Studio Weave were commissioned to develop proposals to create a distinctive sense of place along the promenade. We imagined the Longest Bench as a charm bracelet gifted to the town: a delicate piece of jewellery that can accommodate new and varied additions. The form of the bracelet’s chain is informed by the simple seaside boardwalk together with a mathematic theorem that envisages movement. The structure sinuously travels along the promenade, meandering around lampposts, bending behind bins, and ducking down into the ground to allow access between the beach and the green.
The Longest Bench was granted CABE’s ‘Sea Change’ funding, a capital grants programme for cultural and creative regeneration in seaside resorts and received a private donation from Gordon Roddick as a tribute to his late wife Anita (founder of the Body Shop, which is based in the town).
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The Longest Bench was created from thousands of hardwood bars reclaimed from old seaside groynes (including Littlehampton’s) and landfill. The variety of timber is interspersed with splashes of bright colour wherever the bench wriggles, bends or dips. Old shelters have been replaced by bronze-finished monocoque loops, connecting the promenade with the green behind; views of the sea framed by the looping bench. We worked with local schoolchildren to inspire and develop the design. A playful approach to creating an imaginative and stretching sense of place has chimed with people of all ages, helped to build a strong sense of shared ownership.
The project has been published in magazines and newspapers around the world. And at the 2012 Civic Trust Awards, The Longest Bench won the Special Award for Community Impact and Engagement.
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