Riding a wave: is the tide turning for seaside heritage?

Far from being mere exercises in nostalgia, the regeneration of lidos, piers and other historic coastal properties can be a powerful contemporary force for good — but only if those embarking on such projects think strategically.

That was the message of the Valuing Seaside Heritage Symposium, organised by Historic Buildings & Places, which convened at Saltdean Lido in East Sussex last month. Representatives from national and local conservation bodies ranging from the Seaside Heritage Network to Historic England gathered to share lessons learned from half a century of work and reflect on ways forward.

Now that the mass domestic tourism that built Britain’s seaside resorts is a thing of the past, how can their futures be safeguarded? Securing the investment required to revitalise them and help them flourish once again is far from straightforward. Council-owned assets around the country have closed in droves over the past three decades due to prohibitive maintenance costs, with seafront buildings particularly vulnerable to the elements.

The current Government’s Levelling Up initiative was not focused on the coast and, although in March 2024 a dedicated Government fund to ‘support enhancements to our seaside heritage’ was announced, at the time of writing the proposed funding stream has not yet been developed.

The National Lottery Fund has awarded more than £200 million to seaside regeneration projects, including Hastings Pier and Margate’s Dreamland, but grants are competitive and the bid-writing process complex.

Despite these challenges, the symposium identified grounds for optimism. The creative industries — the fastest-growing section of Britain’s economy — have proved time and again that they can deliver a transformative shot in the arm to coastal communities. Attendees heard testimonials from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, where grassroots cultural projects are bringing the town’s theatrical heritage into the present day, and Folkestone in Kent, where the Old High Street has become the heart of an attractive and vibrant creative quarter.

‘People said it was an overnight success, but actually when it came alive, we were 14 years into the [regeneration] project,’ said Alastair Upton of Creative Folkestone, the Arts charity that has spearheaded the town’s transformation. Speakers highlighted the importance of thinking long-term. Although one-off injections of cash are welcome, developers and charities alike must never lose sight of long-term viability.

Key to this is carefully staging restoration projects, said Matthew Mckeague of the Architectural Heritage Fund. He pointed to Grange Lido in Cumbria and Tarlair’s sea-cliff pool in Aberdeenshire, both of which have seen buildings refurbished so that they can become revenue-generating once again as a first step before costly work restoring the pools gets under way. This sort of phasing allows those in charge to ‘build a business model over time and learn who the market is,’ he said.

Projects with community involvement from the get-go stand a much higher chance of succeeding, not least because they are more likely to become financially self-sustaining all year round rather than only during the warmer months. A case in point is Saltdean Lido itself, considered the pinnacle of lido architecture and rescued from a long decline in 2022: it is now home to a gym with 600 local members, a popular community library and cafés and event facilities, as well as the restored pool.

Clevedon Pier in Somerset, dubbed England’s most beautiful by Sir John Betjeman and the country’s only Grade I-listed example, has weathered numerous storms under the care of the community-focused Clevedon Pier & Heritage Trust. Another success story is Penzance’s Jubilee Pool in Cornwall, the country’s most famous saltwater tidal lido: a significant proportion of the £1.8 million initial refurbishment investment was community shares, which made the people of Penzance part-owners.

‘You can see the regeneration it has spurred around the town,’ said Mckeague. However, he stressed the importance of drawing up business plans that are weatherproof, both literally and figuratively. ‘Community ownership isn’t a panacea. You still have to do all of the thinking.’

Seaside conservation groups are keeping a close eye on the Government’s new ‘Pride in Place’ scheme, which will see up to £5 billion given to some 250 areas across the UK with a focus on long-term improvements. With the UK now a member of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, they are also hoping that the seaside holiday might be recognised as an example of living heritage, with all the attendant protections.

Meanwhile, although the days of the default bucket-and-spade holiday are long gone, a growing social-media-driven appetite for outdoor swimming and increasingly hot summers are making trips to the coast ever more tempting — and momentum is building behind seaside heritage projects as a result. One such is Ramsgate’s Marina Bathing Pool in Kent, which was closed in 1975 to make way for an unloved car park. The Ramsgate Heritage Lab is in discussions with Thanet District Council and a developer to revive it, and believes bringing the lido back to life could set a new and more sustainable course for the town’s future.

‘It is our responsibility not only to value seaside heritage because it tells us where we’ve come from, but because it can tell us where we’re going,’ said Rob Kenyon, its CEO.

This feature originally appeared in the July 22, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.