Scarborough - Grand Hotel

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. This was soon attacked and burnt down by Anglo-Saxon tribes. The town recovered during the reign of Henry II.

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.

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

In 1867, when the Grand Hotel opened for guests it was the largest hotel and the largest brick structure in Europe.

During the 1910s, The Grand Hotel Scarborough was the place to be within the area and even provided evening entertainment.

The hotel was badly damaged in December 1914, during a raid on the town by the German Navy. It was reported that the hotel was hit at least 30 times. In 1939, the hotel became the home to RAF trainees and the corner cupolas housed anti-aircraft guns.

It took some years to get the hotel back in shape after WWII, but during the 1960s and 70s the hotel saw a dip in customers due to the increasing desire for abroad holidays, resulting in a decline in the "British Seaside Holiday".

Meanwhile millions of pounds went into renovation and the hotel, now own by "Brittania Hotels" catering towards the budget end of the spectrum.