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 man jokingly poses with a new installation of British graffiti artist Banksy's art in New York, October 20, 2013. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Musher Michael Ruopp of Germany starts with his sled dogs at the 23rd International Sled Dog Race in Oberhof, central Germany, Sunday, February 24, 2013. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP Photo)

Edward Nunn of the USA, Toney Freeman of the USA and Dexter Jackson of the USA pose during the IFBB Australia Pro Grand Prix XII at The Plenary on March 9, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone)

Dustin Murley (L) and Jessey Sisson race on their ostriches during the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Arizona March 10, 2013. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Reuters)

In this Thursday, April 11, 2013 photo, North Korean female soldiers stand watch on the river bank of the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite to the Chinese border city of Dandong. (Photo by AP Photo)

People move through a waterlogged street in Gauhati, India, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Heavy showers flooded some areas in the city on Tuesday. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)