British Summer Time Begins: The School Summer Holidays 1930-1980
- Downloads：7716
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-06 08:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ysenda Maxtone Graham
- ISBN：1408710560
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
British Summer Time Begins is about summer holidays of the mid-twentieth century and how they were spent， as recounted to Ysenda Maxtone-Graham in vividly remembered detail by people who were there。 Through this prism， it paints a revealing portrait of twentieth-century Britain in summertime: how we were， how families functioned， what houses and gardens and streets were like， what journeys were like， and what people did all day in their free time。 It explores their expectations， hopes， fears and habits， the rules or lack of rules under which they lived， their happiness and sadness， their sense of being treasured or neglected - all within living memory， from pre-war summers to the late 1970s。
Ysenda takes us back to the long stretch of time from the last days of June till the early days of September - those months when the term-time self was cast off and you could become the person you really were， and you had （if you were lucky） enough hours in the endless succession of days to become good at the things that would later define your adulthood。
The 'showpiece' part of the summer holidays was 'the summer holiday'， when families took off to the seaside， or to grandparents' houses teeming with cousins， or on early package holidays to France or Spain， siblings wedged into the back of small cars， roof-racks clattering， mothers preparing picnics。 British Summer Time Begins is as much about the long weeks either side of that holiday as the trip itself: the weeks when nothing much officially happened， boredom often lurked nearby， and you vanished for hours on end， nobody much knowing or even caring where you were。 Could it be that those unscheduled days were actually the most important and formative of your life？
From the author of the beloved Terms & Conditions， British Summer Time Begins is a delightful， nostalgic and joyous celebration of summers。
Ysenda takes us back to the long stretch of time from the last days of June till the early days of September - those months when the term-time self was cast off and you could become the person you really were， and you had （if you were lucky） enough hours in the endless succession of days to become good at the things that would later define your adulthood。
The 'showpiece' part of the summer holidays was 'the summer holiday'， when families took off to the seaside， or to grandparents' houses teeming with cousins， or on early package holidays to France or Spain， siblings wedged into the back of small cars， roof-racks clattering， mothers preparing picnics。 British Summer Time Begins is as much about the long weeks either side of that holiday as the trip itself: the weeks when nothing much officially happened， boredom often lurked nearby， and you vanished for hours on end， nobody much knowing or even caring where you were。 Could it be that those unscheduled days were actually the most important and formative of your life？
From the author of the beloved Terms & Conditions， British Summer Time Begins is a delightful， nostalgic and joyous celebration of summers。
Reviews
Sharon Jacobs
，
Brought back some memories but too much emphasis on richer children for my taste。
Colin
，
Readers of a certain age （anywhere between around fifty and ninety） will get either a warm glow of nostalgia or a painful reminder of childhood， or more probably a mixture of both， when reading British Summer Time Begins。 Ysenda Maxtone Graham has had the excellent idea of seeking out hundreds of people’s recollections of the long UK school summer holidays， and has used them to inform this excellent and thoroughly entertaining oral history of just about every possible summer holiday experience i Readers of a certain age （anywhere between around fifty and ninety） will get either a warm glow of nostalgia or a painful reminder of childhood， or more probably a mixture of both， when reading British Summer Time Begins。 Ysenda Maxtone Graham has had the excellent idea of seeking out hundreds of people’s recollections of the long UK school summer holidays， and has used them to inform this excellent and thoroughly entertaining oral history of just about every possible summer holiday experience it’s possible to imagine， from the days roaming the streets or fields alone or with friends looking for ways to pass the time， to summer holiday jobs; from weeks （or days） at the seaside or camping in a field， to tentative trips abroad， and everything in between。 As with Terms and Conditions， her book about life in girls’ boarding schools， British Summer Time Begins doesn’t attempt to be a rigorously academic survey of a hitherto neglected area of social history， but her research is extensive and she has an ear for a story， with the result that this is compulsively readable and enjoyable book。 。。。more
Katharine
，
Not sure if this is a 4 or a 3。5 but I'm giving it a 4 for its nostalgia value。 The story of how British children spent their summer holidays between the 1930s and 1980 when computer games arrived。 The author uses a wealth of anecdotes to paint a picture of the experience of the summer holidays with their long periods of unstructured time when children were left to their own devices， meals in restaurants were nearly unheard of and foreign holidays were rare。 A lot of the experiences of the inter Not sure if this is a 4 or a 3。5 but I'm giving it a 4 for its nostalgia value。 The story of how British children spent their summer holidays between the 1930s and 1980 when computer games arrived。 The author uses a wealth of anecdotes to paint a picture of the experience of the summer holidays with their long periods of unstructured time when children were left to their own devices， meals in restaurants were nearly unheard of and foreign holidays were rare。 A lot of the experiences of the interviewees felt very familiar to me， but I didn't love the book quite as much as I had anticipated。 。。。more
