Scarborough : A seaside resort , in the 1820s
A book seller called John Cole moved to
Scarborough in 1821. His diary recorded some of the
delights, awaiting both the resident and the genteel
visitor, in those years before the railways brought
the crowds. Even in January, there was a "caravan of
wild beasts". He saw zebra, elephant, ostrich and a
Greenland bear. The keeper, a man of some spirit, put
his head briefly in a lion's mouth. John walked on the
beach, visited the castle, regularly attended
sermons, at each of the churches in turn, and walked
in "the Plantation."
At the MayDay holiday of 1822, he made his first
visit to Oliver's Mount, and soon after walked to
Scalby Mill. He bathed in the sea for t he first time
on July 13th and enjoyed a pleasure boat excursion.
The tattooed head of George , a New Zealand chief was
exhibited in the town. It was rumoured that Captain
Thompson of Hull had been eaten there. The King
approached Scarborough in a ship on August 12th, so
thousands lined the cliffs and the castle to wave.
There was much walking in those days.The road west
of Scarborough was called Falsgrave Walk and was not
yet built up to that village. John Cole explored
further afield, to Filey , Hunmanby, Hackness, and
even a farmhouse at ":the rural village of Seamer",
when his wife was convalescent. Carnelian Bay was a
quiet retreat. By way of contrast, there was the
excitement of a new steam packet arriving at the
harbour. He took daughter Mary to Mr.Pearsons
subscription gardens at Falsgrave, so that she might
revel in beds of strawberries., but he went alone to
seethe many implements of death and destruction
displayed at a building near the castle.
Cole took a glass of water at the spa in 1823.
Another year , he tried some of Captain Parry's
preserved beef, which had been taken to the Arctic
three years before. It was still tasty. Esquimaux
boots were on show at Wilson;s music shop, brought
back by the whaling men. Mr Chambers in Long Westgate
would show his fine collection of agates picked up on
local beaches. A giant spider crab brought from the
Dogger Bank , three quarters of a yard of it, and was
auctioned for eight shillings. There were portrait
artists in town, who would do profiles for a
shilling, complete with frame and glass.
There were high points. Cole won a share of the
prize with a lottery ticket in 1825. That was the
year of the great storm, when hundreds watched the spa
and bathing machines being smashed. He welcomed the
result when the Spa was given many ornamental
improvements. There were modern inventions too. He
heard a lecture on Geography, when the speaker showed
twelve views on a Diorama. And yet, this was still a
rural world. Scarborough was largely confined within
its old borough ditches. Cole would take a walk down
Penny Black Lane, across Chapman's common, into Scalby
Road , up Whitby Road, and over the fields by the
bleach yard. There were tea gardens at the Mere, at
Hackness and at Scalby mills where the "tea
equipage" was ready for the thirsty walker.
John Rushton
OTHER ARTICLES
• Seabathing in scarborough - an article by John Rushton
• The history of the Scarborough Spa pump rooms
• A sea shanty about a storm on the Scarborough coast
• The port of Scarborough in the late 15th Century
• The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
• The national RNLI and the Scarborough lifeboat of 1861.
• Coastal erosion in the 19th Century around the North Bay and Scarborough Castle area
• Scarborough ships in the baltic - an article by John Rushton
• A great storm in ancient Scarborough. by John Rushton.
• Harwood Brierleys description of Scarborough harbour at the opening of the 20th century
• The early years of the Scarborough Lifeboat
• A great storm in 1871 in Bridlington Bay
• The Borough of Scarborough formed in the 12th Century
• Shipping Ironstone down the coast by John Rushton
• A great storm in 1874 along the coasts of England
• Tunny fishing in Scarborough in the 1930's
• Watching for ships by the harbour walls in Scarborough
• Fighting the Scots in Scarborough Waters in the early 16th century. John Rushton
• A Harbour quarrel by John Rushton - Scarborough history
HOW TO HELP THIS WEBSITE: Google rates pages posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites very highly. So if you have found this site useful please post it using the buttons below.
Tweet