Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze have been bound up with one another for many years, together with the associated villages of Great Holland, Kirby-le-Soken and Kirby Cross. A century and a half ago, they were all small agricultural villages, but for Frinton and Walton, the change since that time has been dramatic. Frinton became a select resort for those in pursuit of a quiet vacation, while Walton, in contrast, catered with its pier, cinemas and amusement arcades for a livelier, family holiday. Change has been more gradual in Kirby and Great Holland.