H。 Daley
，
Interesting but not really reflective of my own experience！
Jamie Fairley
，
So many memories - and not many that I couldn’t relate to。 Yes， there is a clear ‘rose tinted glasses’ feeling but who want the rainy， boring days to dominate。 Although it’s a little documentary in its style， plenty to make you smile cuz and wish that kids over the last 30 years could raise their eyes from the screen and walk off the the woods or the fields。
Ken
，
There's a clear romanticised nostalgia to a bygone era that reminded me of former older work colleges when talking about the good old days。The author herself talks about kids today only being on video games during the school summer holidays thus deciding 1980 to be the cut off period。Having grown up in 90's myself I can say that was completely untrue - there were lots of instances that reminded me of my own childhood。As many reviewers have already mentioned it's the working class sections that a There's a clear romanticised nostalgia to a bygone era that reminded me of former older work colleges when talking about the good old days。The author herself talks about kids today only being on video games during the school summer holidays thus deciding 1980 to be the cut off period。Having grown up in 90's myself I can say that was completely untrue - there were lots of instances that reminded me of my own childhood。As many reviewers have already mentioned it's the working class sections that are the most interesting。There were definitely moments that reminded me of my dad's viewpoints。I too use to collect the Beano and I had to smile at the mentions of discovering how many Doctor Who novelisations and Agatha Chrstie mysteries there actually are （though I'm doing this as an adult！）。It was the Goosebumps books for me， happy to see the next one in the series available in the bookshop each month。Aside from a day trip to Dieppe with school， I didn't go holidaying abroad until I was 17。Many summers were cub camps and various trips to the parks - it also helped that we live in a seaside resort of Brighton so many trips to the beach。I felt that the author was just missing the point that there's a lot more organised actives for youngsters now， plus disposable income helps too。I'm sure social media and smartphones must have an impact today but so too Brexit and a pandemic - they technology available has definitely helped keep me sane this plast year！But I do wonder if the sorts of pastimes mentioned will be more common placed in the years to come。。。 。。。more
Anita Howard
，
Loved every line of it， so many memories， wonderful
Katherine Kreuter
，
I enjoyed this comprehensive look at how English children spent their summer holidays in what is called 'the past' - 1930 to 1980 - although that puts my own childhood in this category so I guess that makes me 'old' as well。 Not having grown up in the UK but having lived here for 30+ years， I'm always intrigued by the differences between British and American culture， but also intrigued by the similarities。 So this kind of book lets me look deeply into the topic and glean little nuggets。 It's als I enjoyed this comprehensive look at how English children spent their summer holidays in what is called 'the past' - 1930 to 1980 - although that puts my own childhood in this category so I guess that makes me 'old' as well。 Not having grown up in the UK but having lived here for 30+ years， I'm always intrigued by the differences between British and American culture， but also intrigued by the similarities。 So this kind of book lets me look deeply into the topic and glean little nuggets。 It's also great source for anecdotes， and I can see myself asking many people how they spent their holidays。 One of my favourite stories is the one wherein a father prepares his children for their impending holiday by having them set up tents in the back garden and then take them down - for several days in a row。 Now that spells holiday！ 。。。more
Simon
，
Marvellous evocation of pre-internet play and exploratory fun during the seemingly endless school hols。 Tries to represent a variety of experiences although the voices quoted seem to skew wealthy and privileged。 But it's full of accurate and telling detail， and will make anyone older than 30 misty-eyed with nostalgia。 Marvellous evocation of pre-internet play and exploratory fun during the seemingly endless school hols。 Tries to represent a variety of experiences although the voices quoted seem to skew wealthy and privileged。 But it's full of accurate and telling detail， and will make anyone older than 30 misty-eyed with nostalgia。 。。。more
Julius Alexander
，
A brilliant way of writing 'history' and a hugely engaging book。 Brought back a lot of good memories without any sense of sentimentality。 A brilliant way of writing 'history' and a hugely engaging book。 Brought back a lot of good memories without any sense of sentimentality。 。。。more
Liz
，
