Leisure and culture

• 1896

  First screening of moving pictures at the Regent Street Polytechnic by the Lumiere Brothers. It was an event of enormous significance introducing Britain to cinema.
• 1911 - Shops Act

  Gives at least one half day off a week to workers in the retail trade. Other industries soon follow.
• 1915-1918

  Topical Budget newsreels shown in British cinemas bringing censored moving images of war into the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for the first time.
• 1922

  British Broadcasting Company established during the ‘wireless’ boom. It soon became the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In 1922, 36,000 radio licences were granted. By 1938, this was 8.97 million.
• 1927

  The first ‘talkie’ was shown in the United States. Soon talking movies were being shown in Britain. Between 1914 and 1939, the number of cinemas increased from 3,000 to almost 5,000.
• 1930

  The Youth Hostels Association was founded showing how popular outdoor activities had become (the Rambler’s Association was formed in 1935). There was also a boom in cycling and cycling clubs.
• 1932

  First experimental television broadcasts by the BBC. By 1936, they were transmitting regular television broadcasts to the London region.
• 1935

  The first paperback books were published in Allen Lane’s Penguin series. They were sixpence each so were affordable to the working classes.
• 1936

  Butlins Holiday Camp opened at Skegness. It began a trend in self-contained family holidays accessible by rail and increasingly by road.
• 1938 - Holidays with Pay Act

  Increased the entitlement of millions of workers to a week’s holiday without the loss of income. Increasingly, more industrial workers were entitled to paid leave.
• 1946

  BBC begin regular television broadcasts, initiating what would become the most significant post-war past-time of the British people.
• 1951 - Royal Commission on Betting , Lotteries and Gaming

  Recommended liberalisation of the betting laws on horse racing. It had been illegal to make cash bets off the racecourse since 1853.
• 1953

  The Coronation of Elizabeth II was viewed by millions and cemented the rise of television as a mass participation pass-time.
• 1954 -Television Act

  Introduced commercial television funded by advertising. ITV began broadcasting in 1955.
• By 1955

  90% of British workers took an annual two week holiday.
• 1960 - Betting and Gaming Act

  Legalised cash betting off of the racecourse.
• Early 1960s

  By now, four out of five households had a television set.
• 1960s

  Flights to Southern European coastal resorts expanded greatly as package holidays were increasingly enjoyed by Britons. Discount flights fuelled the boom. In the early 1970s, 7 million people travelled abroad for their holidays, By 1986, this was 22 million and also frequently included destinations like Australia and the United States.
• 1960s

  Garden Centres began to take off in the UK as gardening became a mass leisure activity.
• 1964

  BBC2 began broadcasting. It showed the first colour programmes from 1967.
• 1982

  Channel 4 begins broadcasting.
• 1985

  The first ‘multi-plex’ cinema opens in Milton Keynes. This begins a revival of cinema going at a time when watching films at home was more popular.
• 1988 - Licensing Act

  Liberalised pub opening hours (which had been restricted since World War One) making it possible for pubs and wine bars to stay open all day.
• 1989 

  Sky satellite television launched.