Allan Brodie and Gary Winter The seaside holiday since the 18th century - a woman's perspective 5 year survey for English Heritage of seaside resorts, people unaware of the heritage today seaside is in decline, seaside holidays first began in 18th century, First seaside resorts Scarborough 1626 - a spa - 'It is the Custom, for not only the Gentlemen, but the Ladies also, to bath in the Sea: Whitby 18th century, cold bathing, by 'the Common People', probably widespread in Eng-land Margate - along with Brighton - early resorts in the south, attracting visitors by the 1730s Soon entrepreneurs introduced a range of other activities: new markets to cater for. Theatres Margate in 1771 Scarborough by 1734 Brighton by the 1760s. Libraries - more than places where books could be borrowed Administrative centres where lists of visitors in the resorts were maintained Lists of lodgings could be consulted Raffles and lottery tickets could be bought Many 19th century directories indicate women kept substantial numbers of lodging houses and boarding houses Railways - impact of the arrival of the railway more far-reaching, transformed appearance of resorts and types of visitors Rail travel - cheap, fast, reliable, generally more comfortable than previous forms of travel. Railway Stations Seaside resorts began to be within the reach of most working people, 3 August 1863 over 30,000 people travelled by train to the newly opened station at Cleethorpes with a further 4,000 arriving on horse-drawn vehicles. Blackpool, still a modest-sized resort in 1861, dealt with 135,000 passengers, and by 1879 this had risen to almost one million. By 1914 around four million passengers were travelling to Blackpool each year. People seeking a more genteel holiday simply went further afield, In the 19th century places like the Isle of Wight Devon and Cornwall resorts retained elements of quiet exclusivity, Soon overthrown by the internal combustion engine in the 20th century. Piers Initially built to allow ships to land visitors at resorts, later 19th century acquired a range of entertainments Simple platform structures, in piers such as Clevedon and Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Piers one manifestation of the Victorian love of new technology, Technology also allowed the creation of rollercoasters. Folkestone a long, straight, 40ft high switchback that opened in 1891 Superseded 1910 when larger figure-of-eight rides at Blackpool. Margate the Scenic Railway of 1920 1904 the first looping rollercoaster 1968 corkscrew steel rollercoaster 1981 suspended coaster appeared in 1982 First standing-up one ultimate seaside rollercoaster over 80mph - Big One - Blackpool Pleasure Beach Blackpool in 1840 - a modest town by the time the railway arrived Part of the growth of resorts was due to the arrival first of railways, Later - cars and buses Growing disposable wealth Time to enjoy these the holidays 1871 first bank holidays, provided the time Interest in curative powers of the sun grew during the 19th century Architectural expression found in open air swimming pools or 'Lidos' - Saltdean Lido opened in 1938 Lidos also venues for beauty pageants popular after World War II. Margate Lido - concern about public health and decline in interest in the outdoor led to the closure and infilling of the Lido Morecambe Super Swimming Station - opened 1936, Between 1956 and 1989 Morecambe was home to the Miss Great Britain competition. Beauty pageants are one reflection of a freedom that people could enjoy at the seaside, Many seaside resorts had to cater for the revived sexual appetites of male visitors. Mutoscope and Sexy photo - naughtiness of the late Victorian era, 'What the Butler Saw' - appeared in the 1890s. Saucy Postcards - began to appear. Modern Beaches feelings of freedom of early 20th century late 20th century topless bathing The modern beach may be busy at many resorts, but there is also tangible evidence of the decay of recent years. Seaside Conference leaflet: October 2007 English Heritage is publishing: Book on how England's Seaside resorts have changed over the past 300 years Margate's trials and tribulations in more detail. In October - two-day conference to discuss issues about the Heritage of the seaside. Details on website www.english-heritage.org.uk/seasideheritage