The traditional English seaside holiday with bathing, sandcastles and entertainment on the pier, was established in the Victorian period. English seaside resorts reached the height of their popularity in the 1950s.

In the 1920s, only about 1.5 million working-class people had paid holidays; by 1939 it was over 11 million. For most people their annual week’s holiday was in the summer. Some works and factories closed altogether, and some towns had a special holiday week, so everyone took their holiday at the same time. In 1937, Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp at Skegness, providing cheap ‘chalet’ accommodation and organised entertainment. Most people, however, stayed in hotels, or ‘digs’ whose grim seaside landladies became the butt of many jokes.

After World War II, in spite of food shortages and crowded trains and coaches, people wanted to enjoy themselves on holiday. Blackpool, with its famous illuminations and wide range of entertainments, was still the biggest draw in the north. Brighton’s seedy glamour and the candy floss culture of Southend attracted Londoners. Many towns still had their Victorian piers with slot-machines and concert parties. The long, flat beaches of the east coast had resorts like Frinton in Essex and Southwold in Suffolk, with its brightly coloured bathing huts, which catered for middle class holidaymakers and children.