Scarborough is the largest seaside resort in East Yorkshire and is divided into the North Bay that is the quieter end of town with gardens and parks and the South Bay with its arcades and thriving nightlife.
The town was once well known for its Scarborough Fair and the song of the same name. This no longer takes place and now in September each year a variety of events take place in remembrance to the fair.
The town started to expand in the 19th century when swimming became the new sport and more and more people were visiting the coast.
Scarborough’s first hotel opened in 1845 and the Grand Hotel in 1867, it was one of the world’s largest hotels and had four towers to represent the seasons, twelve floors for the months, 52 chimneys for the weeks and originally there were 365 rooms for the days of the year.
It was after WWII that the town became a very popular holiday resort for industrial workers and by the 1950’s three million people a year were visiting the town.
Scarborough is good for shopping with the Brunswick Shopping Centre and other shopping streets housing major High Street stores plus smaller boutiques. There is also an indoor market and in its vaults can be found an array of independent shops and those selling antiques and curios. Around the shopping area are plenty of cafes and coffee houses.
Around the town can be found great fish and chip shops, quaint tearooms and restaurants serving traditional, Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisine.
The town has a thriving nightlife with a pub on practically every corner together with nightclubs and casinos.
There are also many theatres and venues all catering for differing kinds of tastes in music, comedy and drama. The Grade II Scarborough Spar is now home to the Scarborough Spa Orchestra, the last seaside orchestra in the UK. It gives ten concerts a week during the summer and plays classical and light music with no performance repeated.
The town still has a large amount of visitors in the summer and there are plenty of attractions for everyone to enjoy.
The working fishing harbour has a market and stalls selling freshly caught seafood.
Scarborough Castle is on the headland and evidence of the Romans, Saxons and Vikings have been found here. Nowadays all that remains are the buttress walls and a three storey keep.
There are several art galleries and museums around the town.
The Sea Life and Marine Sanctuary is a great place for the family to visit with its rescued, orphaned or sick baby seals helped back to health being the main attraction. There is an Otter Sanctuary, another popular feature and a sea turtle convalescence facility. Coral and turtle reefs can also be explored.
Scarborough Amateur Rowing Club was founded in 1869. Sea rowing here has been undertaken for over 100years and still takes place during the summer months.
Properties for rent are always available in Scarborough at a cost of around £260-£450pm for a l bed flat, £450-£625 for a 2 bed flat and £475-£550 for a 3 bed house.
The printing industry is one of the major sources of employment in the town, with Pindar and Polestar both having bases on the business park. One of the largest employers is Plaxtons who have been building buses and coaches since 1907. The hospitality industry is also prominent.
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