A photographer from Deal in Kent has decided to leave a legacy behind for those who have lost loved ones, by taking pictures of memorial benches along the Deal coast. 

Chris Mansfield had the idea that it would be memorable for those who no longer live on the Deal and Walmer coast, to still have a physical picture of the benches left in honour of their loved ones.  

Mr Mansfield said: “I noticed a few of the benches were really well cared for with fresh flowers and it was clear that the relatives of the people named on those benches must live nearby. But then I also noticed some of the benches looked very neglected and in poor condition, so I figured perhaps people had moved away and could no longer visit their deceased relatives.” 

He added: “That was what first sparked the idea of photographing every bench and putting the pictures online where they could be viewed or downloaded by anyone.” 

The photographer from Deal said he hadn’t realised how much time this would take. He started at Sandown Castle gardens and worked his way along the front to the border of Kingsdown, as well as a few benches that were in other places across the town.  

He hadn’t realised there would be over three hundred benches, along with fifty memorial plaques. 

Mr Mansfield didn’t ask for a penny for any of his pictures, he uploaded them to his website, readily available for anyone to download for free. He said it’s “for the labour of love, I am not trying to profit in any way”. 

He uploaded his idea to a Facebook community group to see what the response was like and got nothing but praise and approval. 

Following a suggestion, he has also uploaded a map reference on the website to every picture, so that visitors can easily find and pay tribute to the benches. He did this using an app called ‘What 3 Words’. 

He doesn’t only upload images, but also writes out the wording on the benching, for pictures where it might not be clear, as on some of the benches you can’t read the wording anymore.  

He has welcomed those who knew the names on benches, to upload a picture of the person whose name is on the bench, and also a message if they wish to.  

When asked if he had any ideas for the future, Mr Mansfield said he “would love to do something similar in the future”. He said he is retired and likes to keep busy, but doesn’t have any ideas as of yet. 

He has enjoyed photography most of his life, mostly working around the Woolwich area, uploading pictures to his website, showing his collections of history of the area. 

If you want to look up his pictures, here’s his website: www.chrismansfieldphotos.com