Scandal & Society · Llandudno, Conwy
The Llandudno Mixed-Bathing Moral Panic
A resort so anxious about flesh that in 1896 a man was hauled to court for the crime of swimming near his own three sisters.
Evidence note. Documented social history: sexes were segregated by local byelaw; bathing machines and 'dippers' enforced modesty.
The story
a resort so prudish a man was summonsed for swimming near his own sisters (1896). The story: bathing machines, "dippers," ladies'/gentlemen's grounds separated by byelaw; segregation ended 1901. What survives: the Grade II promenade, Victorian hotels, the pier. Visiting: freely photographable seafront; period bathing-machine photos are rights-managed (SSPL/Getty).
Sources
Nearby on the map
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Documented historyHot spotSpotted an error, or hold a better source? Write to marquis@marquisdemayfair.com — corrections are made, never defended. Our methodology.