Figure 1.-- Here we have an English family having their portrait taken at Skegness, a resort in Lincolnshire. A studio portrait was a standard part of a seaside holiday. I'm guessing the backdrop shows a view of Skegness. I'm not sure when this portrait was taken, but would guess the 1890s. I think the clothing they are wearing would be essentially the same as they would wear on the beach. I'm not sure, however, about the brim-less cap the boy at the right is wearing. The girls wear dresses, including a sailor dress. The boys wear Norfolk suits. They may have taken off their shoes and stockings. Notice the buckets and shovels. A reader writes, "If you recall in the Robinson family, the boys often wear these brimless caps which appear to date from about 1878-early 1880s. I've been to Skegness (worked there) and I don't recall it actually having a pier. Tthat doesn't mean it doesn't and of course many Victorian piers were torn down, but I can see a pier painted onto the backdrop on the left."

The first references in modern Europe that I am aware of was in England. As an island people surrounded by the sea, the English have an historic fascination for the seaside. Few Englishmen now live more than two hours travel by road or rail. The English have a variedf coast. From the rocky, craggy Cornish coastline, to the fabeled limestone cliffs of the Channel coast, to the flatlands of East Anglia, and the wild North Sea cliffs of East Yorkshire.

Holidays

The English in the 18th century began taking the waters at Bath and then ventured to the coast for sea bathing. Although the rich in the 18th century were able to spend time amusingly at theseaside on the advice of their doctors, it wasn't until the19th century that Britons in their masses were able to get there.It was during the Victorian era in the mid-19th century that seaside resorts came into their own. Britain's first seaside resort was apparently Scarborough. The Industrial Revolution had drawn much of the population from the agricultural areas to the townsand cities. Many were able significantly to improve their lot, and when the railways were builtn during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), holidays by, and day trips to the seaside became a reality for millions. Large hotels andterraces were built to accommodate the new holiday makers. In fact so well werethey built that Victorian buildings are not uncommonly used for holidayaccommodation in the major resorts today.

Seaside Towns

Most Seaside towns have been there for centuries. From these towns and villages fishermen had for centuries ventured out ti sea to earn aliving from the sea. Traders and merchants to look for opportunities beyond the coast. Facilities for bathers and vacationers were, however, usually developedduring the Victorian era when visiting the ocean became fashionable. Therefore seaside towns tend to have the same general characteristics. A promenade, backedby rows of Victorian houses which often serve as hotels or guest houses. The town center where the major shops are often located some distance from the beach front, in small towns this is not very far but in larger towns it can be a few miles. Most British people do not consider this too far to walk and will often walk from their homes several miles away to the beach carrying all the items that theyneed, small children will walk too. Very little modern development of the seafronthas occurred in most towns since the Victorian buildings are well built and add to the charm. The British don’t suffer from the desire to tear everything down and build new like many American town seem to. Some of the seaside towns have become noted esorts like Blackpool and Brighton. Others are lesser known but important locally. One of the most popular English seaside resorts was Eastbourne--because it was close to London.

The Pier

Another Victorian innovation which formed the centrepiece of many resorts was the pier. Many British seaside towns built piers. These were very popular in Victorian times. These magnificent structures contained all manner of amusements, and the idea caught on. At Southend-on-Sea in Essex a pier was built over a mile long. It is still the longest in the world. It had a railway to carry holiday makers from one end to the other. Many piers are still packed with amusements, and a variety of first class entertainment is usuallyon offer especially between May and September. Blackpool was the most famous for its pier, which was the longest in the country. Many towns still have their Victorian-era piers. Many are, however, now only shortened structures or demolished all together due to the huge funding needed to high coast of maintaining structures exposed to the sea.
The promenade: In most towns a road will run along the beach front and in the town center a promenade will stretch betweenthe shore and the road. This is rather like what Americans would call a boardwalk but it is usually asphalt orconcrete for durability. Almost every seaside town will have one, and they can range in length from a few hundred yards in tiny villages to several miles in larger towns.

Traveling

The 18th Century

Traveling to the seaside resorts in the 18th century was tpically by horse-drawn stage coach or what ever the British call it. This would have been mostly in America and probably France as Amercans didn't have seaside resorts in the 18th century and it was only the rich and well to do that "took the waters".

Figure 2.--These English boys are waiting with their mother at the train stationabout 1910. The older boy wears a boater. His younger brothers wear wide-brimmed straw hats.

The 19th Century

It was in the 19th century that seaside vacations became a summer ritual. It was a democratic development. The seaside proved an attraction to the rich and poor. The sweltering summers in the densely packed industrial cities created great interest in a visit to the seaside. At part of the industrial revolution that expanded the great cities of Europe and America, the railroad appeared. By the late 19th century, the middleclass and even industrial workers could inexpensively travel to beach resorts located near the great industrial cities. The appearance of photography in the 19th century provide a fascinating record of the clothing worn to the beach.

The 20th Century

By the turn of the century, a summer trip to the beach was a well etablished summer event. Most Brits would travel to the seaside resorts on the railroad. This continued until well after World War II (1939-45). It was only in the 1950s that it became increasingly common for average people to own cars and plan family vacations in them.

Camping

English people went they went to beach resorts mostly stayed in hotels. The affluent stayed in elegat beach-front hotels and dressed to the nines. The families with more modest incomes stayed in in expensive boarding houses. We are not sure when camping began. We note unidentified campers in Brighton as early as the 1880s. The modern concept of camping was not yet evident. We are not sure how common that was. After World War II, Brirish families began acquiring cars. And it became popular to stay in caravans (campers). Even people without cars to do this. There were caravan parks where you could either park your caravan or rent one.

Clothing

An English reader writes, "I remember when I was a boy during the 1950s that I didn't have a propper bathing costume until I was about 8 or 9 years old. Until I had one I could only paddle in shallow water wearing my trunk style underpants, it wasn't until I got my first bathing trunks that I was able to go deeper in the water. Some boys including me would take off their socks and shoes and roll the legs of their short trousers up ready to go in for a short paddle. I don't know why we rolled our shorts legs up, as we only kept very much to shallow water?"

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Created: December 19, 1999
Last updated: 2:41 AM 6/15/2008