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The railroads opened up tourism atv thecsame time workers began to get higher wages and eventually vacation time (19th century). Virtully the entire English and Welsh coastline had resorts of different sizes and appeal (early-20th century). There were not as many in Scotland, reflecting both distance from the major British population centers as well as water temperature. There were over 100 important seaside resorts in Britain. The family seaside summer vacation became a well established tradition. With the turn of the 20th century we see fewer studio portraits and more images actually taken on the strand, piers, and beaches. The beach of course was a major draw which children of all ages could enjoy. Younger children could splash around in the shallows and play in the sand. Youth could swim. And there all kinds of attractions on the piers which the chilfren enjoyed. There were the amusements parks of the day. And expansion of these piers continued with brief interuptions during the the two world wars. Unlike World War I, beaches were closed off during World War II as a German invasion for time was threatened after the fall of France. Barbed wire was laid down and some of the beaches were even mined. After World War II, as car ownership increased we have new caravan parks appearing. The British resorts had a commercial weakness--the water was cold, evem during the summer. The warm weather Americans associate with a beach vacation, simply did not exist at English beaches. And we see that at countless English beach vacation images from the massive vacation photographic record. This all suddenly changed when cheap air fares opened up inexpensive beach resports in Spain and Portugal and began attracting the British public (1970s). The English resorts which could not compete with the warm climate and water and began to decline. The English might be used to cold water, but that does not mean that warmer beach resort water was nog an instant hit. The prosperity generated by the Thatcher era and market reforms increased the purchasing power of English families and the ability to aford overseas seas-side holidays.
The railroads opened up tourism atv thecsame time workers began to get higher wages and eventually vacation time (19th century). Virtully the entire English and Welsh coastline had resorts of different sizes and appeal (early-20th century). There were not as many in Scotland, reflecting both distance from the major British population centers as well as water temperature. There were over 100 important seaside resorts in Britain. The family seaside summer vacation became a well established tradition. With the turn of the 20th century we see fewer studio portraits and more images actually taken on the strand, piers, and beaches. The beach of course was a major draw which children of all ages could enjoy. Younger children could splash around in the shallows and play in the sand. Youth could swim. And there all kinds of attractions on the piers which the chilfren enjoyed. There were the amusements parks of the day.
Expansion of these piers continued with brief interuptions during the the two world wars.
The 1940s was dominated by World War II. Unlike World War I, beaches were closed off during World War II as a German invasion for time was threatened after the fall of France. Barbed wire was laid down and some of the beaches were even mined. It was a time of deprivation. No one went hungary, but the War required severe rationing. The trains were largly devoted to the military and war economy. For a time it looked like Britin might not survive. Briain survived and with America won the War, but the economy
was badly damaged. Unlike other countrues, war-time rationing would continue into the 1950s. There was not much vacatoning. But with the end of the War, the beaches were open and vacationers began to return to the English beach resorts. Unlike in America and the Continent, however, there was no econimic miracle in Britain after the War. The British voted in a Labour Government (1945). Labour unlike America had little interest in taking the new technologies and building prosperous new industries. Rather the new prime-minister, Clemet Atlee, set out to build a socialist wonderland. Unsurprisingly, it did not work. So while there was an effort to return to normal, the recovery and prosperous economy that began to appear on the Continent did not appear in Britain. All of this, however, of course affected spending including vacationing. Vactoning for mot Brits was still limited to Britain. Travel avroad was limyed by restricgtions on orchasing forign currency. Continental beaches were still limited for the well-to-do.
After World War II, as car ownership increased we have new caravan parks appearing. The British resorts had a commercial weakness--the water was cold, evem during the summer. The warm weather Americans associate with a beach vacation, simply did not exist at English beaches. And we see that at countless English beach vacation images from the massive vacation photographic record.
This all suddenly changed when cheap air fares opened up inexpensive beach resports in Spain and Portugal and began attracting the British public (1970s). The English resorts which could not compete with the warm climate and water and began to decline. The English might be used to cold water, but that does not mean that warmer beach resort water was not an instant hit.
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