theme 4 the changing quality of life 4c leisure and travel

Growth in Spectator sports 1918-39:

Mass audiences gradually became profitable - it was possible to see a horse race for free

Epsom, Aintree and Derby race courses free areas gained:

Crowds of 200k-500k

Throughout the 20’s & 30’s on average —million people attended professional football

22 million

Greyhound racing

The 2nd largest spectator sport - June 1927 White City Stadium - up to 100k people would attend races

Golf: 50K people payed to see the — Cup in 1933

Ryder

By 1936 BBC begun broadcasting football matches

FA concerned that people wouldn’t attend matches - created a national spectator culture

Sport during the 2nd world war

Originally closed due to fear of bombing - morale and demand led to reopening

1943 55,000 attended a football match in Chelsea - raised £8k for naval welfare charities

Cricket - surge in popularity post 1945

1948 Ashes test between England & Australia

In 1955 there were 3,500 matches 1965 there was only 2,300

Rejected in the 1960’s as a sport of the upper classes

1966 World Cup Final

32 million watched England defeat West Germany

Sports Council of Great Britain:

Developed by govt in 1972 - designed to promote sport both among elite athletes and the public - successful

In 1948 — million tickets were sold for Football League Matches, fell by — million 2 decades later

41, 30

Why did football ticket sales decline:

Economy boomed + living standards improved football had to compete with other pass times - sport on television violent clashes between supporters

Football hooliganism:

1950’s violent outbursts on terraces - Exclusive to football

Football matches were almost exclusively WC - older men that may have been a calm influence could afford leisure time away (gardening, holidays) left young men

Tourism pre period

A luxury reserved for the aristocracy and UMC

By 1925 1.5 million working class employees had access to:

Paid holiday and bank holidays as result of social reforms

Tourism for the wealthy

Expensive seaside hotels and spa resorts

Sailing on the Norfolk Broads

International: French Riviera, Italy and Greece

In 1936 coaches transported — million passengers to rural parts of Britain and by 1939 there were - million cars on the roads

82, 2

— thousand people a year attended the Lake District during the 1930’s

72

By the 1920’s there were — boarding houses in Blackpool and many families went to the same one yearly

4,000

Many boarding houses were run by:

spinsters or widows - socially acceptable means of earning a living, after losing a husband.

Boarding houses became less attractive as disposable incomes increased 1930’s:

Guest were not given their own keys and were unable to stay out late - many had strict behaviour rules

Butlin’s business model:

‘A weeks holiday for a weeks wages’

Cheap chalet accommodation, activities and entertainment, 3 meals a day

In 1939 Skegness And Clacton Butlins had — visitors a year

100k

Changes to butlins late period:

People didn’t like the regimented nature of the camp

Started to offer holidays to teenagers with disposable income - tabloid stories of vandalism drinking, and antisocial behaviour

Caravanning

Popular in 1930’s - in 1934 there were 90 models of caravan available to buy (increase in car ownership)

20% of all holidays in 60’s - over ½ of the population had a caravan holiday in 70’s

By 1965 full employment and broader rights for workers meant that —% of workers had - or - weeks of paid holiday a year

—% had no holiday entitlement

60, 2 or 3, 25%

Holidays abroad 1960’s and 70’s

1.5 million holidayed abroad in 1951 compared to 8.5 million in 1972 - declined again due to the rise in prices

By 1934 there were nearly — million cars on British roads

2.5 million - ½ were privately owned

1920’s cars were expensive - prices fell in early 1930’s

In 1939 the Rover 10/25 cost £250 - the Morris Minor SV was £100 in 1931

The Road Traffic Act 1930

Removed speed limits from all but the most dangerous roads - original 20mph was unenforceable - compulsory 3rd party insurance, the Highway Code

The Mini

most iconic British car of the post war era - British Motor Corporation - extremely popular sold nearly 1.2million 1959

BUT early 1960’s made a loss on every vehicle sold

1960’s car ownership exploded EXP:

2.2 million cars were registered in london

1972 there were 13 million drivers BUT buying cars from Japan and Germany

1/3 of cars were imported in 1975 - half by 1979 - up from 1% from the 1940’s