 In 1909 the famous music
hall singer of the day, Mark Sheridan, recorded the song "I Do Like to
Be Beside the Seaside". The
huge success of the song at the time was due to the ever growing numbers of
British seaside holiday makers. Today
the song is associated with the nostalgia of a traditional weekend by the sea:
an experience celebrated by Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery’s exhibition of
the same name. It will be open from 20th June to 28th
August in the Special Exhibition Gallery.
The exhibition was inspired
by Shropshire Museums’ remarkable collection of early twentieth century glass
lantern slides of Edwardians enjoying the sea air. “These slides were the holiday snaps of the
time. They give us a rare glimpse into the lives of holiday-makers some 100
years ago.” says Emma-Kate Lanyon, Shropshire Museums’ Curator. Unlike many portrait photographs of the
period, many of these pictures are often very informal and show another, more
relaxed, side of Edwardian life.
This superb display of
images is complemented by items from Shropshire Museums’ collection including
costume and contemporary holiday souvenirs.
The exhibition also allows visitors to enjoy some of the many delights
of a coastal resort with a wide range of activities for all the family based on
‘end of the pier’ entertainments.
Among the highlights are: a
replica bathing machine built at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm: a selection
of railway posters evoking the time when packed trains left Shrewsbury heading
for the Welsh coast: a rock pool and beach: Punch and Judy: a display of period bathing costumes and much
more.
The story of the British
seaside is explored from the heyday of the Victorian and Edwardian eras to the
period of post-war decline as car ownership grew and many people took to the
air, bound for the reliable sunshine of Spanish Costas.
Cllr Stuart West, Cabinet Member
for Museums at Shropshire Council said, “This exhibition is a great opportunity
to showcase our wonderful collection of Edwardian photos of coastal resorts and
people enjoying the sea during its golden age. The story of the British seaside
is a fascinating one that we can tell with some wonderful exhibits. I look
forward to seeing it.”
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