The British love affair with seaside holidays can be traced back to the late 18th century, when sea bathing for health became fashionable among the upper classes. But it really took off for everyone else during the Victorian period (roughly between 1820 and 1914), when the first railways started operating around the UK. This influx of visitors helped coastal villages to flourish into seaside towns. While some remain popular today, many have been in decline since the 1970s when cheap holidays abroad started taking off.

Click through the gallery to see fascinating 'then and now' photos of the UK's prettiest seaside towns...