The British Seaside

The annual seaside holiday became a common experience in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s and it has a central place in popular memory. Its recent decline has prompted nostalgia and gloom across the media, with a spate of newspaper features every summer bemoaning its decline. This is the first detailed academic cultural study of the rise and fall of the seaside holiday in Britain. This book offers an entertaining and broad interpretation of the holidays and resorts.

The annual seaside holiday became a common experience in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s and it has a central place in popular memory. Its recent decline has prompted nostalgia and gloom across the media, with a spate of newspaper features every summer bemoaning its decline. This is the first detailed academic cultural study of the rise and fall of the seaside holiday in Britain. This book offers an entertaining and broad interpretation of the holidays and resorts.

Booknews

Walton extends his notable contributions to the literature on the much-loved and much-mocked British institution of the seaside holiday to the 20th century. Drawing on the work of social scientists, geographers, and historians, and challenging those who proclaim the demise of this phenomenon, he explores seaside holiday- makers, pleasures, environments, economies, and politics; and the changing patterns of land ownership and use, expectation, consumption, transportation, and provision. Alas, lacks resort photos. Distributed by Palgrave. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

John K. Walton is Professor of Social History at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.