Academic Reading — Test 49

Reading passage

For much of the eighteenth century, the British coast held little appeal as a place of pleasure. The sea was widely regarded as a hostile and dangerous frontier, valued chiefly for fishing and trade rather than recreation. This perception began to shift when physicians started to promote the supposed medicinal properties of seawater. Doctors recommended that patients both bathe in the cold sea and drink it, claiming that such practices could cure a range of ailments. Towns such as Scarborough and Brighton attracted wealthy visitors who could afford the long and expensive journey by carriage. At this early stage, the seaside was firmly the preserve of the affluent, and the rituals surrounding sea-bathing were elaborate and discreet, conducted from wheeled wooden huts known as bathing machines that preserved the privacy of those inside. The transformation of the coast into a destination for ordinary people depended almost entirely on the railway. Before the 1840s, travelling to the coast was slow and costly, placing it beyond the reach of the labouring classes. The expansion of the rail network changed this decisively, dramatically reducing both the time and the cost of the journey. Resorts such as Blackpool in the north-west and Margate in the south-east found themselves within easy reach of large industrial populations. The railway companies actively encouraged this traffic, offering cheap excursion tickets and running special trains at weekends and on public holidays. For the first time, a factory worker from a city such as Manchester could realistically contemplate a day beside the sea. Equally important was the gradual emergence of paid leisure time. The introduction of regular days off, and later the Bank Holidays Act, gave workers fixed periods of rest that could be devoted to travel. In the textile districts of Lancashire, the custom of the "wakes weeks" proved especially significant. During these weeks, whole towns would close their mills simultaneously, and the entire workforce, together with their families, would decamp to a favoured resort. This concentration of demand encouraged resort owners to invest heavily in facilities designed specifically for a mass market rather than for a small elite. The character of the resorts changed accordingly. Whereas the early spa-style towns had cultivated an atmosphere of refinement, the new working-class resorts embraced spectacle, noise and unashamed entertainment. Piers extended out over the water, providing platforms for concerts, fairground rides and amusement arcades. Promenades were laid out for strolling, and theatres, dance halls and music halls multiplied. Blackpool became the most celebrated example of this exuberant culture, eventually acquiring its famous tower, modelled loosely on the structure in Paris, as well as an illuminated seafront that extended the season into the autumn. Vendors sold fish and chips, rock and other cheap treats, and the boarding house emerged as the characteristic form of accommodation, run very often by women who let rooms to supplement the household income. This new leisure culture was not universally admired. Some commentators from the middle classes disapproved of the rowdiness and vulgarity they associated with the popular resorts, and a degree of social segregation persisted, with certain towns or districts retaining a more genteel reputation. Nevertheless, the seaside holiday became deeply embedded in the rhythm of working-class life. It offered not merely fresh air and a change of scene but a temporary release from the discipline of the factory and the cramped conditions of the industrial city. For a few days each year, ordinary families could enjoy a sense of freedom and abundance that their everyday lives rarely allowed. The golden age of the traditional resort lasted well into the twentieth century, but it could not endure indefinitely. From the 1960s onwards, the spread of cheap air travel and package holidays drew many holidaymakers towards the warmer and more reliable climate of the Mediterranean. Faced with this competition, a number of British resorts entered a long period of decline, and some never fully recovered. Yet the seaside town remains a powerful presence in the national imagination, and its history offers a striking illustration of how technology, industrial working patterns and changing attitudes combined to create an entirely new form of popular culture.