by Colin Wilson
The wider answer is that they play a number of crucial roles in our life.
Recreation, of course, providing enjoyment and promoting health and well-being. They are critical habitats for various species, which are essential for biodiversity. They act as natural barriers against storms and erosion. They are community spaces for events and cultural activities and are part of our heritage.
And then there is the (often contentious) issue of the environment.
Despite the best efforts of specialists in the field, campaigners, volunteers and even (on occasions) governments, the seemingly unregulated water companies appear to be doing their best – certainly if you live in the UK – to ruin them, courtesy of untreated sewage.
The preservation of our beaches, however, is essential for maintaining these benefits, not only for us all now but for future generations.
The UK’s Environment Agency will tell you that the cleanliness of our beaches has improved over the last couple of decades (well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?), but a quick look at the map on the Swimfo section of their own website shows an alarming number of ‘red for danger’ signs, marking beaches where even they advise against bathing.
The problem is not made any better sometimes by irresponsible individuals, leaving behind litter and dog mess after a trip to the beach. It only takes a couple of minutes to dispose of your litter or take it home with you, whilst dog poo contaminates the sea with E. coli, which can make people sick, not to mention being very unpleasant if you happen to stand on some. Other litter, like single-use plastics, can also devastate sea life and birds.
Laws
Having a fun day out at the beach is nothing new, but how has it changed over the years? Especially with regard to what clothing, if any, people wear on the beach?
Until 1860, there were no laws in the UK against nude swimming, and each town and county could make their own rules regarding this. In fact, wearing a swimsuit is a fairly recent idea. Prior to the 1800s, it was not uncommon for people to swim naked, or at least in their underwear. By the Victorian era, however, nudity was seen as abhorrent, and people took great effort to cover themselves and ensure their modesty, particularly in public.
I was recently looking through my collection of old photos and found a family portrait taken on Hastings beach around 1907. It shows my grandparents, great-grandparents, and a great-uncle and aunt. Back then, very few people owned cameras, so to have a portrait taken by a photographer on the beach was popular.
The one I have was taken by Pearson, who modestly described himself as “The world’s photographer.”
Everyone in the photo is dressed in their Sunday best. They are posed in front of a bathing machine, a popular contraption that was in use until the early 20th century. The use of such a machine was to be observed by both men and women who wished to behave “respectably.”
Especially in Britain, bathing for men and women was usually segregated so that people of the opposite sex would not even see each other in their bathing suits. It was not considered proper clothing in which to be seen in public. I wonder what they did for ‘fun’ on the beach, dressed up to the nines on a hot sunny day, as also shown in other photos from the Pearson archives?
Coming into the modern era, being naked on the beach has become much more accepted, albeit not in all circles. Suffice to say, a lot of us do enjoy visiting our favourite naturist beaches.
Just leave your dog at home, and take your litter with you, please.