Beach pavilions and bathing machines
Island Stories #16: The first beach tourism on the island.
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In the early nineteenth century, small groups of relatively wealthy people became the first visitors to Zeeland's islands' beaches. Those visits were long before the typical beach holidays became popular. Instead, the purpose was much more serious; bathing in salty seawater was recommended by doctors as a treatment for various ailments, ranging from skin diseases to depression. Patients could spend time by the sea and received specific instructions on how to get into the water, or they could get into tubs filled with seawater to help them get back to health.
The island of Schouwen Duiveland was hard to reach and therefore missed the first beach visitors. Instead, it was Domburg, on the island of Walcheren on the other side of the Eastern Scheldt, that developed into one of the first health destinations, especially after the arrival in this pretty seaside village of the world-famous doctor Johann Georg Mezger in 1887.
In the early 20th century, the beautiful beaches of Schouwen-Duiveland were finally discovered as a holiday destination. The first beach pavilion was built in 1925 on the north coast of the island near the village of Renesse. The owner, Pieter Telle, had received the monopoly on renting out chairs and tents. He was also the only person allowed to rent out' bathing machines,' walled wooden carts rolled into the sea that allowed people to change into swimwear and wade into the sea.
These devices were trendy in Victorian Britain, where men and women were usually segregated. People of the opposite sex should not see them in their very modest bathing suits. As you would expect, Queen Victoria owned a bathing machine too, which you can still visit on Osborne Beach on the Isle of Wight. I doubt if Telle ever made use of this monopoly on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland; by 1925, there was probably nobody interested anymore in making use of these carts.
The last summer that Telle's pavilion opened to the public was in 1939. A year later, Nazi Germany had occupied the Netherlands, and there was no access to the beaches anymore. A few years later, the western part of Schouwen became part of the Atlantic Wall; dozens of bunkers are still reminding visitors of the defenses against a possible allied invasion.
There are now several beach pavilions on the 21 kilometers of wide beaches of Schouwen-Duiveland. Three of them are near the access to the beach at Westenschouwen. I was there recently during stormy weather; you can see them on this short and somewhat shaky video. You can also see the Eastern Scheldt dam that connects Schouwen-Duiveland to Noord-Beverland and, after crossing another barrier, to Walcheren.
Notes and further reading:
Drawing of Scheveningen: Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
https://sharonlathanauthor.com/a-brief-history-of-sea-bathing-and-bathing-machines/
https://victorianweb.org/history/victoria/7.html
De wieg van het kust-toerisme in Renesse, Ilja Mostert, Stad&Lande, 56e jaargang, juni 2019.
A very interesting history of beach tourism & the healing properties of the North Sea. The bathing machines are a unique idea for the times. What a sight it must have been to see the beach dotted with those carts. On windy days like your video it may have been a challenge to be inside one.
It’s amusing to consider the vast difference in mores from those days compared to now.
Thanks for a very entertaining piece & an enthralling sunset, just beautiful!
I hope you enjoyed a wonderful day on the beach!
Aww, Alexander I have never read anything about bathing in the North sea like this before, and that was not that long ago! I'm familiar with the beaches from 'Zandvoort aan Zee' going North and South. We arrived with our bathing suits under our clothing and went back home again the same way, still wet and with some extra beach sand.
I love swimming in the Ocean/Seas, and streak(long walks) on the beaches, except when the high winds sweeps up the fine sands.
That was a lot of work for the peoples of The Victorian times to get a healthy seawater fix. In recent times, I miss mine, swimming with a horse, who would be my 'Dipper'. 🐴
Thank you for bringing this up, and what fun these historic supporting links are (-: