7 Things The Victorians Loved To See Beside The Sea

4. Punch And Judy

No Victorian seaside holiday would be complete without a trip to see the Punch and Judy show. Punch and Judy is a well loved puppet show that tells the story of the violent Mr Punch and his long suffering wife, Judy. The shows violent nature meant that it was censored at some more conservative resorts. The man inside the puppet booth was known as a professor or punchman. He would operate the puppets from inside the booth while a man known as a bottler would play accompanying music and collect the fee, or bottle, from the crowd.

Punch and Judy dates back to the 16th century and draws inspiration from characters from Italian theatre. The first record of a Mr Punch puppet show being performed in Britain was made by Samuel Pepys in 1662 who wrote an account in his diary of a show performed at Covent Gardens. The Punch and Judy show was not just for children and many adults enjoyed the show due to its themes of marital strains and extramarital affairs seen in the relationship between Mr Punch and his girlfriend Pretty Polly. Even Queen Victoria is recorded as having had the show performed for her. Mr Punch was very well known in Victorian society and even had the satirical magazine, Punch, named in his honour in 1841.