From the very early days of beach hut changing facilities protecting our ancestor's modesty to the heydays of the 1976 heatwave, the piers, storms, Punch and Judy and everything in between, these photos capture the magic and appeal of our beach. Whenever I put a gallery of pictures together, it never ceases to amaze me how different things were, yet it is still all so familiar. And I can barely believe how many people packed on the beach back in the day!
In case you missed them: 37 incredible retro pictures of Blackpool in the 1980s, from the Golden Mile to town centre classics
7. Blackpool Beach through the years
A child photographs his mother and grandparents on the beach, c1946-c1955. The Promenade provides a backdrop. (Photo by English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
8. Blackpool Beach through the years
26th June 1943: A staff sergeant making sand castles for his granddaughter, on Blackpool beach, whilst on leave. (Photo by George W. Hales/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
9. Blackpool Beach through the years
17th September 1934: A team of horses hauling pleasure boats down to the sea on Blackpool beach at dawn. (Photo by Fred Morley/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
10. Blackpool Beach through the years
This amphibious aeroplane, used for flights between Blackpool and the Isle of Man, soon drew the crowds in 1932 when it landed on the beach between Central and South piers
11. Blackpool Beach through the years
Joyce Down on Blackpool beach in 1961 with Linda and Susan Marsh
12. Blackpool Beach through the years
Memory Lane - Miss Savina Naventi on Horse Drawn ice cream cart on Blackpool Beach 1945