Famous as a seaside holiday resort, Scarborough was believed to have been established by Norsemen around AD 966. The town 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 this war, much of the town lay in ruins. In the seventeenth century the discovery of a stream of acidic water running from one of the cliffs to the south of the town gave birth to Scarborough Spa and soon visitors flooded to the town. Scarborough Spa became Britain’s first seaside resort and a popular getaway destination for the wealthy of London. The coming of the Scarborough–York railway in 1845 increased the tide of visitors and in the same year Scarborough’s first hotel, the Crown, was opened, followed shortly after by the Grand Hotel, soon to be Europe’s largest. In this fascinating collection of images, local author Robin Lidster shows Scarborough’s history, from its Victorian heyday as a major spa resort through its continued popularity as one of Britain’s main domestic holiday destinations. Scarborough: From Old Photographs provides something for everyone, be they long-time residents or first-time visitors
