Cry Of The Gulls

Some very nice handmade pottery including reasonably-​priced mugs in lovely Orla Keily-​esque designs and some really diverse collections of jewellery by various (probably local) designers. I was particularly taken with some statement necklaces featuring bejewelled bourbons and custard creams. Definitely worth a look if you’re after a gift for a lady, young or old.

In an art shop, I believe you want a couple of things: originality, reasonable prices, and the chance of walking away with a true gem. Cry of the Gulls, which is by far one of the stranger little galleries I’ve ever visited, has all of those in spades. Situated, like so many Brighton galleries, in the southern Lanes area, Cry of the Gulls is the perfect little art shop for something truly Brightonian and definitely peculiar.
Unlike so many of the art shops in Brighton, Cry of the Gulls is truly unique. It doesn’t sell items you’ll find anywhere else, primarily because you couldn’t sell them anywhere else: Brighton’s infamous penchant for the zany means many items you couldn’t sell anywhere else go like hot cakes here. I don’t want to do the pieces the disservice of a poor description: suffice it say that avant-​garde is putting it lightly, and that zany is more the word of the hour. These aren’t crude or over the top, just cutely wacky.
As what they are selling is so out there, Cry of the Gulls is worth visiting even just for a look around. Also, as well as their zanier pieces, they do have a great selection of more low key jewelry and smaller pieces. These are also probably in more peoples’ price range; some of the larger pieces are verging on the pricey.
The main selling point of Cry of the Gulls is unfortunately also its biggest problem: I don’t think I could really pull off a biscuit-​shaped ring, or that my front room would work with a miniature dress made of maps on the wall. I think this zaniness is great, and a great feature and unique selling point, but not everyone will be able to pull it off. Still, definitely go and have a browse, most of the items manage to pull off that enviable balance between being silly and incredibly cool, and if you can pull any of them off, I envy you more than you can imagine!

Cry of The Gulls is a rather avant-​garde contemporary art gallery, featuring paintings, ceramics, sculptures and jewelry. Innovation and flair seem to be the main features of the works in-​store, which certainly makes a visit to this quirky establishment rather interesting. The Biscuit Jewelry displayed here is a particularly bizarre highlight.