The Mary Fountain

The society has funding repairs to the Mary Fountain which is on the pavement at Ramshill. The work started in November and got off to a good start; however the very cold frosty weather slowed things down as the stonemasons had wait for a break in the wintry weather before they could finish off repairing the stonework. While the stonemason was undertaking the work passers-by commented on how the memorial was coming back to life. Shelter-coat has been applied and finally 16 new stone spindles fixed which are from a quarry in Cumbria.The work was completed on 23rd December 2011. We are grateful to Scarborough Borough Council Central Urban Area Committee for their contribution of £1500 towards the costs of this project. 

 

 

 

 

 

A project recently realized is the restoration of the English oak

shelter in Shuttleworth Gardens.  We believe the shelter is around 100 years old.

The gardens and shelter were given to the town by Alfred Shuttleworth of Red Court in 1917. Click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

Many members commented that some of the large “Welcome to Scarborough” maps were out of date and gave an unfavourable impression of the town. The maps which needed to be replaced were in the following locations: Queens Parade, Castle Road (below the castle), at the side of the Town Hall and near the Grand Hotel. SBC had been working on the project for some time but run out of funds.

At a meeting of the Executive it was agreed that the society would fund this important project so look out for the new maps have been printed by a local company and installed by Civic Society Volunteers.

 

 

 

The Ramshill Water Fountain was looking very tired and dirty but on further examination the structure was at great risk and needed

the attention of a qualified stonemason who dismantled parts of the structure, cleaned and re-assembled the fountain. This work will ensure that the memorial will last for many years.

It’s hard to understand how we have not previously recognised the significance of the Spa Cliff Lift with a Blue Plaque but we have corrected that oversight. The lift was the first passenger cliff tramway in Europe (possibly the world) and it set an example to be followed by a large number of holiday resorts. The tramway opened on 6th July 1875, having cost £8,000. This system of conveying passengers from cliff top esplanades to the undercliff below was extremely influential in the way a number of resorts developed in the late 19th century; many other resorts followed Scarborough's lead. The lift still has a vital role to play in Scarborough's continued success by making the Spa accessible to everyone and in 2008, over 230,000 journeys were made.

The Diving Belle which is on Vincent's Pier has a stunning location just next to the Lighthouse, represents  the energy of Scarborough driving forward her future in the twenty-first century.

The Bathing Belle (below) brings the history of Scarborough as the first sea-bathing resort in the UK into the town centre's main shopping street, Westborough, outside the Brunswick Centre.

Shelters Working Group