British seaside kitsch has long been one of my favourite little obsessions, and this article in the Guardian contains quite a bit of it. As a Brit it tugged at my heartstrings and will hopefully amuse any reader familiar, or unfamiliar, with the nature of our lowbrow cultural wonders.
The article features insights from eight contributors, including the excellent Wayne Hemingway. Each examines a facet of the glorious tradition of the British seaside experience: the haven of the beach hut, the rowdy caravan park, the silly 60’s marvel of the Llandudno cable car, the questionable delights of Mumbles Pier – it’s all here.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve heard of these places. If you have an appreciation for the kitsch and the poignant, then this article is for you. If you happen to find British culture intriguing, this will deepen your understanding of our odd little island. Besides, there are US equivalents: the Hamptons are contrasted with Pett Level, “a hinterland of a hinterland of a dump”, while Las Vegas and Blackpool are deliciously and inevitably mentioned in the same sentence. Both comparisons are, of course, as whimsical as the British seaside itself. But they perfectly illustrate what British seaside kitsch is all about really: our best attempt to breathe a little fun and colour – and maybe even some glamour – into the landscape of mundanity that is British life. Once upon a time, before foreign holidays became all the rage, that was good enough.
