Figure 1.--This sandcastle competition was held in Lytham St Annes during 1952. Notice all the boys wearing sea caps. I don't think that they all cam from school, but rather that the school cap was still widely worn.

There were a wide range of activities at the beach. This varied somewhat chronolically. The most important activity might be thought of as sea bathing. In early years this was not nearly as important as it is now. This ws because until, the 20th century, many people did not know how to swim. Age was also a factor here. Younger children might be only allowed to paddle along the beach. A favorite activity was in fact playing in the sand. This was a wonderful activity for children, alowing them to exercise their creativity. All could participate as it didn't cost anything. The younger children could just play with their sand bucket and shovels. The older more serious children could engage in competitions. While both boys and girls loved to play in the sand, it was usually the boys who were the most serious and engaged in the competitions. Building sand castles became an art. We know that this was very popular in America and Britain and suspect it was a popular activity in many other countries as well. And there was a wide range of rides and activities which developoed for children and adults at major beach resports as covered above.

Specific Activities

There were a wide range of activities at the beach. We are not sure at this time just how popular different activities were at the seaside. Certainly the younger children loved to play in the sand. This is still the case today. Many early seaside photographs show children playing in the sand and engaging in other play along the beach. We are not sure just how popular swimming was in the early 20th century. Many photographs show the children doing just about evedrything--except swiming. There were of course other activites. Many resorts had boardwalks and piers with a swide range of entertaiments. There was also of course boating and fishing. Here there appears to have been differences among countries as well as over time.

Swimming

The most important activity might be thought of as sea bathing or swimming. We are not sure just how popular swimming was in the early 20th century, but in the 19th century and early 20th century, swimming does not seem to be nearly as important as it is now. We know there was some seimming even in the 18th century. Beachgoers in the 18th and 19th century would hire carriages to take them out deep enpugh so they could not be seen in their bathing costumes. I think that this was primarily for women, but am not positive. Many photographs at the turn of the 20yh century show the children doing just about evedrything--except swimming. I am not entirely sure why. One factor is that until, the 20th century, many people did not know how to swim. There seems to have been differences here among countries. Age was also a factor here. Younger children might be only allowed to paddle along the beach. Many early seaside photographs show children playing in the sand and engaging in other play along the beach.

Sports

Some sports are popular at the beach, including volleyball and throwing frisbees. This seems, however, a relatively recent development. Football is also a game played at the beach.

Sand castles

A favorite activity was in fact playing in the sand. This was a wonderful activity for children, alowing them to exercise their creativity. All could participate as it didn't cost anything. The younger children could just play with their sand bucket and shovels. The older more serious children could engage in competitions. While both boys and girls loved to play in the sand, it was usually the boys who were the most serious and engaged in the competitions. Building sand castles became an art. We know that this was very popular in America and Britain and suspect it was a popular activity in many other countries as well.

Food

There was a wide range of treat foods. In America some of the favorites were salt-water taffey, cotton candy, and hotdogs. I'm not sure about other countries.

Other activities

And there was a wide range of rides and activities which developed for children and adults at major beach resports as covered above. Many resorts had boardwalks and piers with a swide range of entertaiments. There was also of course boating and fishing. Here there appears to have been differences among countries as well as over time.

Chronologies

Beach activities varied somewhat chronolically.

Image

The British image here is interesting in a number of regards (figure 1). Many of the boys wear school caps and suit jackets. This seems a bit strange to the modern reader who would never wear a uit to thebeavh, but was quite common in fact in England. A British reader writes, "The school cap was worn away from school. It tended not to be the one you wore to school but one without the school crest on it. Then we stopped wearing caps sometime in the middle 1950s. We did wear suits at the seaside. I was bought a suit about the end of June and it was worn for the first time when you were on vacation. We tended to dress up then when we were on holiday. More casual clothes would be worn as the week progressed. I last went to the seaside in a suit in 1960. I was at Brighton and I got oil on my trousers and had to have them cleaned." Caps worn without a school crest for leisure wear would have been part of school clothes if the school did not have a uniform. However sometime in the 1950's it went out of fashion and caps other than those part of a school uniform were not worn with leisure wear but there were still boys who did wear caps but this would be outings into town or other occasions when you wore your best suit. The second part of the image shows even more boys wearing suit jackets.

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Created: November 14, 2003
Last updated: 11:10 PM 11/5/2005