Scarborough lays claim to being the first seaside resort in the world with tourists flocking to the East Coast in search of health-giving spa waters as early as the 1600s. However, it was in the 19th century that town really boomed with the railways bringing tourism to the masses.
The Nation's Oldest Seaside Resort
Cape May is located on Cape Island, the southernmost tip of New Jersey where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.
A Dr Wittie book about the spa waters published in 1660 was a huge catalyst for visitors to 'Scarborough Spa' and the town became Britain's first seaside resort.
But which town was Britain's first seaside resort? That was Weymouth. In 1789 King George III started a fashion for sunbathing there. Unrelatedly, it was also the place where the Black Death was introduced into England in 1348.
Ravenscar is a quirky village built on spectacular cliffs. During Victorian times there were big plans for the village to rival Scarborough and Whitby, until the company responsible for its development became bankrupt.
British Seaside Resorts History
Seaside resorts first developed in Britain in the 1700s when the practice of taking the waters, popular at spa towns, extended to the coast.
Amesbury along with Stonehenge in Wiltshire is claimed to be Britain's oldest settlement, dating back to 8820 BC according to a project led by the University of Buckingham. The place is said to have been a transport point with the River Avon acting as a transit route.
Chysauster is one of the best-preserved ancient villages in Britain. A close-knit community lived and worked here between the late 1st century and the end of the 3rd century AD, a time when much of Britain was under Roman rule.
On July 12, 1896, Revere Beach was opened as the first public beach in the nation. An estimated 45,000 people showed up on opening day.
Like so many other ambitious pioneers in the late nineteenth century, Seaside's founder, Dr. John Roberts left New York in 1887 for California and settled near relatives in Pacific Grove. He and his uncle bought 160 acres from the David Jacks Corporation, which he divided into 1,000 lots for sale as vacation property.
Seaside holidays first started in Britain during the 1700s. At this time, it was only the rich people who went to the seaside. Very rich people often owned a second home at the seaside. The first British seaside town was in Scarborough.
Skegness has been voted as the worst seaside town in the country, according to Brits. In a new survey conducted by Which?, the tourist destination - which is the closest seaside town to Leciestershire - tied in last place with Clacton-on-Sea with a score of 48 per cent.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Considered by most to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe, Plovdiv is a city that continues to evolve and develop. People have lived in Bulgaria's second-largest city for 8,000 years, but a blossoming restaurant and cafe scene showcases Plovdiv's thirst for excitement.
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans, around 1600
Reputedly the 'oldest public house in England', Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, Hertfordshire, has the most substantial claim to be England's oldest pub.
Jericho, Palestine
A small city with a population of 20,000 people, Jericho, which is located in Palestine, is believed to be the oldest city in the world. Indeed, some of the earliest archeological evidence from the area dates back 11,000 years.
Porthcurno Beach, Cornwall
Our research found that Porthcurno Beach in Cornwall is the warmest beach in the UK outside of summer, making this a must-visit during your Cornwall vacation.
Britain's most expensive seaside town is Salcombe in Devon - with an average house price of more than £1.2m in 2022, according to Halifax.
Homo heidelbergensis
Tall and imposing, this early human species is the first for whom we have fossil evidence in Britain: a leg bone and two teeth found at Boxgrove in West Sussex. Living here about 500,000 years ago these people skilfully butchered large animals, leaving behind many horse, deer and rhinoceros bones.
Unemployment was very low in the 1950s and it was a long period of prosperity. In the early part of the decade, there was still rationing. However, food rationing ended in 1954. In the 1950s living standards in Britain rose considerably.
Palaeolithic. The Lower Palaeolithic period in the British Isles saw the region's first known habitation by early hominids, specifically the extinct Homo heidelbergensis.