I was disappointed that so much of the book wasn’t about more ‘normal’ people。 There’s a lot of class holidays mentioned， coming home from boarding school etc。 Did some of the information come from research for her other books？ Or is it that they had more interesting lives and holidays？I went abroad in 1959 and 1963 （my father was a teacher）， along with another family the first time， yet the impression given in the book was that non-rich people didn’t go abroad till much later。 The sections cove I was disappointed that so much of the book wasn’t about more ‘normal’ people。 There’s a lot of class holidays mentioned， coming home from boarding school etc。 Did some of the information come from research for her other books？ Or is it that they had more interesting lives and holidays？I went abroad in 1959 and 1963 （my father was a teacher）， along with another family the first time， yet the impression given in the book was that non-rich people didn’t go abroad till much later。 The sections covering camping and dormobiles should have been longer too， given that’s what a lot of people did from the 1950s onwards。Finally: Why does the author keep referring to Juliet Gardiner as being adopted？ 。。。more
Ellen
，
Loved this！ I was there！ Absolute delight to read。
Sheena
，
Lots of nostalgia for summer times which now seem worlds away。 Recognised quite a few of the scenarios within the pages。 Laughed out loud at some of the escapades and especially dads theories。 Very noticeable how mothers and wives were either complete drudges or else had the money to completely ignore their children and take off with their husbands （dads apparently did what they wanted anyway and my own certainly did）
katy ktp
，
got bored with this。。。。
Cat Sharp
，
A big warm comforting bath BUT it's one for the Boomers for sure。 In the conclusion （and I paraphrase here） "Sure， kids these days care about our impending climate change doom but do they even know anything about identifying plants？！" Ysenda， this is not a reasonable comparison。 Also TIRED of stories of English aristos travelling to Scotland， going on about how much they love Scotland， owning all the fucking land in Scotland， never seemingly interacting with a single Scot aside from their conven A big warm comforting bath BUT it's one for the Boomers for sure。 In the conclusion （and I paraphrase here） "Sure， kids these days care about our impending climate change doom but do they even know anything about identifying plants？！" Ysenda， this is not a reasonable comparison。 Also TIRED of stories of English aristos travelling to Scotland， going on about how much they love Scotland， owning all the fucking land in Scotland， never seemingly interacting with a single Scot aside from their conveniently subservient staff。 Ugh ugh ugh。 。。。more
Ainsley
，
A welcome distraction during lockdown。 Evoked so many memories and for that this book was very enjoyable。 I was however frustrated by the lack of depth which I think was created by the books structure - the inclusion of so many ‘sound bites’ relating to the same families but scattered throughout the book。 I think I may have enjoyed it more had the book been edited differently。
Sula
，
Was a pleasant surprise to come across a mention of Diana Wynne Jones as her son， Colin Burrow was one of the interviewees！ Was a pleasant surprise to come across a mention of Diana Wynne Jones as her son， Colin Burrow was one of the interviewees！ 。。。more
Maxine
，
I did enjoy this book。 My holidays to Tenby， Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the 1970s with various family members are brought to mind， I’d forgotten about the scheduled stops in Cirencester， Melksham to name two， which take me back when I hear them even now， packed lunches on the beach， sunburn。 This book is about an enormous variety of British childhood holidays， some happy， some not so happy。 A lot of research has gone into the book， it is well worth a read for nostalgia and times gone by！
Michael Shevlin
，
This would get a better review if it were not for the first half of the book。 In summary the first half goes something along the lines of: 'After Nanny picked me up from boarding school in the Bentley， we drove to our hunting lodge in Perthshire and ate venison and scones with lashings of raspberry jam， then we rode our ponies into town and then after buying the latest copy of the Famous 5 we returned home and played Monopoly - all 45 of us， even the dogs。 I do so miss the dogs。'I nearly chucked This would get a better review if it were not for the first half of the book。 In summary the first half goes something along the lines of: 'After Nanny picked me up from boarding school in the Bentley， we drove to our hunting lodge in Perthshire and ate venison and scones with lashings of raspberry jam， then we rode our ponies into town and then after buying the latest copy of the Famous 5 we returned home and played Monopoly - all 45 of us， even the dogs。 I do so miss the dogs。'I nearly chucked the book across the room after reading about this other Britain: high tea， gymkhanas and gamekeepers。 But then the book starts to talk to the other 90% and then it becomes interesting and wistful and you get a real sense that the author is fulfilling a service by documenting all these experiences that would otherwise be lost between the cracks of history。 I loved the adventures across Europe and stashing baked beans behind the footwells， stories of bible camps and life in London after the war hop picking and going to Margate。 The problem is is that there is just not enough of that。 The later half of the book echoes my experiences of summer holidays but that should have been the book。 Not telling us how the privileged few passed idyllic summers in country piles fishing and shooting。Lastly， the author makes a fair point that our children now are screen obsessed （this is true to a certain extent） and mentioned that they are involved in multi-play。 I had to look it up。 Oh！ Multiplayer。 She had me lost for a minute。。。 。。。more
