There are so many things I love about this photo. It’s 1954 and my first holiday. We’re in Scarborough, perhaps the first place I fell in love with. In the distance you can see the Grand Hotel and the white domes of the spa… both places that would captivate my imagination in future years. My parents are sitting above the lido and the tiered promenades where we once came close to being swept away by waves. Then there’s my pram. How did they get that on the train, along with two large, heavy suitcases?
For my mother, having holidays was one of the things that differentiated families. I doubt my dad had any. It wasn’t just about income, even in the depression my Seymour grandparents had managed a vacation. They went to a wooden hut near Hartlepool, a sort of early version of a holiday camp. Entertainment was mixing with the other holiday makers, often families who returned every year.
My parents watched the pennies very carefully and saved all year for our annual summer holiday. We always went to a resort; there had to be a beach, entertainment, illuminations, flower beds and excursions. No place offered such a combination of things to see and do as Scarborough, with its layers of history, literary links, parks, theatres and gardens. It was the best place to find star fish, shells and crabs. What other town offered a ride on a pirate ship and an island where you could dig for treasure and find it? Scarborough catered for all tastes and all classes.
As a baby I was unaware of all of this, but I look content. We’re sitting on the South cliff, close to the gardens I’d come to love. The last time I visited was around 1985. I stayed in a B&B not far from here. I’d get up at dawn and wander through these magical gardens… the Italian Garden with its lily pond and statue of Mercury, the rose garden… Narrow paths crisscrossed the cliffside, leading from one garden to another and down to the promenade.. At this early hour they were misty and mysterious. I didn’t have them to myself. The ghosts of previous decades lingered.
I didn’t know the gardens been constructed during WW1 when this area of the town was being developed. The lido dated to this period too. It was being built when German warships bombarded the town.
We’d spend the day on the beach, returning to our guest house for dinner and tea. This was before self catering was invented. We stayed with a Mrs Ireland, full board. We all slept in one room. There was a china bowl and jug of hot water for washing. There were rules about towels, swimsuits and sand, but Mrs Ireland was kindly rather than fierce. It was a long walk to the beach.
An element of danger added to the thrills. One summer the North Bay was invaded by jelly fish. The waves at high tide would deposit them on Marine Drive, transparent lumps of jelly that filled us with horror and fascination. Dodging the waves as they crashed over the railings was more thrilling than any fairground ride. I find it hard to think of my parents as daring, but they weren’t cautious. In the South Bay we’d also dodge the waves, walking the lower promenade that bordered the lido. Waves made it impassable and we had to be rescued by disapproving strangers, who hauled us up to the higher level. I was clutching my doll Gwen. On holiday, the normal rules and restrictions were suspended.
here to edit.
For my mother, having holidays was one of the things that differentiated families. I doubt my dad had any. It wasn’t just about income, even in the depression my Seymour grandparents had managed a vacation. They went to a wooden hut near Hartlepool, a sort of early version of a holiday camp. Entertainment was mixing with the other holiday makers, often families who returned every year.
My parents watched the pennies very carefully and saved all year for our annual summer holiday. We always went to a resort; there had to be a beach, entertainment, illuminations, flower beds and excursions. No place offered such a combination of things to see and do as Scarborough, with its layers of history, literary links, parks, theatres and gardens. It was the best place to find star fish, shells and crabs. What other town offered a ride on a pirate ship and an island where you could dig for treasure and find it? Scarborough catered for all tastes and all classes.
As a baby I was unaware of all of this, but I look content. We’re sitting on the South cliff, close to the gardens I’d come to love. The last time I visited was around 1985. I stayed in a B&B not far from here. I’d get up at dawn and wander through these magical gardens… the Italian Garden with its lily pond and statue of Mercury, the rose garden… Narrow paths crisscrossed the cliffside, leading from one garden to another and down to the promenade.. At this early hour they were misty and mysterious. I didn’t have them to myself. The ghosts of previous decades lingered.
I didn’t know the gardens been constructed during WW1 when this area of the town was being developed. The lido dated to this period too. It was being built when German warships bombarded the town.
We’d spend the day on the beach, returning to our guest house for dinner and tea. This was before self catering was invented. We stayed with a Mrs Ireland, full board. We all slept in one room. There was a china bowl and jug of hot water for washing. There were rules about towels, swimsuits and sand, but Mrs Ireland was kindly rather than fierce. It was a long walk to the beach.
An element of danger added to the thrills. One summer the North Bay was invaded by jelly fish. The waves at high tide would deposit them on Marine Drive, transparent lumps of jelly that filled us with horror and fascination. Dodging the waves as they crashed over the railings was more thrilling than any fairground ride. I find it hard to think of my parents as daring, but they weren’t cautious. In the South Bay we’d also dodge the waves, walking the lower promenade that bordered the lido. Waves made it impassable and we had to be rescued by disapproving strangers, who hauled us up to the higher level. I was clutching my doll Gwen. On holiday, the normal rules and restrictions were suspended.
here to edit.