Sex, Sea and Swimming Trunks
Excerpts from Chapter 3, excluding footnotes.
The rise and fall of the great British seaside.
The Fountain of Health
Just for Fun
Piers were a very important part of the scene. The first to be built was at Southend-on-Sea in 1830. It was rammed six times by ships, eventually being rebuilt in 1889. During the 1890s, it was extended repeatedly until eventually it reached out into the sea some 7,080 feet, making it the longest pleasure pier in the world.
Middle class people in particular enjoyed strolling along the piers of England, imagining themselves at sea aboard a luxury liner just as though they were part of the upper class. Even the way they dressed added to the illusion and helped them to imitate their 'betters'. Thus the pier and the promenade established themselves as essential holiday amenities.
The desire of holidaymakers to feel good about themselves led to the introduction of 'The Visitor Book' into hotels and guesthouses. In Southport, for example, the local newspaper was actually called:The Visitor. Snobbery was thus encouraged, as holidaymakers kept watch for those with status staying at the resort. People delighted to boast about those with whom they had holidayed, even if in reality this only amounted to a passing glance.
At first the working classes visited only for the day, travelling from nearby towns, mostly by train. From London though, you could travel by steamship to Margate Hoy and many did, docking at the pier of their holiday destination. By 1900 the middle classes were spending between one and two weeks by the sea. The connection between one's status and one's holiday was thus established and has continued for the last hundred years.
For working class people the seaside held a great attraction. Having been pulled into the towns by the magnetism of the Industrial Revolution, they longed for the freedom of the countryside that they could so well remember. A day trip to the coast was in sharp contrast to the squalid conditions they had to endure on a daily basis back home. A day by the sea was in effect an escape from everyday reality and the sense of release and excitement was very evident. Working class people were less sophisticated than those who viewed themselves as their betters. Their behaviour often shocked because they were so much more open about sexuality than the upper classes. The beach proved to be a great amusement to these visitors. Concert parties didn't start until mid-afternoon, so young couples entertained themselves on the beach, their displays of affection being another cause for concern.
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'Pray excuse me madam, my bathing-machine I think!' |
There was also plenty to see near the bathing machines. Men, regardless of class, found the prospect of seeing scantily clad or even naked ladies (as was the case in the early days), descending into the sea from their bathing machines quite irresistible. Even when costumes were worn, they would cling when wet and many became transparent. On the whole, ladies came to bathe rather than to swim and they especially enjoyed having the waves wash over them as they lay in the shallows. The waves would wash their dresses up, exposing even more to the spectators. For the sake of appearances a telescope enabled 'gentlemen' to keep a discreet distance. Many seaside councils capitalised on this and found a good way to make a few pennies out of visitors by providing telescopes for public use, despite the fact that 'peeping Toms' were officially disapproved of.
The atmosphere of freedom on the beach was reflected in the profusion of postcards featuring sexual humour. Working class visitors proved very receptive to these naughty postcards. Conversely, the prudish middle classes began to seek out quieter places, with some even travelling abroad to escape association with the 'riff raff.'
Visitors to the seaside came at first to partake of the waters, in much the same way as did visitors to the health spas. This meant that people were coming tobathein the sea, rather than to swim. Most simply wanted to paddle at the water's edge and this led to a conflict of interest between the two groups. Paddlers could simply slip off their shoes and roll up their trousers or lift their skirts, whereas swimmers insisted on swimming in the nude, with bathers coming somewhere in-between. Today we see the seaside holiday as an opportunity to sunbathe but this was not part of the experience in these early days. Day-trippers did not want to waste their time queuing up for bathing machines, but preferred to enjoy themselves exuberantly on the water's edge.
The bathing machine provided the 'respectable' lady with a means of privately undressing, whilst being transported to waters deep enough to cover her nakedness. This shed on wheels was not of course ideal as things were rather rushed. After waiting her turn to use the machine she would find a soggy dark interior in which she was expected to change, even though the machine was in motion, bumping and jolting over the sand and into the shallows. The seaward doors were then flung open and she was expected to immediately descend the steps in full view of the assembled audience. It is amusing to think of these poor women being torn between the desire to have their nakedness covered by the seawater and their reluctance to plunge into the cold restlessness of their ally. Additionally, the pressure from the bathing attendant to hurry things up was often vocalised as they were very anxious to accommodate as many customers as possible each day. Waiting rooms were full and so many adventurers were more or less pushed into the briny by these attendants to speed things along. On returning to the machine, our lady would find the floor awash with salt water, a sight that proved less than welcoming as a changing surface. The doors would close tight behind her and she would then try to dry and dress herself as the'shed' lurched back up the sand behind its horse.
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The first bathing machines appeared in Scarborough and Margate. Later, modesty hoods were added to prevent the users being exposed as they descended the steps into the sea. By the early 19thcentury, men were also expected to use these contraptions and as you can imagine, this did not go down at all well. More...
The End of Innocence
Attitudes Change
Holidays in the Sun
Bristol Evening Post: "IT'S happened quietly, insidiously even, but within a generation outdoor swimming in this country - now known as "wild swimming" - has virtually come to an end."
"Sea bathing is still popular, of course, if the weather is right, but swimming in rivers, lakes and ponds has been discouraged, mostly because of fears of pollution, paedophile concerns and ever more stringent health and safety regulations."
"...the whole story makes for a fascinating social history."
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