Rob Thompson
，
Things that made us usThis book does a decent job of trying to capture the essence of the British summer holidays from the 1930s to the late 1970s。 A period before video games and cheap air travel。 A time of free-range children who spent unstructured days unsupervised and bored。 Parents based any （mostly British-based） "real" holidays on thrift and the ability to devise our own entertainment。 Readers who lived through such things will be transported back to their eight-year-old selves。So， why th Things that made us usThis book does a decent job of trying to capture the essence of the British summer holidays from the 1930s to the late 1970s。 A period before video games and cheap air travel。 A time of free-range children who spent unstructured days unsupervised and bored。 Parents based any （mostly British-based） "real" holidays on thrift and the ability to devise our own entertainment。 Readers who lived through such things will be transported back to their eight-year-old selves。So， why the low（ish） rating。 For me there was too much of a focus on the upper and middle class。 Yes， there are working class voices， but not enough。 And while this book is nostalgic， it doesn't idealise the past。 There's no doubt that this is a humorous book about a vanished world。 。。。more
Sue Garwood
，
Wonderful portrayal of past summer holidays 0f 40-90 years ago。 Shows the freedom we once had and our ability to go off away from home and make our our own games and pastimes。 Entertainment on no budget whatsoever。 No theme parks and attractions here！
Mak Horner
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Mildly interesting。 Some good stories of summers spent in yesteryearHappy memories
Elisabeth
，
This is a really engrossing book filled with memories of other people's summers。 I have read quite a few reviews that have said it only covers 'posh' people's reflections but， whilst it's true that it does have stories about boarding schools and country estates （plus some bitter memories from Rachel Johnson alongside some photographs copyrighted to the Johnson Family Archives） there are also recollections of caravans， camping， Butlins， playing around a lamppost， and having absolutely nothing to This is a really engrossing book filled with memories of other people's summers。 I have read quite a few reviews that have said it only covers 'posh' people's reflections but， whilst it's true that it does have stories about boarding schools and country estates （plus some bitter memories from Rachel Johnson alongside some photographs copyrighted to the Johnson Family Archives） there are also recollections of caravans， camping， Butlins， playing around a lamppost， and having absolutely nothing to do。It's inevitable but right that the books should conclude with the point that these days children spend their holidays safe at home around various screens - physically safe but， possibly， with decaying imaginations and social skills。 There is no playing out and no unscheduled， spontaneous interaction between children any more。It made me think back nostalgically to my own 1980s and '90s summers as I read it in the exact same place I have spent two weeks every year since I was 9 alongside my friend of 30 years。 She now has three children and is starting divorce proceedings against her husband who has addiction issues。 I am here with my own husband and two children， the eldest of whom has autism and severe depression and doesn't want to leave the cottage。 The younger one is lonely and isolated after months of COVID-19 lockdown。 Oh， to be 9 again， playing 40-40 in the field with the other children staying or living here， and stopping only for bedtime or a lemonade and Jaffa Cake snack brought out by my mum on a tray。 。。。more
Don McKinlay
，
There is a great book to be written about school holidays in Britain but unfortunately this isn’t itBasically， it’s too posh to resonate with me - too many tales of leaving boarding schools and travelling to dusty shooting lodges or family properties in Scotland， and not enough kids in high waisters & t-shirts poking white dog turds with lolly sticks whilst waiting for the Alpine lorry
Pam Keevil
，
Perfect summer reading for anyone who remembers playing outside all day and every day and only coming home for meals during a six week holiday which lasted for ever。 What was interesting was both the evidence of the class divide and the changes pre and post World War Two。 I particularly enjoyed being reminded of the things fathers used to say or do;get up extra early to beat the traffic - which meant leaving when it was still dark to avoid driving through London and breathing in all that wonderf Perfect summer reading for anyone who remembers playing outside all day and every day and only coming home for meals during a six week holiday which lasted for ever。 What was interesting was both the evidence of the class divide and the changes pre and post World War Two。 I particularly enjoyed being reminded of the things fathers used to say or do;get up extra early to beat the traffic - which meant leaving when it was still dark to avoid driving through London and breathing in all that wonderful fresh air， even though it was blowing a gale， pouring with rain and the wind whipped the sand off the beaches。 It is more than a trip down memory lane。 The absence of materiel possessions with children cutting out the toes of shoes to create sandals is unbelievable today when de-cluttering is commonplace。 But the descriptions of the lives of married women during this era is a stark reminder of how far we have come in gender equality while the pandemic has shown us how far we still have to go。 。。。more
Roo
，