During the Victorian era seaside resorts around the coast of Britain grew as more and more people took holidays by the sea. With the expansion of the railways tens of thousands of Britons took an annual holiday at the seaside, drawn by the attractive seaside resorts.

In a bid to draw the waves of tourists, seaside towns across Britain commissioned architects and planners to design and build the very best piers, lidos, hotels, pleasure gardens and pavilions with which to tempt the holiday-goers. The British seaside holiday has passed its zenith, yet it has left a rich legacy of beautiful and important buildings represent an important architectural, social and cultural asset to Britain.

This website contains a history of two south coast seaside attractions - the West Pier Brighton and the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea - along with photographs, illustrations and links to websites of interest.

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