola Kathren

Kathrens Rare Knitwear

Read the story
Jason in a bush hat sitting outside the brightly painted Beach House Cafe on the seafront

Jason

The Beach House Cafe

Read the story
Early morning sea swimmers Mary and Christine standing together in the shallows

Mary and Christine

Early morning sea swimmers

Read the story
Sea swimmer known locally as Neptune standing with arms folded in the shallows

Neptune

Early morning sea swimmer

Read the story
The men who walk the Cobb together every morning, photographed on Victoria Pier

The Cobb walkers

Every morning at 7.35

Read the story

Know someone who should be part of I Am Lyme?

If you live or work in Lyme Regis, or know someone who should be photographed, I'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch The 39-45 Portraits Project

What will happen with the photographs and stories?

  • 01

    A public exhibition

    A curated public exhibition at the Town Mill Gallery, Lyme Regis, in September 2027.

  • 02

    Here, online

    This page will showcase everyone who takes part, with their portraits and stories.

  • 03

    Perhaps a book

    Possibly a printed photo book or other materials, depending on interest and funding.

Supporting the town. Profits from the exhibition will be donated to a Lyme Regis-based charity or community organisation, supporting the very town and people this project is about.

Lyme Regis from the shore

Seascapes of Lyme Regis: the sea, the Cobb and the coastline the town is built around.

Waves breaking over The Cobb at Lyme Regis
Black and white image of The Cobb harbour wall curving out to sea, Lyme Regis
Vivid sunrise over the sea and sand at Lyme Regis
Aerial view of Lyme Regis harbour and The Cobb at sunset
Black and white image of waves crashing over rocks at Lyme Regis
The Cobb at Lyme Regis curving into a calm, misty sea
Black and white image of a walkway leading out to sea at Lyme Regis
Sunset along a row of beach huts and a wooden boardwalk at Lyme Regis
Long exposure of a rock groyne leading into a misty sea at Lyme Regis
Black and white image of stormy waves against the sea wall at Lyme Regis
Black and white image of the stones of The Cobb leading out to sea under a dramatic sky
Waves washing over a groyne at Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis seafront across a calm, misty sea
Black and white image of waves breaking over a breakwater at Lyme Regis
Black and white image of waves breaking on rocks at Lyme Regis
Black and white image of waves crashing on rocks beside a jetty at Lyme Regis

Know someone in Lyme Regis who should be part of the project? I'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch

© Glyn Dewis 2026