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 Great Yarmouth and Gorleston
Beside the Sea
Colin Tooke
The first seaside visitors came not for pleasure but on a more serious mission, to `take the waters“ in an attempt to cure all kinds of ailments.
They were advised to not only immerse themselves in sea water but also to drink it in large quantities while seeking the elusive cure. It was not until the mid nineteenth century that the Victorians began to discover the pleasures that a stay at the seaside could bring, and resorts such as Great Yarmouth began to develop the amenities and entertainment that the ever-increasing numbers of visitors required. Piers were built, Minstrel shows entertained and hotels and boarding houses appeared. By the turn of the century Gorleston was catering for the seaside visitor and throughout the first half of the twentieth century both resorts expanded and a new industry flourished. The `big name“ seaside show became a national institution and for most of the population a holiday meant time spent at the seaside. It was not until the 1960“s that foreign holidays began to replace the traditional bucket-and -spade seaside holiday.
This book traces the history of seaside holidays at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston in words and pictures from the mid eighteenth century to the present day.
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