Table of Contents

Foreword by John K Walton

Introduction by Peter Williams

The natural coast

Fishing

Lighthouses

Time and tide

Weather

Lifeboats

War and peace

Religion

Bathing

On the beach

Punch and Judy

Donkeys

Piers

Beach huts

Cliff lifts

Hotels

Wooden walls

Caravans and chalets

Seaside architecture of the 1930s

Shelters

Telephone Kiosks

Something to sit on

Contemporary seaside sculpture

Public conveniences

Seaside gardens

Model villages

Amusements

Helter-skelters

Carousels

Golf

Food

Famous people

Palmists and clairvoyants

Joke shops

Pirates, smugglers and wreckers

Signage

Wind farms

Art galleries and museums

Contemporary buildings

A nice cup of tea

Staring out to sea

Acknowledgements

Index of places

About the Author

Peter Williams has recently retired from English Heritage where he was a photographer. He is a devoted enthusiast of the seaside.

Reviews

It tells the story almost entirely in photographs after a foreword, and captures well the atmosphere of seaside towns, whether sedate or raucous, their views, amenities and curious quirks.
Mark Smulian, Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society