Britain has not experienced a successful invasion
since 1066. But fears remained along the vulnerable south-eastern
coast of England, especially with the advent of aerial warfare.
During the second world war, with the Battle of Britain in 1940,
war finally came to mainland Britain. This resulted in highly
innovative landscape paintings by Paul Nash and other war artists.
From the eighteenth century onwards, the southern
counties and coastline were the first line of defence, above
all for London. But increasingly they also became the playground
of the metropolis, giving rise to modern seaside tourism. The
seaside resort was invented during the eighteenth century. Visitor
numbers grew rapidly during the Victorian period, with the opening
of railway links. By 1911 over half the population of England
and Wales made one seaside trip per year. Many paintings included
here, by JMW Turner, John Constable, William Dyce, Walter Sickert
and others, picture this national pastime.
The appeal of the coast and the countryside as
an escape from the city also satisfied concerns about the moral
and physical health of the nation. Rural and coastal villages
came to represent an unspoilt element of national culture, in
perfect harmony with nature. This ideal played an important
part in war propaganda, as a traditional way of life worth defending.
return
to map
view
detailed map
Listen
to Audio Guide (MP3 format, 0.7MB)
Read
transcript 
