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Scarborough is one of the UK’s most famous seaside destinations, with a long history of leisure tourism dating back to the 17th century.
Scarborough Civic Society explains: ‘These discerning early visitors sought pleasure as well as health. They demanded – and were willing to pay for – the best of everything, from accommodation, food and drink to theater performances.’
The Yorkshire coast was also a base for the fishing and shipbuilding industries with an active port.
While Scarborough, like many of the UK’s seaside resorts, suffered as a tourist destination after the introduction of cheap flights and package holidays in the late 1900s, it remains a popular seaside resort today.
Find out how the resort has evolved over time with this selection of fascinating historical photos.
From the live band stand that has been entertaining guests for over 100 years to the outdoor swimming pool that was the ‘first of its kind in England’ – delve back into Scarborough’s past…
A view of Scarborough from the esplanade in 1911 is captured in the top image. The bottom image shows the seaside town in 2021, with the castle ruins prominent on the hill in each photo. Scarborough began attracting visitors in the 1600s, say Visit Scarboroughmaking it one of the UK’s premier seaside resorts
These two images show holidaymakers listening to bands playing at the Spa (an event venue and spa), but more than 100 years apart, with the top image dating from 1913, the bottom from 2022
The above two aerial photographs provide a comparison of present-day Scarborough with the town in 1929. At the bottom left of the vintage image is Scarborough Lighthouse in a state of ruin. Scarborough Civic Society explains: ‘During the German bombing in 1914, a shell cut through the lighthouse tower. It had to be demolished down to the first floor, and was rebuilt by public subscription in 1931’
Three women ‘shrimp’ – looking for prawns – on Scarborough Sands Beach in 1912
Crowds of holidaymakers arrive at Scarborough railway station in this image, taken in 1913. Scarborough Civic Society states: ‘With the arrival of the railway in 1845, Scarborough was well placed to attract a wider range of visitors than ever before. They now came to enjoy the newfound delights of an established seaside resort, rather than to sample the medicinal Spa waters.
Holidaymakers pictured at the Spa in 1913. The BBC revealed: ‘It included a concert hall seating 500 people, gardens and a promenade’
Beachgoers relaxing on deckchairs on Scarborough’s coast in 1913. The Spa is pictured above the beach with the town’s Grand Hotel at the top of the image
Holidaymakers at North Beach in Scarborough in 1913. At the time, tourists could use wheeled swimming machines – a type of modesty device that allowed private access to the water
Tourists are photographed on Scarborough’s North Bay in 1913. The ruins of Scarborough Castle, a medieval fortress, are seen on the hill in the back of the shot. Scarborough Civic Society notes that the ruins ‘remain the most famous feature of the town’
Bathers in the sea at North Sands Beach in Scarborough in 1914. Since as far back as the early 17th century, Scarborough has been established as ‘somewhere nice to take the water’, reveals the BBC
Holidaymakers enjoy the outdoor swimming pool at Scarborough’s Battery Park in 1930. The Yorkshire Post explains: ‘The Art Deco attraction was the first swimming pool of its kind in England with built-in diving boards, a water chute, changing rooms and showers. It contained almost two million liters of filtered and chlorinated seawater.’ The pool was closed in 1989
This image depicts Scarborough’s seafront in 1935. A banner in the background advertises ‘The World’s Champion Lady Wrestlers’ – a daily spectacle, apparently
In this 1937 image, Scarborough footballers are taken with a seaweed bath during FA Cup match preparations
This picture shows the Spa bandstand in 1945. The Spa complex has been altered several times over the years, but the DNA of its architecture can be traced back to the 1880s
Holidaymakers are pictured on deckchairs on the beach in 1958. Although many British seaside resorts have fallen out of favor with the introduction of cheap flights abroad, Scarborough is still the third most visited place in the UK, according to Visit Scarborough
