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Scarborough, North Yorkshire

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This article is on the English seaside resort. For other places see Scarborough (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox England place with map

The South Bay at Scarborough
The North Bay at Scarborough
Scarborough Lighthouse
Spa Bridge (footbridge), Scarborough

Scarborough is a charming holiday resort located on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire, England. The modern town lies 30 to 70 metres above sea level, on limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour and is protected by a rocky headland. It is served by Scarborough railway station.

The modern town of Scarborough has a population of around 50,000, and is the major holiday resort of the Yorkshire Coast. It is home to residential communities, business, fishing and service industries plus a burgeoning digital and creative economy.

The town has a North Bay and a South Bay. The South Bay is the main focus and contains many arcades and entertainment facilities and is overlooked by the town itself - a vibrant shopping centre. The North Bay has traditionally been 'the quiet end' of the resort and is home to Peasholm Park which has recently been granted funding to be restored to its Japanese-themed glory. The park still features a mock maritime battle (based on the Battle of the River Plate) re-enacted on the boating lake with large model boats and fireworks throughout the summer holiday season.

The North Bay is linked to the South Bay by an impressive Victorian promenade, built around the headland and soon to be home to the controversial large-scale sculpture The Wave, consisting of "21 steel members, each element a deconstructed section of a wave, which when viewed as an overall composition recreates the wave cycle". Overlooking both bays is Scarborough Castle, which was bombarded by the German warships Derfflinger and von der Tann in the First World War. Both bays have excellent sandy beaches and some superb rock-pooling opportunities at low tide.

Slightly less well known is the South Cliff Promenade situated above the Spa and South Cliff gardens and affording stunning views of the South Bay and old town. Its Victorian splendour is still intact and the mix of quality hotels and desirable apartments form the backdrop to the ITV drama The Royal which can often be seen filming in the area. The South Bay has the largest illuminated "Star Disk" anywhere in the UK. It is 26 metres across and is fitted with subterranean lights representing the 42 brightest stars and major constellations that can be seen from Scarborough in the northern skies.


History

The town was founded around 966 AD as Skarðaborg by Thorgils Skarthi, a Viking raider, though in the 4th century there had briefly been a Roman signal station on Scarborough Headland, and there is evidence of much earlier stone age and bronze age settlements. However, the new settlement was soon burned to the ground by a rival band of Vikings under Tosti, Lord of Falsgrave, and Harald III of Norway. The destruction and massacre meant that very little remained to be recorded in the Domesday survey of 1085. Scarborough recovered under King Henry II who built a stone castle on the headland, and granted charters in 1155 and 1163, permitting a market on the sands, and establishing rule by Burgesses.

Edward II gave Scarborough Castle to his favourite, Piers Gaveston. In his castle at Scarborough Gaveston was besieged by the barons, captured and carried to Oxford for execution.

In the Middle Ages Scarborough Fair, permitted in a royal charter of 1253, held a six-week trading festival attracting merchants from all over Europe. It ran from Assumption Day, the 15th of August, until Michaelmas Day, the 29th September. The Fair continued to be held for 500 years, from the eleventh to the eighteenth century, and is commemorated in the song "Scarborough Fair":

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
—parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...".

Scarborough and its Castle changed hands seven times between royalists and parliamentarians during the English Civil War, of the 1640s, enduring two lengthy and violent sieges. Following the civil war much of the town lay in ruins.

In 1626, Mrs Elizabeth Farrow discovered a stream of acidic water running from one of the cliffs to the south of the town. This gave birth to Scarborough Spa, and Dr Wittie's book about the Spa waters published in 1660 attracted a flood of visitors to the town. Scarborough Spa became Britain's first seaside resort, though the first rolling bathing machines were not noted on the sands until 1735. The coming of the Scarborough-York railway in 1845 increased the tide of visitors.

When the Grand Hotel was completed in 1867 it was one of the largest hotels in the world and one of the first giant purpose built hotels in Europe. Four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors represent the months, 52 chimneys represent the weeks and originally 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year.

During World War I, the town was bombarded by German warships of the High Seas Fleet, an act which shocked the British.

In June 1993 Scarborough made headlines around the world when a landslip caused part of the Holbeck Hall Hotel, along with its gardens, to fall into the sea.

Modern Scarborough has a high Latter-day Saints population and there is a Church of the Latter-day Saints situated in the town.

Culture

Dramatist Alan Ayckbourn is based in Scarborough where he has lived for a number of years. He has produced some sixty plays in Scarborough and is the artistic director of the famous Stephen Joseph Theatre, where almost all his plays receive their first performance. The town also plays host to the annual National Student Drama Festival, which takes place at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, the Spa Centre and other venues around the town.

The area is also home to hundreds of "artists" working in a wide variety of media and boasts several galleries. The presence of the University of Hull Digital Arts and Yorkshire Coast College's Arts provision in the town help fuel a vibrant music and arts scene.

The town is home to a significant jazz festival each September and an eclectic rock and pop festival on the beach in the summer which features at least 50% local talent alongside internationally known artistes. In Summer 2005 Scarborough played host to the Sonic Arts Network Expo featuring cutting edge performances and installations.

These fairly recent developments married to a traditional museum and visual arts provision hint at Scarborough's desire to re-invent itself as a creative and arts-based town.

The film Little Voice was filmed on location in Scarborough and the surrounding area. [1]

Education

The town has a small higher education institution, the University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, (formerly North Riding College and University College Scarborough) and is home to Yorkshire Coast College and Scarborough Sixth Form College.

Education in Scarborough is notable for its commitment to the digital economy and as a result 2005 saw Scarborough's first showcase of digital industries "Digital Scarborough" take place featuring both businesses and educators from the local area demonstrating work of a world-class standard and hinting at a bright future for digital and creative industries in the region.


Sport

The Scarborough Amateur Rowing Club was founded in May 1869, and is the oldest surviving Rowing Club on the North East Coast. For more than 100 years sea rowing has taken place on the Yorkshire coast between the Tees and the Humber, beginning with friendly rivalry between the fisherman and the jet miners from Blyth (sometimes known as the German Ocean Race) the sport has progressed to what it is today. Rowing takes place throughout the summer months.

Scarborough Football Club was the first team to be promoted into the league after the dismissal of a rule stating that teams in the league could choose whether or not the team having come top of what is now the Conference should be promoted. Scarborough Football Club was then relegated from Division 3, (now Coca-Cola league 3)in 2001. They were then relegated form the Conference down to the Conference North in 2006. One of their greatest achievements is winning the FA trophy at Wembley stadium. Their best achievement in the FA cup was in January 2004, when they played Chelsea in the 4th round. They lost this match 1-0, with John Terry scoring the goal from a header.

Famous residents and ex-residents

References


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