Consequences of sea-side destinations

Europe's 19th-century beaches started to change as societies took to them. It meant the end of ordinary life in a traditional fishing community.

It happened in phases: Where the seashore was first a source of food and where journeys began and ended, it became a sight of amusement and recreation. The beach was popularised as a non-place and an escape from modernity. But the consequences for the environment have been disastrous.