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Seaside Began As Health Tourism
- The British seaside began as health tourism after Dr Richard Russell promoted seawater cures in 1752.
- Railways, royal patronage and later bank holidays transformed it into mass leisure across the 19th century.
Seawater Cure Was Both Odd And Influential
- Early cures promoted drinking seawater and naked immersion to absorb minerals, ideas now largely discarded.
- Modern sea-swimming revival echoes historical beliefs that cold seawater benefits wellbeing.
Towns Reinvented Themselves For Tourists
- Many resorts were created or rebranded as seaside towns by local landowners and developers.
- Some existing ports repurposed shipping links and saved struggling economies by attracting visitors.