When tourists flocked to Scarborough to take the waters

Scarborough, the jewel in the crown of Yorkshire’s seaside resorts, has been welcoming visitors since the 17th century, but as these pictures from its holidaymaking heyday bear witness, it was the coming of the railway from York that made it accessible to almost everyone.
By David Behrens
Published 5th Sep 2020, 06:00 BST
The Bowling Greens in Alexandra Gardens, Scarborough, with the Floral Hall behind, Scarborough. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)The Bowling Greens in Alexandra Gardens, Scarborough, with the Floral Hall behind, Scarborough. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The Bowling Greens in Alexandra Gardens, Scarborough, with the Floral Hall behind, Scarborough. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The discovery of mineral waters in the early 1700s and the installation of the first spa houses had fuelled Scarborough’s claim to be England’s first true seaside resort. But the first such building was washed into the sea – and in the end it was entertainment, not health, on which prosperity was built. By the turn of the last century most of the great music hall stars had come north to the new Spa, whose Victorian buildings still stand. Today the rejuvenated Open Air Theatre has made it a showbusiness hub once more.

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circa 1913: Tourists crowd the promenade near the bandstand at the North Yorkshire coastal resort of Scarborough. (Photo by Alfred Hind Robinson/A H Robinson/Getty Images)circa 1913: Tourists crowd the promenade near the bandstand at the North Yorkshire coastal resort of Scarborough. (Photo by Alfred Hind Robinson/A H Robinson/Getty Images)
circa 1913: Tourists crowd the promenade near the bandstand at the North Yorkshire coastal resort of Scarborough. (Photo by Alfred Hind Robinson/A H Robinson/Getty Images)

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Related topics:ScarboroughYorkshireYorkVictorianEnglandYorkshire Post

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