Scarborough

With a population of more than 60.000 Scarborough is the largest town on the Yorkshire Coast.

Scarborough was founded by Danes in the 10th century, when Thorgil (aka Skarthi, meaning 'hare-lip') built a stronghold here – hence 'Skarthi's burh'. This was soon attacked and burnt down by Anglo-Saxon tribes in the time of Tosti and Harald III. The town recovered during the reign of Henry II. The king had Scarborough Castle built on the headland and granted the town the right to hold a market in 1155 and to appoint a mayor in 1163

In 1253, the Scarborough Fair was established by royal decree and held annually for 500 years. The six-week trade fair attracted merchants from all over Europe. To this day, the custom has been passed down in the English folk song of the same name.

The town and castle changed hands seven times during the English Civil War. Large parts of the town were destroyed in the process.

In 1626, an acidic mineral spring was discovered. The spring was called Scarborough Spa, it was regarded as a healing spring and became very popular from the 1660s onwards. Scarborough thus became Britain's first spa in the early modern era. The opening of the York-Scarborough railway line in 1845 contributed to an increased influx of visitors to the seaside resort

A castle made of sand // (Reminds me on Jimi Hendrix)