While the lido was described as bringing “modernism to the masses” on the British coast it was just the latest example of a trend that had been developing since Victorian times – transforming seaside towns into resorts for leisure and entertainment. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the fashion was for local authorities to build great piers stretching from the promenade out into the sea. The Eastbourne Pier, pictured here in May 1931, was erected between 1866 and 1870 to an ingenious design by Eugenius Birch, which saw the structure sitting on special cups allowing the supporting struts to “move” in bad weather. Arranged on the pier's 1,000-foot length were kiosks, a theatre, a ballroom and a camera obscura. 1931. (Photo by Aerofilms Collection via “A History of Britain From Above”)

A seagull who turned bright orange after he plunged into a vat of chicken tikka masala in Beckford, England on June 9, 2016. The bird fell into a container of the food while trying to scavenge a piece of meat from a food factory bin in Wales. (Photo by Vale Wildlife Hospital/PA Wire)

Jennifer Oeser of Germany competes in the Women's Heptathlon Long Jump on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Jakelyne Oliveira, Miss Brazil 2013 performs onstage during the Miss Universe 2013 preliminary competition in Moscow, Russia, 05 November 2013. The final of the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant will take place at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on 09 November. (Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)

An Indian girl smiles under a water splash at a water park as the temperatures reached 38 degree Celsius in Calcutta, eastern India, 12 June 2016. The summer or pre-monsoon season lasts from March to July in eastern India with the highest day temperatures ranging from 38 to 45 degrees Celsius. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA)

A fan of Serbia scuffles with Albania's Mergim Mavraj during their Euro 2016 Group I qualifying soccer match at the FK Partizan stadium in Belgrade October 14, 2014. The Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned on Tuesday following a brawl between players from both sides. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

“A skydiver has made history by smashing the world record for the highest skydive after leaping from 128,097ft (39,044m). Daredevil Felix Baumgartner ascended to the edge of space in a pressurised capsule suspended beneath a giant helium balloon. He then jumped out, freefalling for four minutes and 19 seconds before opening his parachute”.

Photo: Baumgartner celebrates after successfully completing the jump. (Photo by Balazs Gardi/Red Bull Stratos)

Kourtney Roy makes eerie self-portraits in desolate yet dramatic locations – with wigs and wardrobe straight out of 1950s melodrama. In these shots, from her “Enter as Fiction – California” series, she plays characters caught in desolate, often abandoned settings. (Photo by Kourtney Roy/Galerie Catherine et André Hug/The Guardian)