NOSTALGIA: New prospect for old Mere now in view

THIS is the Mere in the 1980s when it was one of Scarborough’s favourite attractions.

By The Newsroom

Published 3rd Oct 2011, 01:00 BST

There was a putting green, boating on the lake and a cafe. Also visible is an advertisement hoarding for trips on the Hispaniola – a pirate ship which takes its name from the vessel in Treasure Island.

And just like Jim Hawkins in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, children could take a trip to the island at the Mere and search for gold doubloons.

A map dated 1766 by Thomas Bowen in The Gentlemen’s Magazine shows Scarborough Mere as “a lake called Byard’s Lake”. Its now rundown – though the Hispaniola was rescued and still sets sail in South Bay. There are plans to renovate the Mere for £3.6m and include eco-lodges, mountain bike trails and a dry ski slope.