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Middlesbrough Libraries’ Reader-in-Residence Debbie Rolls discovers books for seaside reading.
Today, 1 July, is officially National Seaside Day. This year it seems more pertinent than ever as it is 400 years since the concept of the seaside resort was born when Thomasin Farrer discovered natural mineral springs on the South Bay cliffs in Scarborough. Until that time the fashionable elite had spent their time at spas such as Harrogate or Bath. Scarborough began a trend for the rich to head to the sea for their health and relaxation. As leisure and travel became available to greater numbers in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries increasing numbers flocked to enjoy the coast.
While working as Reader in Residence for Middlesbrough Libraries I have discovered lots of fiction and non-fiction books featuring our beautiful coastline for my Reading the Local Area project. The coast can be both welcoming and threatening, a great combination for novel writers, especially in the crime genre.
Some of the crime novels I read featured iconic seaside covers. Funicular by T F Lince features Saltburn’s Cliff Tramway which plays a key part in the story as well as featuring on the cover. Eva Carmichael’s choice of Redcar’s vertical pier, the Beacon, is more a play on words. The twist in the building echoing the twist of the title, Twisted Mind, and the twists in the plot.
Mark Hadlett has set his books in the past so you will visit Redcar’s historic hotels and the original Regent Cinema whilst following his characters around the town. The detective novel Middlesbrough Merlin is set in 1946. His two books about mediums, Invisible and Medium, feature fortune fortune telling on the seafront and are set in the 1960s and feature Saltburn as well as Redcar.
Our coastline also gives texture as you can quickly go from low to high, from beach to cliff. The cliffs of Saltburn and Cleveland play a significant part in No More Heroes by A S French and Dear Future Me by Deborah Young. French has also written a series of books for older children featuring Ella, who comes to live on the cliffs above Saltburn when her parents vanish. Think a female, more down to earth, Harry Potter type character, who interacts with a host of wonderful fantastical creatures. You can also access French’s A Scandal in Bohemia-on-sea free Kindle book on Amazon. Bohemia is clearly not a real place, but I think you will recognise aspects of Redcar and Skinningrove.
Not all seaside novels are about crime. For a unique experience read Rock Zombie by A J Finlayson, a story of zombies marauding across Redcar Stray. Carmen Marcus draws upon her firsthand experiences and folklore in How Saints Die. Along with exploring the impact of a parent’s mental breakdown in a child you get a real feel for the last days of the Redcar fishing community. Freya North has set her romantic novel Secrets in Saltburn. Jane Gardam set many of her novels such as Bilgewater, God on the Rocks and Flight of the Maidens, around Redcar and Saltburn. She grew up in Coatham and went to school in Saltburn.
Jane Gardam also wrote the non-fiction, The Iron Coast, with photographers Peter Burton and Harland Walshaw. Her motivation was the dismissive attitude when she told London intellectuals where she grew up. Her book celebrates the unique history and beauty of our coast.
There are lots of books in our libraries that give you a glimpse into the past of our seaside. Many photos were taken over the years of Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, Redcar, Marske and Saltburn; many transformed into postcards. The books that feature them are too many to mention here. Visit the local history section of your library and you will find memories of packed beaches, swing boat rides, donkeys, and deck chairs.
Some books feature very specific aspects of our coast. David Phillipson’s All Her Glories Past looks at the history of the Zetland Lifeboat. The world’s oldest surviving lifeboat is now at the centre of the Zetland Museum in Redcar. I was fascinated to read about the history of sand racing on the beaches of Redcar and Saltburn in Ernie Crust’s A Dash Between the Tides; while fans of piers will enjoy Yorkshire’s Seaside Piers by Martin Easdown.
Whether you read a book or take a walk on the beach I hope you enjoy National Seaside Day. I might even treat myself to a lemon-top to celebrate.
