From the 1930s to the 1960s, millions of British people chose to spend their annual summer break at a holiday camp, taking advantage of the all-included package that provided accommodation, food, and plentiful entertainment. The market leader was Billy Butlin whose camps operated on a vast scale, and offered a brightly colored leisure land in contrast to the drabness of post-war rationing. The holiday camp story, however, goes back to the 1890s, and it continues into the present day with signs of a revival in camp fortunes.

Kathryn Ferry celebrates the communal and the kitsch,...

Behind the enduring popularity of beach huts lies a story of classic British eccentricity. Immensely photogenic and appealing, these colorful seaside buildings are direct successors of the Georgian bathing machine, which first appeared in the 1730s as a peculiar device to protect the modesty of rich and fashionable bathers.
Kathryn Ferry paints a picture postcard view of the classic British seaside holiday through the history of beach huts and bathing machines, revealing how the changing fashions in society shaped their design and development. A fascinating celebration of the evolution...