Search results for ""Author Allan Brodie""

A week on a beach, a day at a spa, a hike in the hills -- tourism is taken for granted today, but over the past 500 years, it has played a significant role in the shaping of modern Britain. Holidays were once effectively limited to a handful of wealthy people, but by the 20th century a day at the seaside had become almost universal. In the process quiet villages have becoming busy spa towns, new resorts have been created around Britain’s coast and largely unspoilt areas of the countryside have had to cope with the increased mobility of the population. Some places have become wholly reliant on tourism as their primary industry, and with changes in popular tastes in recent years this has created problems for some communities. Tourism and the Changing Face of Britain traces the story of tourism in Britain from the Middle Ages to the present day. It stretches from a time when travel was by horse or coach to the modern era where cheap air travel can take holidaymakers anywhere, including far from Britain’s shores. The book shows how holidays, and the pursuit of leisure, have created destinations, sometimes whole towns and even had an impact on the countryside. This wide ranging study examines topics such as pilgrimages, spas, seaside holidays and the discovery of Britain’s past, present and future.

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This book is devoted to the seafront, the space between the seaward ends of seaside piers and the first line of buildings. The seafront is a place that is familiar yet unfamiliar, predictable but exciting, natural but artificial. It is a place to live, work and play, a site for commemoration and remembrance. It is ever-changing, depending on the time of day, the state of the tides and the month of the year. And how we perceive it will be shaped by our age, our gender and our childhood memories. The Seafront describes a highly complex space that has been created, recreated and adapted over the past 300 years. It tells the story of seaside holidays and how the arrival of increasing numbers of tourists transformed natural coastline into the man-made environments of modern resorts. Themes examined range from the engineering of sea defences, to the provision of tourism infrastructure and from facilities for sea bathing to the fun factories and fun fairs of the 20th century. The many and diverse aspects of its history, geography, character, function and meaning will be explored and while this study will inevitably focus on the tangible, both natural and man-made, it will also seek to capture something of the spiritual and cultural character of the seafront, is activities, people and memories.

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Blackpool is Britain’s favourite seaside resort. Each year millions of visitors come to walk on its three piers, ride donkeys, enjoy shows at the Winter Gardens, scream on the thrilling rides at the Pleasure Beach and ride the lift to the top of the Tower. Generations of holidaymakers have stayed in its hotels, lodging houses and bed and breakfasts and all have succumbed to its delectable fish and chips. Two centuries of tourism has left behind a rich heritage, but Blackpool has also inherited a legacy of social and economic problems, as well as the need for comprehensive new sea defences to protect the heart of the town. In recent years this has led to the transformation of its seafront and to regeneration programmes to try to improve the town, for its visitors and residents. This book celebrates Blackpool’s rich heritage and examines how its colourful past is playing a key part in guaranteeing that it has a bright future.

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Two centuries ago Weston-super-Mare was a small, rarely visited village but its location alongside the Severn Estuary soon made it a convenient bathing place for the wealthy inhabitants of Bristol and Bath. Once the railway arrived in 1841, the handful of brave sea bathers became thousands of day trippers in search of fun and sunshine. Weston also became popular with excursionists and holidaymakers arriving by steamer from South Wales. To cater for all these visitors, the small entertainment and bathing facilities enjoyed by the wealthy Georgian elite were replaced by larger, more popular facilities, including two piers, Winter Gardens, a large swimming bath and a substantial open-air pool. Weston is not only a busy seaside resort, but a popular place to live. During the 19th century its population rose from around 100 to almost 20,000 and its handful of small, fisherman’s cottages became a sea of terraces, crescents and villas constructed using the local stone. A distinctive type of villa emerged in Weston, different from those found at either of its larger neighbours. This was in large part due to Hans Fowler Price, the town’s leading architect for more than half a century from 1860 until his death in 1912. The book celebrates the complex history and colourful heritage of the town. It also looks to the future to examine how its 200-year story might contribute to a prosperous future.

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