Welcome to The Leisure Historian.

I’ve always been fascinated by the places people used to visit for fun. Things like holiday camps, old tourist attractions, amusement parks, hotels etc. The sort of places that were once packed with visitors but have now mostly disappeared. What surprised me was how little had been written about so many of them. Sometimes there was almost nothing at all. Other times the same stories were repeated over and over, often with mistakes or important bits of the history missing.

So I started digging. Instead of relying on what was already online, I went back to the original sources. Old newspapers, magazines, guidebooks, brochures, postcards, maps and official records have all helped piece these stories together. Whenever possible, I’ve also spoken to people who visited, worked at or were connected with many of the places featured here.

I created this website in 2026 as somewhere to share that research. Most of the early articles are about British subjects, simply because that’s where my research began, but you might also find stories from overseas. If it’s an interesting place that helped people enjoy their leisure time, and it’s not been well covered elsewhere, there’s a good chance it might find its way onto these pages.

Thanks for visiting. We’ll be adding new blogs on a regular basis