If you’re wondering how Brighton and other British seaside towns became the bustling places of joy and merriment they are today, it could be traced back to a simple coin. Not only did the penny fund the early development of these locations, but it also inspired various activities that have now become synonymous with seaside entertainment.
The penny may be losing its value and not as prominent as it once was, but this humble little coin is still visible in many ways in modern Brighton life.
Penny Arcades Are Still Major Attractions
The amazing thing about Brighton’s seaside is that, even among the countless modern developments, there are still areas that remind people of simpler times. You can still find classic penny arcades, with offerings such as the Penny Pusher, where you have to try to tactically drop pennies in such a way that they shunt other pennies off a ledge. It’s not about the winnings with these games, it’s all about the glory if you succeed.
Even the online entertainment industry has been inspired by these activities. The Penny Roulette table game, for instance, aims to attract players who are looking for a simple and cheap offering to wager on. Players can place bets for as little as one penny per spin, meaning that there’s little risk involved.
It’s not just games on the Brighton seafront that were operated by the legendary British penny. There are also plenty of other options such as fortune-telling machines that used to run on pennies. Unfortunately, though, due to inflation over the years, most machines on the beach cost a lot more than they did decades ago during the rise of the great seaside destinations in the country.
Penny Payments For Travel and Food
The penny wasn’t just a central element of the entertainment industry in seaside towns like Brighton. Indeed, it also served plenty of other purposes. For instance, during the Industrial Revolution and the development of the country’s rail network, seaside towns became an option for city dwellers looking for a quick getaway. They’d pay for the cost of the fare with a penny or two, back when the coin held a lot of value in society.
This led to mass tourism and the rise of working class holidays, with food and drinks by the ocean also priced affordably. It would be unheard of now, but back when Brighton was first becoming the vibrant seaside hotspot it is today, you could pick up a fish and chip meal for a few pennies. A lot of businesses in Brighton relied on tapping into the heavy footfall of mass tourism, which meant that offering affordable products and selling a lot of them was the most effective business model
Despite being built on the penny, there’s not much you can do around Brighton now unless you have more than a few of these coins at your disposal. However, even though inflation has rendered the penny almost worthless, its legacy lives on. Seaside towns uphold the ethos where small, frequent spending is preferred. Stalls and games are still affordable in relation to the current cost of other things.
