Seaside Photography

Seaside Holidays in the Past This stunning photography book captures the spirit of the now almost lost tradition of the English seaside holiday. The photographs, all taken from English Heritage's unique collection of over ten million images held in the National Monuments Record, show how we used to take our summer holidays before cheap flights and package deals made foreign holidays affordable to all and led to the decline of the English seaside resort. From Victorian bathers to 1950s beach huts, from 19th-century fishermen to long destroyed landmarks such as New Brighton's tower, higher than its more famous rival, Blackpool, and from Punch and Judy shows to donkey rides, the book reminds us how we have changed as a nation and what we have lost forever. The NMR (National Monuments Record) is English Heritage's unique photographic archive. Open to the public, it has a collection of over ten million modern and historic photographs dating back to the 1840s. The collection contains illustrations of the industrial age, social history, architecture and archaeology as well as aerial shots covering the whole of England. It also houses the works of individual photographers, such as Hallam-Ashley and Henry Taunt. Seaside Photography.

Sun, Fun and Crowds: British Seaside Holidays Between the Wars 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. This intriguing account is richly illustrated throughout with a mixture of contemporary photographs and postcards, publicity material, posters and modern images. For those who remember the seaside holidays of their childhood this fascinating book will conjure up nostalgic memories, while for the modern historian it will be an invaluable chronicle of the period.

Coast Accompanying the BBC series, Coast is not only a superbly illustrated celebration of Britain s coastal areas but a practical guide to all that they have to offer. The first part of the book is divided into the 12 coastal regions as featured in the programme, with lavish photography, maps and evocative essays. The second part is a region-by-region reference of places, people, activities, natural history, historic events and fascinating facts all clearly laid out to help you plan your own trip. Whether destined for the coffee table, your reference library or the car, Coast takes you there with charm and style. Seaside Photography.

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