Britten's Beach By GLYNN THOMAS

“Britten’s Beach” at Aldeburgh, Suffolk, is where the late composer Benjamin Britten used to take his afternoon walks.

A notable feature of this beach is “The Scallop,” a 13-foot high monument by local-born artist Maggi Hambling, dedicated to Britten. The sculpture consists of two broken, interlocking scallop shells. Cut into the rim of the upright shell are the words “I hear those voices that will not be drowned” from Britten’s opera Peter Grimes.

The sculpture is described as a “conversation with the sea” and is a piece of audio art as well as a visual one. It has been suggested that the ear is like a shell, so the Scallop is an image of listening.