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Admin moved page What is the history of going to the beach? to What is the history of going to the beach
[[File:4.-Cabine-de-bains-hippomobile-Arcachon-©Archives-Municipales-dArcachon.jpg|thumbnail|left|Figure 1. Bathing rolling machines, such as this, allowed bathers to be moved to the beach where they can then dive in, limiting their exposure and potentially seen as immodest by others.]]__NOTOC__
If you live near the sea, then summer also means going to the beach and having a swim or getting a tan. This seems so natural for many of us during warm summer days. However, the beach was not always seen as a destination to relax or enjoy one's time. Things we do today at the beach would be seen as immodest and offensive not long ago. The origins of going to the beach as part of summer or even a holiday are somewhat unexpected and took time to develop into its modern form.
The beginnings of mass consumption of going to the beach can be traced to the reign of King George IV, who made Brighton in the 1820s a resort town, which it is still today, for Londoners wanting to escape urban life. Hotels and venues for leisure were beginning to be built at this time. The beach was now seen as part of the escape from the big city, but visiting the beach was still mainly an upper-class privilege. Landscape paintings by this time, and going into the early Victorian period in the 1840s, began to paint the beach as part of a picturesque landscape in enjoying nature's beauty. This helped attract people to beaches as beaches began to be seen for their beauty as a place to enjoy. However, most people would not swim and modesty rules of the day made bathing somewhat complex.<ref>For more on how the British developed the idea of visiting a beach for the masses, see: Jenkinson, Jo. 2015. <i>The Lure of the Beach: A History of Public Bathing in Brighton</i>. Brighton Historical Society (Vic.).</ref>
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====Later Changes====
Today the beach is so popular that we have so-called 'fake' beaches, with artificial sand placed in some areas to create a beach-like atmosphere. Additionally, sports such as surfing, beach volleyball, all of which became popular from the 1960s and later, began to make the beach more diverse in the type of activities it offered. Swimwear and public attitudes towards health and swimming shifted, allowing both sexes to feel more free in publicly swimming, particularly in Britain and the United States.
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====References====
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[[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:Cultural History]] [[Category: British History]]
