1936 On the Continent

“edified,” and they have seen to it that neither amusement nor entertainment is lacking. In whichever of these places the reader decides to spend his holiday, he may rest assured that nothing is being left undone to make his stay a pleasant and a memorable one.
Brighton
    Because it is so near London, and so easily reached by rail or road, Brighton is one of the most deservedly popularresorts on the south coast. There are, it is true, some who would sneer at it, calling it “London-by-the-Sea,” but they are chiefly people who have never been there. On the other hand, those who do know it, are so enthusiastic that, as a rule, they refuse to admit the just claims of other coast towns to equal, much less excel it.
“The Queen of Watering Places”
    They may be right. With its palatial hotels—than which there are none better in Europe—its mile after mile of esplanade, its theatres, concerts, picture-houses and other attractions, to say nothing of boating and bathing—Brighton may well challenge comparison with any other pleasure resort in the kingdom. There are several seaside towns which claim to be “the Queen of Watering places,” but Brighton has a just title to it, for thus it was dubbed by no less a person than Horace Smith, part author of
Rejected Addresses
, as long ago as 1813. Thackeray referred to it as “Dr. Brighton,” on account of its health-giving breezes, and so, too, did Dickens. In fact, so many famous people, literary and otherwise, have lived or stayed there, that E. V. Lucas gives it as his opinion that Robert Browning was the only eminent Englishman who had never seen the place!
History and Things to See
    The visitor, whether his stay be long or short, need never pass a tedious moment while in Brighton. Apart from the various first-class entertainments and amusements, inland tours by motor-coach and sea trips by pleasure steamers are provided in abundance. As regards the town itself, for all its modernity, Brighton is no mushroom growth, for it appears (as “Brighthelmstone”) in
Doomsday Book
, though it is true that, for several centuries it fell into decay. But what a resurrection it has achieved! This first started about 1750, when a Dr. Russel wrote a book on the health value of sea bathing—a most daring statement in those days. George IV when Prince of Wales next “discovered” Brighton, since when it has never looked back. No visitor should—even if he could—miss visiting the famous Pavilion which took thirty-three years to build, cost over a million pounds, and which, when Sydney Smithsaw it, he described as looking as though St. Paul’s Cathedral had come to Brighton and pupped.
    Queen Victoria sold this amazing structure to the town, and there it still stands, a monument to a monarch’s fantastic whim, and an object of mingled mirth and admiration. On the Old Steyne there is still to be seen the house in which Mrs. Fitzherbert, mistress of George IV, lived, though now it harbours the Y.M.C.A., whose members, one may imagine, have little in common with the roystering bucks of the Regency. A visit should also be paid to the Aquarium, which is just opposite the Palace Pier and a little to the west of the spot where the famous old chain pier once stood. In West Street may be seen The King’s Head tavern (called in former times The George Inn), where Charles II spent his last night in England after the affair of Worcester Field.
Neighbouring Places of Interest
    Eleven miles to the west of Brighton is W ORTHING , which is worth a visit. It was here that Oscar Wilde wrote
The Importance of Being Earnest
. There are some very pretty villages in the neighbourhood, at one of which, Goring, Richard Jeffries lies buried. Arundel with its famous castle and other places of note are also within easy reach. In fact Brighton, apart from its claims as a holiday resort, makes an ideal centre for those who wish to explore Sussex and the South Downs, not forgetting the famous Devil’s Dyke. It may well be said of it that the man who has never been there has missed one of the most significant and characteristic towns in the kingdom.
Eastbourne
    There is an almost aristocratic sedateness about this popular watering-place, a complete lack of anything “raffish” or blatant, that is extremely attractive to those who do not wish to spend their holiday always, as one might say, within earshot of a jazz band. Not that Eastbourne lacks a large variety of high-class entertainments, but