Clacton-on-sea Through Time

by Rouse, Michael

• ISBN13: 9781848685420
• ISBN10: 1848685424
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-15
• Publisher: Amberley Publishing

Summary

Peter Bruff's Victorian vision of a new cliff-top seaside resort on the Essex coast created Clacton-on-Sea, which got off to a slow start, began to prosper during the early years of the twentieth century and then flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, becoming one of the country's leading holiday destinations. Always popular with London day-trippers, it offered everything in sea and sand, accommodation and entertainment. After the war, Clacton was quickly back in business and crowded with holidaymakers, but like most British resorts it suffered from the effect of cheap foreign holidays in the seventies and a decline in its fortunes set in. Today, it is fighting back. Michael Rouse's selection of old photographs captures the heyday of Clacton, while the modern photographs record the inevitable changes, but show there are many reasons to be optimistic for the future of the seaside holiday.

Author Biography

Ely-born Michael Rouse specialises in local history books, especially photographic collections, of which he has put together a great number including Ely in Old Postcards and A View in Cambridgeshire. He edited the official guide to the city of Ely for some 20 years, and has written numerous freelance articles for magazines. After some years teaching at Soham Village College, he now does storytelling at Ely Museum and takes photographs for Viva Youth Theatre in Soham. He also acts as a local councillor for Ely.