The increasing amount of holiday time given to workers also made seaside holidays possible for anybody who wanted a ‘sun and fun’ filled break. By 1938 the government introduced a Holidays with Pay Act which benefited people who had not previously had the luxury of paid holidays. As well as paid holidays, workers wages were also on the rise, making it possible for people to afford accommodation and their own transport to reach their destination.
In 1901, just 32,000 cars were on the road. This had risen to 109,000 in 1919, 1,000,000 in 1930 and 2,000,000 in 1939. The average price of an average small family car was £225 when it was released in 1922, with the price almost halved to £118 about ten years later. An advantage to the growing population of car owners was the fact that speed limits on the roads were about to become more lenient. 1903 saw the speed limits raised from a meagre 2 miles per hour to a staggering 20 mph, and then up again to 30 mph by the start of the 1930’s. This meant that more people in the local area would have had the possibility of going to Weston for a day trip in the summertime or for the Bank Holidays.
All these factors all would have helped Weston become more developed as a seaside resort.
Below are some of the ways that Weston evolved into a bigger, better and louder place to be.
In 1904, Weston’s main attraction as a seaside resort, the Birnbeck Pier, was overshadowed by the new Grand Pier. Situated right in the middle of the towns’ main built up area opposite Regent Street, the Grand Pier had a main pavilion which could sit 2000 people for music events, as well as having other forms of entertainment. The old pier had approximately the same 1000 foot length as the new one but was then forced to close its amusements when the Grand Pier opened its own in the 1930’s.
Knightstone Island had its Baths built in 1902 which accompanied the theatre and a pavilion which was used for all sorts of things ranging from cinema and plays to light opera. The Winter Gardens which were built some years after the first world war, also had a pavilion which was used for the same kinds of thing as its brother over on Knightstone Island. Weston’s Open Air Pool would have been a huge attraction when it was built in 1937, containing an Olympic standard diving stage, purified sea water and enough space for over 1,500 swimmers with more room for sunbathers. It was the biggest pool in Europe.
A very key feature in the development in Weston though, would have been Weston Airport which was opened in 1936. Situated to the east of the resort, it would have seen huge numbers of people brought in from over the channel. It also would have been good at creating revenue and providing jobs around the area.
In conclusion, the main features that affected the development of holidays were the invention of the car and the increase in the speed limit, the changing of working hours and pay, and the change in public attitudes to seaside resorts. Weston was affected by all these things as well as it ever-expanding array of public buildings and other man-made attractions.
