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We are looking north-west across Towan Beach towards the harbour, one of the more sheltered on this exposed coast, built in the lee of Towan Head which protects it from the brunt of the ferocious Atlantic

A typical late Victorian beach scene, with donkey rides, a complete absence of skin exposed to the sun, and a photographer's equipment - a tripod and a cart for storing the glass plates - to the left of

Here we can see the busy beach scene complete with the 19th- century pier.

Here we can see the busy beach scene complete with the 19th-century pier.

A delightful evocative view of the 1950s showing, on the left, the beach in full use. Classic car enthusiasts will enjoy identifying the cars parked to the right of the quay.

It is a clear and sunny day, but very few people are on the beach. Felixstowe developed as a resort after the Empress of Germany stayed here in 1891.

Margate's famous Jubilee clock tower is prominent in this picture of the beach.

The characteristic mid-Victorian, family-orientated, open-air seaside culture, which offered a satisfaction of its own, and the town's secure, peaceful ambience is captured in this view of the beach.

Built on the opposite side of the beach to the harbour in the mid 19th century, Hartland Terrace still has some of its original buildings despite the encroachment of hotels.

The natural scenery of the Bournemouth coastline dictated the way the new town developed.

Fishing boats and pleasure boats crowd the harbour close under the pier, while holiday-makers throng the beach.

The cliff has a tendency to crumble, and has blocked the path to the beach several times in recent years. The white mass on the hillside in the distance is Clovelly.

The tide is well and truly out. In those days, the beach area would often be a hive of activity, including donkey rides, ice cream and sweet stalls, shell fish and oyster sellers.

Early visitors faced a long climb to Babbacombe after a day on the beaches, but in the 1920s a cliff railway - still in use today - was built, making the journey much easier.

Doubtless state-of-the-art in 1955, these flat-roofed terraced beach huts typify the immense popularity of the post-War summer seaside holiday and day trips, but have long been demolished.

Visitors to the great sandy beach at Perranporth can also explore the caves and arches in the cliffs on the west side at low tide.

Another view of the beach at Canvey Island shows children busily playing around the many deckchairs. Most of the older holidaymakers are well wrapped up against the cold.

Fern Pit, at the mouth of the Gannel, was owned by generations of Northeys, who also ran the ferry to Crantock, which is in the background on the other side of Crantock Beach.

Holidaymakers enjoy themselves on Margate Beach. Note the prams in the centre of the picture, and that virtually everyone seems to be fully clothed and wearing a hat of some sort.

Little more than a shingle beach protects the Moot Hall. Once it was centrally placed in the town, but the sea has carried away a number of streets, finally pausing here.

A tremendous visual change here is that there are now no breakwater defences along the beach. The bathing huts are still there, and so is the glorious sand.

Fishing boats, still all sailing craft at this date, are moored in the shelter of the two piers.

Sail boats and bathing machines dominate the beach area between the North Pier and the South Jetty. In the distance we get some idea of the development of this end of the town.

Charlie's Mast overlooks the boating pool, which seems to be the only form of children's entertainment left on the beach area. In its turn, the pool was removed as a health hazard during the 1980s.