Georgian Brighton

Illustrated mainly with contemporary prints, this is an in-depth study of the decline of Brighton as a fishing town and its regeneration as one of the country' first seaside resorts from the 1750s. The early archives are not as good as they are for many towns but good enough to show just how important tourism was - and that it was neither Dr Russell nor George, Prince of Wales who were mainly responsible for the development of tourism but the fashion for the seaside and, the lure of the coastline during the Napoleonic Wars when the great majority of the visitors seemed to feel that the presence of thousands of soldiers along the coast made it safe to visit. And the officers, as Jane Austen recognised, were a lure for young ladies.