The British Film Institute has a whole range of films for viewing on their BFI Player website at:

http://player.bfi.org.uk/

I was watching a short film made about 1901 in Morecambe, with the camera travelling along the promenade on a Sunday or perhaps a public holiday. Crowds and crowds of people - and hardly anyone who you would call fat, or even slightly overweight. I think a walk on that same stretch of promenade today would present a quiet different picture.

I recall the post-war (1940 and 1950s) period as well, Eliza, and agree with you. I also had a sylph-like figure in those days - 9 stone wet through and dreadfully skinny until my early 30s! Time took its toll on that skinyness for some years until I made a conscious effort to lose weight some time ago and got to a respectable (for my height) 11.5 stone.