1938 Bognor Regis Vintage Hotel Ad – Carlton Seaside Travel Ephemera Print

1938 Bognor Regis Vintage Hotel Ad – Carlton Seaside Travel Ephemera Print

Original 1938 Overseas Daily Mail advert for Bognor Regis featuring Carlton Hotel–ideal for collectors of British seaside tourism and pre-war holiday history.

Measurements: approx. 5 5/8 x 7 5/8 inches
Dates: n/a
Condition: In decent condition, please see images. 
Internal notes: QC passed

Imagine a carefree summer’s day in Bognor Regis, 1938. The beach is dotted with umbrellas, laughter floats over the promenade, and holidaymakers sip lemonade outside the Carlton Hotel, just 50 yards from the pier. This charming original advertisement, published in the Overseas Daily Mail, captures the spirit of a seaside town on the cusp of wartime change. With its promises of sun, sand, sea breezes, and amusements for all ages, it evokes an era when British coastal resorts offered escape, entertainment, and elegance.

Measuring approx. 5 5/8 x 7 5/8 inches, this well-composed ad features the Carlton Hotel–a centrally located, up-to-date establishment with hot and cold running water in all rooms, central heating, and fine licensed cuisine. Its detailed promotion includes not just leisure, but a sense of safety, refinement, and seaside pleasure. Supporting messages invite families to â€œmake a happy holiday at Bognor Regis”, and a prominent estate agent, Norman Lewis, reinforces the town’s rising popularity as a destination for both tourists and residents. The piece offers a rare and emotionally rich view of 1930s seaside marketing, made even more precious by its pre-war context.

For collectors of British holiday ephemera, hotel memorabilia, or Sussex seaside heritage, this is more than a print–it’s a time capsule from one of England’s best-loved resorts. Whether framed, researched, or archived, this advert is a tactile reminder of how tourism shaped identity, economy, and everyday joy in interwar Britain.