Böcker av Allan (Visiting Fellow Brodie

As an island nation, Britain is quick to celebrate its maritime history and heritage, but for most of us our relationship with the sea is through the seaside resort. We share more or less fond memories of building sand castles, splashing around in the sea and eating fish and chips, sometimes with a light sprinkle of sand as an accompaniment. However, the vast majority of holidaymakers will never have seen a seaside resort from the air, unless they have gone up in the balloon in the centre of Bournemouth or indulged in a pleasure flight over a resort such as Weston-super-Mare.0This collection of aerial photographs, produced by Aerofilms Ltd mostly between 1920 and 1953, tells the story of England's seaside resorts as holiday destinations, but also as working towns, blessed with the sea as their backdrop. It also illustrates the type of entertainments available for holidaymakers and highlights how the seaside holiday at some resorts became big business with industrial-scale facilities and infrastructure.00'Seaside history is normally viewed at ground or water level, but Allan Brodie's excellent historical commentary on his selection of Aerofilm coastal images taken from early to mid C20 demonstrates what we have already missed. Coastal developments are never static and today, more than ever, is a chance to keep them in the forefront of our minds for the good of the country.' Tim Phillips, architect and vice-chair National Piers Society.

A week on a beach, a day at a spa, a hike in the hills -- tourism is taken for granted today, but over the past 500 years, it has played a significant role in the shaping of modern Britain. Tourism and the Changing Face of Britain traces the story of tourism in Britain from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Two centuries ago Weston-super-Mare was a small, rarely visited village but its location alongside the Severn Estuary soon made it a convenient bathing place for the wealthy inhabitants of Bristol and Bath.

Two centuries of tourism has left behind a rich heritage, but Blackpool has also inherited a legacy of social and economic problems, as well as the need for comprehensive new sea defences to protect the heart of the town.