Teignmouth&Shaldon Museum

Bathing machines were a familiar sight on Teignmouth beach from the eighteenth century, until they were superceded by canvas bathing tents in the last century. in 1762, the Royal Magazine stated that visitors came here to drink the seawater. Thus “cripples recovered the use of their limbs, hysterical ladies recovered their spirits and lepers were cleansed”. There were just two bathing machines on the beach at that time.

The ritual of sea bathing often took place before 10 o’clock in the morning. Bathers were helped to prepare themselves by a bathing attendant, usually a rather muscular woman, who pushed the machine into the sea to preserve the bather’s modesty. After forcibly dipping their customer in the water, the attendant would then winch the machine back up the beach.

At this time women would have worn a flimsy dress for bathing, while the gentlemen often bathed naked. The sexes were segregated for bathing - a practice which continued into the beginning of the twentieth century. A list of strictly enforced bathing regulations, dated 1903, can be seen in the Museum. Also on display is a print picturing Jane Rice from ‘The Celebrated Teignmouth Bathing Guide’ (c1850), which illustrates the image of a strong and rather formidable lady.

Fanny Burney, the diarist and novelist, described her first experience of sea bathing here in 1773, in her ‘Tingmouth Journal’. “I was terribly frightened and really thought that I should never have been recovered from the plunge. The shock was beyond the expression great.” Once she returned to the bathing machine she felt glowing, and decided “it is the finest feeling in the world”.

Thus, when Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum was given the chance to acquire one of the last remaining examples of a bathing machine, we thought the challenge of conservation and restoration was one we had to fulfill. This work has been successfully completed by ‘World of Wheels”, a Teignmouth business. Now we face another challenge, to extend the Museum premises to give us a deserving showplace for this important part of the Teign’s heritage, as well as much needed disabled access.