|
Living by the sea
People have always lived near the sea; it
supplies food and employment. However, people did not choose to
live by the sea unless they had to, it was considered dangerous
and inhospitable. Fishermen built homes in sheltered areas away
from the seashore, protected from extremes of weather. Only the
foolhardy ventured out to sea and surely seasickness was the consequence
of such imprudence? Today, a house with a sea view is considered
very desirable. In less than 300 years, our opinion about the sea
has changed completely.
Sea-change
Many factors contributed to this change in
thinking. In the 18th century there was a gradual shift in how society
viewed the great outdoors, finding parallels in art, poetry and
garden design. The sons of the aristocracy returned from their ‘Grand
Tours’ full of the landscapes they had seen, in real life
and in art. No longer threatening, nature could indeed inspire us
all to ‘noble sentiments’.
Spas to sea-bathing
Wealthy people had established the practice
of ‘taking the cure’ at spas where they would drink
mineral waters and bathe, hoping to restore their health. Of course,
the social life at spas was as important as the cure itself. The
difficulty of travelling abroad to the fashionable continental spas,
caused by the French wars, led to the growth of home-based spas.
It was not long before someone made a connection
between the benefits of the mineral water cure to the potential
of the mineral-laden sea. The leisured classes, always on the lookout
for new playgrounds, and doctors keen to find new patients, quickly
followed the advice of Dr Russell of Lewes in 1750, to take a daily
dip in the sea and to drink a pint of seawater for their health.
By 1800, there were many coastal locations where the sea-water cure
could be obtained.
Coastal resorts in Dorset
In Dorset, sea-bathing was given royal approval
in 1789 when George III emerged from a bathing machine in Weymouth,
to a band playing ‘God Save the King’. Weymouth was
already an established and thriving port. By 1900, it was described
as the ‘English Naples’.
The beginnings of Bournemouth cannot be more
different from those of Weymouth. When George III visited Weymouth,
Bournemouth was an undeveloped area of heathland between Poole and
Christchurch. However, by 1900 the population was almost 60,000
as its reputation as a winter resort grew.
Images of the Dorset Coastline
Images of the Dorset coastline have been
reproduced in a variety of media such as paintings, prints, photographs
and postcards, and on all sorts of souvenirs. People have always
returned from their travels with souvenirs but the growth of mass
tourism created a new market for manufacturers.
Time to spare
The Dorset coastline provides opportunities
for many kinds of leisure activity, whether walking the coast path,
messing about in boats, or lazing on the beach. Our belief in what
is good for us changes with the latest scientific discovery. However,
one belief that has not changed in 300 years is that being by the
sea is about as good as it gets. We still like a ‘good blow’.
Louise Perrin
|
