Victorians and Edwardians abroad : the beginning of the modern holiday / Neil Matthews.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matthews, Neil, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Polytechnic Touring Association (Firm)--History.

Polytechnic Touring Association (Firm).

Vacations--History--19th century.

Vacations.

Vacations--History--20th century.

History.

Physical Description:

135 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Other Title:

Victorians & Edwardians abroad

Place of Publication:

Barnsley, South Yorkshire : Pen & Sword History, 2016.

Summary:

Victorians & Edwardians Abroad: The Beginning of the Modern Holiday reveals a story never told before: the early years of one of Britain's leading modern travel agencies, the Polytechnic Touring Association (PTA). Created in 1888 within Britain's first Polytechnic, the PTA was an emblem of the era. It served a growing mass of middle-class and lower middle-class consumers, who found for the first time that they had the time and money to take extended holidays, often abroad. This book explains the creation of the Polytechnic and the PTA, charting the expansion of the travel agency into continental Europe and beyond. Victorians & Edwardians Abroad uncovers the recollections of those who went on 'Poly holidays' before 1914: how they experienced the journeys, what they did when they reached their destinations and what they thought holidays should be about. For all the serious strictures from their social 'betters' about the educational and 'improving' aspects of travel, PTA holidaymakers enjoyed themselves: liberating pork pies from train carriages, annoying foreign policemen and even beating the German Emperor to the last horses in town. Letters, articles and diaries of Poly holidays reveal a penchant for fun, even naughtiness, not often associated with the Victorians and Edwardians. Also included are a selection of postcards, photographs and promotional items from the PTA Archive held at the University of Westminster. Victorians & Edwardians Abroad is a fascinating glimpse into holidays as they were, just over a hundred years ago. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 The Birth of the Polytechnic 9

Chapter 3 Early Poly Travels and the Origins of the PTA 25

Chapter 4 The Business of Touring 42

Chapter 5 The Outward Journey 53

Chapter 6 Being There: What the Tourists Did 63

Chapter 7 Meeting Jean le Foreigner: What the Tourists Thought 80

Chapter 8 The Purpose of Holidays: A Modern Note? 96

Chapter 9 Conclusion: Independence and War 111

Chapter 10 Afterword 121.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781473834279

1473834279

OCLC:

968309076

Publisher Number:

99970227927