To the Sea by Train

Throughout the summer months of the twentieth century, the seaside service posters of the London & North Eastern Railway promised fresh air and frivolity to millions with the phrase: ''To the sea by train''. The British seaside holiday is both a staple of modern life and a charming pillar of history. It is also intertwined with the railways, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from gloomy inner cities to the sandy beaches of Yorkshire and Sussex - some of whom had never seen the sea before. With his signature wit and ear for anecdote, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: the development of supposedly health-giving spas like Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts; Bank Holidays from 1871; the 48-hour weekend in the 1930s; the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and the coming of cheap flights and the decline of the seaside. Wayward, witty and atmospheric, To the Sea by Train is a joyful history of Britain''s most iconic past-time.

Préface
A delightfully entertaining history of the seaside getaway, from Britain's 'Bard of the Buffer'

Auteur

Andrew Martin is a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction books, some with a railway theme. His previous railway books for Profile are Underground, Overground, Night Trains, Belles & Whistles and Steam Trains Today. He is also the author of Seats of London, about the seat coverings (or moquette) on London Tubes and buses. Powder Smoke, the tenth title in Andrew's award-winning series of novels featuring the railway policeman, Jim Stringer, was published recently in paperback. (Other titles in this series include The Necropolis Railway, Death on a Branch Line, The Last Train to Scarborough.) Andrew's memoir, Yorkshire - There and Back, is out now in hardback. His website is at jimstringernovels.com.