Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens, Shelters

Started in 1830s the gardens now have 13 historic structures which are worth exploring with the bonus of wonderful sea views.

The Gardens are comprised of: the Spa Gardens, Prince of Wales Gardens, the Rose Garden, Holbeck Gardens, Shuttleworth Gardens and the Italian Gardens.

The first area to be landscaped was the Spa Gardens, probably started around 1837. George Knowles, architect and civil engineer, is credited with the design of the Spa Gardens and for organising the drainage of that part of the undercliff. At that time the land was leased to the Scarborough Cliff Bridge Company, who managed the Spa. There was a charge to enter the Spa and its grounds. In a book published in 1858 we get this description of the view from Esplanade, “a great slope descends to the beach, all embowered with trees and shrubs, through which here and there you get a glimpse of a gravelled path or the domed roof of a summerhouse. And there, two hundred feet below, is the Spa – a castellated building protected by a sea-wall”. The castellated building was the Gothic Saloon, which was opened in 1839 and is no longer visible. In 1858 Sir Joseph Paxton designed, in the Italian style, the layout for the grounds adjoining the newly-built Music Hall. Parts of his design still exist. Scarborough Corporation acquired the Spa in 1957 when the charges for entering the grounds were abolished.

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