British Summer Holidays

Franklin Spencer was the Punch and Judy man. His Punch voice (produced by a device held in his mouth called a swazzle) was amplified by means of the loudspeaker to the right of the stage. The 1891 Pier Pavilion (centre) stands at the entrance to the pier, and at the end of the pier twin lighthouses flank the harbour mouth.

Enjoyable seaside holiday activities never change, for the greatest joys of such a vacation are always the simplest. Here children paddle and play with toy boats in Boscombe's park.

Judging from the picture, these cars were definitely big boys' toys. The cars rattled and juddered around the circuit, and on hot days there was always the pervading smell of burning oil.

Holiday chalets were an important part of the holiday scene when this view of a camp on the north bay was taken. Small buildings with Spartan facilities provided an inexpensive holiday for many people for whom even staying in a boarding house or hotel was beyond their financial reach. Entertainment in these chalet areas was essentially self-made. At the time, television was still a growing medium: the only channel available in Scarborough was the BBC, and only a small proportion of the population had sets.

The ability of some landowners to capitalise on the demand for cheap accommodation after the war led to a large number of caravan sites, such as Winkups, springing up around the Welsh coast, as elsewhere in Britain; this was before planning laws would seek to limit their growth as some sites became extensive.

Swalecliffe is two miles east of Whitstable and a popular area for holidaymakers. Here campers queue up at the camp shop for their daily newspaper, milk, bread and so on. Three other campers enjoy the pleasure of riding a four-wheeled cycle. Looks like a wonderful British Summer holiday to us! We hope you've enjoyed seeing this special selection of photographs from The Francis Frith Collection.