SUMMER holidays come in various forms, from package fortnights on the Algarve to caravanning on the Yorkshire coast.

But for more than a century, Morecambe was the place to be for Bradfordians when the city's schools, mills, factories and offices closed for their annual summer break. Known fondly as "Bradford on sea", the Lancashire seaside resort was packed with holiday-makers from the district, and it continues to have a place in many hearts. For years it was also a place that many Bradford people retired to.

Our photograph of crowds packed onto Morecambe promenade and beach was taken in August, 1953, when demand for deckchairs was high.

Anyone who flocked to Morecambe for summer fun may recall splashing about in the Superdrome outdoor swimming baths, captured in our photograph from August, 1986.

Morecambe's landmark Midland Hotel was built in 1932 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), which bought land from Morecambe Corporation for a 40-bedroom venue replacing the old hotel. It opened in July, 1933.

Famed for its striking Art Deco design, the Midland is a three-storey curved building with a central circular tower containing a spiral staircase, and a circular cafe bar at the side. The front is decorated with Art Deco seahorses.

Standing on the seafront, the building was designed to complement the curve of the promenade, allowing for panoramic views of the coast.

During the Second World War the Midland, along with other hotels in Morecambe, was requisitioned for use by the RAF and the Civil Service.

The hotel became a hospital, opening in 1940, then after the war, with the nationalisation of the railways, ownership was transferred to the British Transport Commission. It was sold by the BTC in 1952.

Our picture of the hotel was taken in 1985, when its once grand looks had faded. Following a period of closure, it underwent a makeover, re-opening in 2008 after a major two-year restoration by developers Urban Splash.

The hotel has appeared in TV drama Agatha Christie's Poirot, starring David Suchet.

For many Bradford children, Morecambe's Hest Bank was where they spent summer. The holiday home was built by the Bradford Cinderella Club,

established in 1890 to provide free meals for underprivileged schoolchildren over winter.

It went on to provide day trips, as well as clothing and footwear, for children, and by the outbreak of the First World War, the charity had bought land at Hest Bank just outside Morecambe, where a holiday home was built on the sea front.

Open from April to October each year, the home catered for up to 40 children a time, each staying for a fortnight.

In 1926-27, during the General Strike, the charity helped families in need, providing food and clothing. Children were given treats and day trips.

Two-week trips continued at the holiday home and when the Second World War started the Club responded to new pressures facing families. Hest Bank was opened up for evacuees from Bradford whose fathers were at war and mothers were largely working shifts in mills or munitions factories.

The home continued after the war, with trips to the cinema, theatre and countryside, and physical activities such as swimming, canoeing and hiking, which had a positive effect on the children's health. Our photograph, taken in July, 1968, shows Bradford youngsters enjoying a splash-around during a stay at Hest Bank.

In the 1970s the Club organised camping holidays in the Dales, as well as other activities in Bradford and at Hest Bank, providing youngsters, many of whom had never been a mile away from their urban homes, with their first experience of rural activities.

Heavy storms in 1977 caused £50,000 worth of damage to Hest Bank and although it re-opened a year later, the charity was forced to close it after more than 40 years.

Other Bradfordians may recall Craig Convalescent Home for Children, also in Morecambe. Our photograph shows a group of youngsters outside the Georgian building in 1990, but information about the home appears to be scarce, apart from an online posting from a former convalescent there, who describes it as "awful" and recalls "military style washing" and salted porridge.

Closer to home was Linton Camp, near Grassington, where many Bradford children spent time during the war, and over the decades up to the holiday home's closure in the 1980s.

Linton Camp was opened in 1940 initially for evacuees from Bradford, whose fathers had gone to war and whose mothers did shift work in the city's mills or munitions factories. The camp was open throughout the war from 1940 onwards, run largely by voluntary teachers and staff.

In 2008 the Telegraph & Argus ran a series of features looking back on holidays spent at Linton Camp, which generated a huge amount of feedback from readers who remembered spending time there.

Our photographs show Linton Camp in the 1960s and 70s.