Tourists have been visiting British seaside towns since the Victorian era. While none can really compare with those found on the Mediterranean or elsewhere in Southern Europe, the British seaside is a strangely nostalgic place. These destinations are often wrapped in oddly quirky but endearing childhood memories, of building sandcastles perhaps, or taking donkey rides. Go back further and towns like Brighton, Bournemouth, and Scarborough owe a good part of their foundation to beachfront tourism. And while times change, we still like to be beside the seaside, don't we?
Grab the bucket and spade and revisit the great British seaside through the ages. Click on for some truly vintage images.