The town is over looked by the ruins of a medieval castle. English Heritage, who do such a fantastic job of looking after our historic buildings, has taken the castle under its wing; They also hold a number of events at the castle including Wartime Weekends and Medieval Jousts.
The Spa water, which was drunk by many early visitors for health reasons, was declared unfit for human consumption in the 1930s [2].
The Spa complex now hosts conferences, exhibitions and entertainment events.
When the York to Scarborough railway opened in 1845 it made it easier for many more visitors to come to the town. The Scarborough to Whitby Railway opened forty years later in 1885, and closed in the 1960s Beeching cuts .
Scarborough has the UK’s oldest funicular cliff lift - The Spa funicular cliff lift, built in 1873. It worked on a balance system using water and may have been the inspiration for the Lynmouth and Lynton Cliff railway. During the 1930s, the hydraulic water system was replaced with an electric motor.
There were once five cliff lifts at Scarborough, The North Cliff Lift and the Queens Parade Cliff Lift, have been dismantled; The Spa lift and The Central lift, which is next to the Grand Hotel, were working when I visited in April 2010.
The St Nicholas lift, which is also next to the Grand hotel, was closed in 2006 by Scarborough Council. There is a “Save Scarborough’s St Nicholas Cliff Lift!” campaign on facebook.
On Wednesday the 16th December 1914, Scarborough along with Hartlepool and Whitby were bombarded with shells during a German naval raid. There were a number of casualties and shells fell on homes, destroyed the lighthouse, and hit other buildings in the town.
The lighthouse was rebuilt and opened again on the 23rd September 1931.
During WWII, the town was bombed a number of times, on the 18th March 1941 an estimated 1,000 incendiary bombs fell on the town [1].
The Victorians built the impressive Grand hotel that has dominated the South Bay since it opened on the 24th July 1867. During its construction some buildings were demolished including one were the Bronte sisters stayed, and Anne Bronte died she is buried in St. Mary’s churchyard.
The hotel was one of the buildings hit during the German naval raid in 1914, it must have been an easy target for the enemy gunners, fortunately no one in the hotel was injured.
Scarborough's North Bay Railway opened in 1931 and runs between Peasholm Park and Scalby Mills a distance of approximately ¾ of a mile.
Operated by the North Bay Railway Company Ltd this wonderful narrow gauge railway is a great place to visit and take the children.
I had a great time when I visited the railway, and found the people working there very friendly and helpful.
The South Bay bathing pool shown in the second photograph used to be a popular attraction in Scarborough. The pool opened in 1915, and closed during the 1980s, it has now been filled in.
