From the time that Brighton attracted Royal attention and the concept of the great British seaside holiday first began, resorts have competed to offer something special. Here is a sample of six special seaside attractions from around the country.
The seaside, or town park, bandstand was once a ubiquitous municipal pleasure, providing a performance venue available to all kinds of musicians and entertainers, and accessible to every citizen. Many have either disappeared, or have lost their original role with the decline in town, village and factory brass and silver bands and the like.
The Great Orme Tramway in Wales is Britain's only surviving cable-operated street tramway, and one of the few street-running funiculars in the world.
Plymouth's Tinside Lido in Devon is a stunning semi-circular saltwater bathing pool, built in 1935 in a classic art deco style. It is 50 metres in diameter, has three fountains for bathers to play in, and commands a spectacular vantagepoint, alongside Plymouth Hoe.
The unique Jurassic and Cretaceous geology of the Yorkshire Coast brought ‘Father of English Geology’, William Smith, to Scarborough in the 19th century, and inspired him to design the impressive Rotunda Museum, which opened in 1829.
At one time, visiting a model village in Britain was a regular childhood treat, as there were many such villages lovingly created around the country, particularly near holiday resorts.
In recent years, several stately homes have extended the tourism year by offering illuminated trails on winter evenings. Some towns and cities have also followed suit with winter light shows. But Blackpool was the trailblazer. Its famous Illuminations were founded in 1879.
