Coming Events in Britain, 1950–81
The background to the magazine Coming Events in Britain has eluded us. We have a large pile of them – about 120 copies in all, from 1950 up to 1981 – and would love to know more about them. The earliest copy of ours is January 1950 and within we learn that it was published by the Travel Association in London, was monthly, and that particular issue was number 44. So, this would suggest the magazine started in 1946. It would appear that it is still available in print form, published now every second month. By the mid 60s the ‘Coming Events’ part of the title was being minimised, and by the early 70s it had been renamed simply In Britain.
The magazine itself is a gentle showcase of what Britain can offer the tourist, so there are plenty of articles on castles, grand estates, touristy towns and so on. It has the feel of a county magazine, but covering the entire country. Costing 1s in 1950, it had, and retained, a high-quality feel to the articles and paper used.
The adverts are great too. Clothes for the wealthy were advertised by the likes of Scotch House, with coach tours, camper van hire, and occasionally cigarettes too – I’ve included some of these in the images.
The last copy we have is July 1981, the ‘bumper royal wedding issue’. We didn’t have any of this title before and they are now being accessioned for our collection.
