To the Sea by Train

Throughout the twentieth century, the seaside service posters of Britain's railways promised fresh air and frivolity to millions of urban dwellers with the phrase: ''To the sea by train''. A staple of modern British life, the seaside getaway was intertwined with the train, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from smog-choked cities to sandy coves.

With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways, from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the subsequent decline in the popularity of the British coast.

Martin uses references from the literature of the time to show how these trains and seaside resorts were viewed and thought of in their heyday. Humorous and evocative, To the Sea by Train is a charming bit of social history.