Decline and rejuvenation
- frivolous – behaving in a silly way rather than doing serious or sensible things
- heyday – the time when something was most popular, successful, or powerful
- staycation – A holiday spent in your own country
- rejuvenation – When something is given a new life
- globetrotting – Travelling around the world
The heyday
- quintessentially – Very typically
- straitlaced – Strict manners
- deteriorated – Got in a bad condition
- let their hair down – Relax and enjoy
Royal connections
- The transformation of seaside towns into resorts started in 1789 when King George III was advised to spend time close to the sea for his health.
- He favoured Brighton as it was closer to the capital than Weymouth, and this resulted in the rapid growth and popularity of the resort and its nickname of ‘London by the sea’.
- The heyday of the seaside resorts in the UK came in the late 1940s, in the post-war years.
- The British love affair with the seaside came to a sudden end in the late 20th century when cheap flights made it more affordable to visit other countries, where the weather was better and more reliable.
- However, today, after decades of globetrotting, the popularity of the ‘staycation’, whether for economic reasons or through choice, is growing again.