The Seafront

This book is devoted to the seafront, the space between the seaward ends of seaside piers and the first line of buildings. The seafront is a place that is familiar yet unfamiliar, predictable but exciting, natural but artificial. It is a place to live, work and play, a site for commemoration and remembrance. It is ever-changing, depending on the time of day, the state of the tides and the month of the year. And how we perceive it will be shaped by our age, our gender and our childhood memories.

The Seafront describes a highly complex space that has been created, recreated and adapted over the past 300 years. It tells the story of seaside holidays and how the arrival of increasing numbers of tourists transformed natural coastline into the man-made environments of modern resorts. Themes examined range from the engineering of sea defences, to the provision of tourism infrastructure and from facilities for sea bathing to the fun factories and fun fairs of the 20th century.

The many and diverse aspects of its history, geography, character, function and meaning will be explored and while this study will inevitably focus on the tangible, both natural and man-made, it will also seek to capture something of the spiritual and cultural character of the seafront, is activities, people and memories.

“"Generously illustrated from both historical and present-day sources, Allan Brodie's The Seafront covers the British waterfront in all its glorious architectural eclecticism. His infectious but scholarly enthusiasm for the seaside embraces Regency elegance, mid-twentieth-century kitsch, and such outbursts of contemporary boldness as Thomas Heatherwick's East Beach Cafe at Littlehampton. The book is a fascinating blend of social and architectural history that makes one look again at our rich littoral heritage." Peter Parker, A Magazine”

‘Generously illustrated from both historical and present-day sources, Allan Brodie’s The Seafront covers the British waterfront in all its gloriousarchitectural eclecticism. His infectious but scholarly enthusiasm for the seaside embraces Regency elegance, mid-twentieth-century kitsch, and suchoutbursts of contemporary boldness as Thomas Heatherwick’s East Beach Café at Littlehampton. The boo is a fascinating blend of social and architectural history that makes one look again at our rich littoral heritage.’
Peter Parker, A Magazine

Allan Brodie is a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University. He is the author of a number of books about the history of tourism and seaside resorts. He is also the author of books on military history and prisons.

Underground mine and quarry workings are to be found in all counties in England. This little-seen and often exciting world has workings that are different from each other in terms of what was extracted and how this was achieved. The archaeological evidence allows us to interpret what was being done and when this took place. Some places have impressive workings and these have such things as engine chambers, arched levels, deep shafts, underground canals, drainage soughs, and discarded equipment.This book presents a detailed introduction to the underground mining and quarrying heritage in England. It reviews the many types of mineral and stone taken from the ground over several millennia and also looks at the wide range of archaeological remains that survive today and are accessible to those who venture underground. It is designed to illustrate the many and varied wonders to be found underground and give the reader ways forward should they wish to follow up their interest in particular types of extraction or what is present in their region. An introduction to the underground mining and quarrying heritage in England Contains descriptions of all known underground products and all important archaeological features with emphasis on particularly rare and important sites* Extensive glossary contains explanation of mining terms

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