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!
ICYMI: 37 incredible retro pictures of Blackpool in the 1980s, from the Golden Mile to town centre classics
31 nostalgic retro Blackpool pictures to take you back to 1980 & 1981, from the Pleasure Beach to King Charles
1. Blackpool Beach through the years
What a great shot this is - a couple of cheeky youngsters are caught taking a peek behind the scenes of this Punch and Judy show on Blackpool beach | National World
2. 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) | Getty Images
3. Blackpool Beach through the years
Bathing machines lined up on the beach in front of the North Pier, 1900 (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | Getty Images
4. Blackpool Beach through the years
Central Pier, beach and lifeboat house, 1962 | National World
5. Blackpool Beach through the years
Blackpool beach during the heatwave of 1976 | National World
6. 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) | Heritage Images/Getty Images