This detailed academic cultural study looks at the rise and fall of the seaside holiday in Britain. John K. Walton offers a broad interpretation of the holidays and resorts, looking at who went, where they went, what they did, and how they were entertained.
Old fashioned seaside holidays inspire a great deal of nostalgic affection among British people. Quintessential elements such as seaside donkeys and sickly sticks of rock are easily identifiable and memorable ingredients of a tradition that most people in this country have experienced. Focusing on the one-hundred-year period from 1870 to 1970, this book taps into collective nostalgia for an inside look at how ordinary people spent their seaside holidays. It examines what it actually meant to go to the seaside and what one could expect upon arrival, as well as various places to stay and how to spend one's days. Each chapter explores a different theme in order to build up a picture of holiday life and how it changed over time.
The inter-war period saw the annual holiday become part of the lives of large numbers of people in Britain for the first time. In the Edwardian age it had been a privilege enjoyed by the few, but by the end of the 1930s, 15 million people were going away to the coast for a week or two. This book explores all the facets of the seaside holiday--where people went and why; how they got there; where they stayed; and what they did. We take in the first holiday camps, which opened in the 30s, as well as some wonderful modern hotels that were the epitome of sophistication and style. We examine the architecture of pleasure, in the form of cinemas, piers, lidos, and pavilions. This intriguing account is richly illustrated throughout with a mixture of contemporary photographs and postcards, publicity material, posters, and modern images.
From the abandoned piers to the dazzling arcades, celebrate the British seaside through the lenses of Britain's most popular photographers, featuring Tony Ray-Jones, David Hurn and Simon Roberts and new work by Martin Parr.--Museum website.
Using photographs from the National Monuments Record, these photopacks allow you to find out what Victorians wore on the beach, how developments in transport reflected great social changes and much more. The new restyled packs each include 8 A3 posters and fascinating facts so they are ideal as lessons starters and as an interactive resource for learners.
Fifty-five piers. Two weeks. One eccentric road trip. Before the seaside of their youth disappears forever, two friends from the landlocked Midlands embark on a peculiar journey to see all the surviving pleasure piers in England and Wales. With a clapped-out car and not enough cash, Jon and Danny recruit Midge, a man they barely know, to be their driver, even though he has to be back in a fortnight to sign on. Join Jon and Danny as they take a funny and nostalgic look at Britishness at the beach, amusement in the arcades, and friendship on the road.
The inter-war period saw the annual holiday become part of the lives of large numbers of people for the first time. In the Edwardian age, it had been a privilege enjoyed by the few, but by the end of the thirties, 15 million people were going away to the coast for a week or two. This book explores all the facets of the seaside holiday - where people went, and why; how they got there; where they stayed; what they did; and what they wore. A visit to Blackpool's Golden Mile to leer at its lurid attractions, including the unfrocked Rector of Stiffkey, contrasts sharply with the remote, unspoilt beaches of Cornwall. We take in the first holiday camps, which opened in the thirties, as well as some wonderful modern hotels that were the epitome of sophistication and style. We examine the architecture of pleasure, in the form of cinemas, piers, lidos and pavilions. For those who remember the seaside holidays of their childhood, this fascinating book will conjure up many nostalgic memories.
This detailed academic cultural study looks at the rise and fall of the seaside holiday in Britain. John K. Walton offers a broad interpretation of the holidays and resorts, looking at who went, where they went, what they did, and how they were entertained.
This is the story of rise of the summer holiday as Britain's most popular leisure activity. From pre-war through to the 1950s were the boom years for the British seaside resorts, but by the mid 1960s jet airliners were in widespread service, leading to package holidays and the mass invasion of the Rivieras and Costas.