“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, Oh I do like to be beside the sea” (66)

Probably at some point, we have all found ourselves, like Sir Basil Rathbone in the clip above from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes movie (1939), singing this famous seaside song. Written in 1907 by John A. Glover Kind and first performed by Mark Sheridan, this song has become the anthem of the seaside, evoking the smells, atmosphere and overall fun of the seaside whenever heard.

Opening with the lines, “Everyone delights to spend their summer’s holiday/ Down beside the side of the silvery sea” (1-2), this song captures the traditional delight of seaside holidaying. In his memoir, Toast (2003), Nigel Slater recalls his family’s annual visit to the seaside, sharing the memory of his father singing this song, during their car journey. Slater also recalls his enjoyment of eating ice cream, “at one of the open-air cafes along the beach...” (68).