The New York herald., 1874-08-28
SCARBOR U G. n.
Hotel Life at an English
Watering Place.
The Bathing, the Drives, the Amusements
and the People Who Go There.
SCARBOROUGH, England, August Is, 1874


by Sheridan, which, though sufficiently ludicrous
in itself, has nothing TO do with the excursion
now annually undertaken oy many thousand |
Britons and visitors 70 Britain. ana might, indeed, !
have had It's sphere OF action laid in any other ,
watering place. scarborough, however, !s quite !
unlike any other seaside resort In the land, not
merely from its natural position. which Is unique,
but from the style OF lie carried on at IT, which Is !
infinitely more like the do.ngs aur edur In srance
or Germany than the ordinary humdrum routine
OF an English watering place. Until within the !
last few years q quaint Yorkshire fishing town,
consisting OF few rambling streets of red rooted
houses climbing the sides OF preclpitous nlll, |
surmounted by the ruins OF an Old castle, 1t has
now grown to be pleasure resort OF such dimen.
SONS and OF such celebrity as to be allowed, |
without question TO arrogate TO itself the t,e OF
'Queen OF the Watering Places" and to provide a
temporary nome for many thousand visitors who,
from July to October nock 10 1t Or sea bathing and
amusement. The last two months form the FASH
ionabe season. In July and August 1t Is quite as
crowded. but the guests are OF very different
style. Wealthy manufacturers or the midland
counties. spnners from Bradford, woostaplers
from Leeds, carpet manufacturers from Kidder-
minister and shin chambers and provision mer-
chants from Hull are then TO be found there In all
their glory. The men wear suits OF enormous pat
tern the women are dressed out IN all the nnery
which 1t is possible for them to heap upon them
selves. Some Of the latter think nothing OF APP
pearing on the promenade in broad daylight in the
gaudest coored costumes hats, feathers and
furbelows, all in exaggeration of the mode,
and with as much jevelry as they can possibly
display on their ears, necks and hands. When you
add to these the people brought by he excursion
trains who are locally known as "trippers," and
who TO the extent of many hundreds overflow the
lao Z ran no uiu "A rhot
the company in summer is not particularly select.
IN THE AUTUMNAL DAYS.
During September. however quite different
class OF persons begins to arrive. Then come Lon
don people of the better sort who, being for the
most part unburdcned by small children. are
enabled to 90 further adeld than the ordinary
bathing spots on the Kentish coast; the wives and
daughters of neighboring county families glad to
get away from the mansion or the grange during
the shooting season; good many military men on
,eave for Scarborough is rare Irritation ground
and place for picking up wealthy heiresses, and
visitors from Scotland and Ireland find 1t handy,
and have no such retreat in their own countries.
THE OLD TOWN AND IT'S INHABITANTS.
The old town remains pretty much in its origi-
nal state. though the more southernly portion of
it has been improved by the laying out OF two or
three large streets containing first class Shops
some OF which are held as ''succursales'' OF well
known London houses. There is also q most ex-
cellent library. kept 10y Mr. Theakston. where the
latest books, newspapers. and Intelligence of all
that Is going on can be readily obtained. In add-
Iion to this business portion of the town, which is
situated on the North Clitr, there are terraces Of
lodging houses and the Queens and the AleXan-
dra, two good family hotels. This portion OF the
place is toerably cheap and undeniably healthy.
1t is, consequently, ireguented by the poorer class
OF visitors, and.more especially by those who have
large families, The corridors OF the houses are
filed with little wooden spades and pals, the sills
OF the windows are covered with little yellow
shoes drying in the sun after MORNINGS paddle
IN the sands, and the sands themselves re-echo
with the shouts and shrieks Of the little ones who
are sporting on the shore.
THE NEW CITY.
To become acquain ted with real SCARBOROUGH,
however. you must take mp your quarters on the
South Cliff, separated from the old town by
rayine. but joined to 1t by the Cliff Bridge splen-
did structure, which was completed in 1927. On
the South Chf the houses are much ilner and the
hotels Il ore fashionable. There, too, !s the lion OF
Scarborough-the Spa-a little medicinal spring OF
water, which flows out in sunken place very ike
the bear pit in the Geological Gardens, and which
has given Its name to a splendid establishment,
comprising q large concert hall, an external
orchestra, acres OF lovely grounds, beautifully
cultivated, and long, asphated prone made,
Ganked by a sea wall. against which the waves
break with their eternal roar.
HOTEL LIFE AT THE ENGLISH SPA
Life in Scarborough Is carried on pretty much
after this fashion All the notes.-the Crown
situated in the centre OF the overlooking
the SPA grounds and the sea; the Prince OF
Wales the Grand building capable of housing
400 visitors (nothing for America, but very large
for England) ARE conducted on the table d'h0te or
American principle. Breakfast is at nine,
luncheon at one, dinner at SIX. The charge for
these meals and bedroom averages SO a day.
The bathers are all up early and or to the 'ma-
chimes" which fringe the sands under the Cliff
Bridge, while the more adventurous start Off in
boats and take their plunges in the open sea- The
ladies do not appear Immediately after breakfast,
but the cliff is dotted about with men smoking
their pipes and making their arrangements for the
day. Nothing can be more lovely than the APP
pearance OF the place at this time. On the left
lies the cluster OF red roots forming the Old own.
In the little narbor below Two or three golfers may
be unloading while one OF the craft Rlldes easily
along in tow OF q snorting little tug steamer.
Beneath are the verdant, well Kept gardens OF the
Spa and beyond their boundary line the open sea,
its surface necked with dancing. white-salled
yachts, with the fleet OF fshing smacks, so relied
upon by hotel and lodging landlords, ana with iar
away in the o1iing vessels or heavier calibre.
THE MUSIC IN THE MORNING.
Punctually as eleven O'Clock strikes out are
heard the first OF Herr Meyer Lutz's splendid
band In the external orchestra on the sea promen-
ade OF the spa, and thither ock the visitors TO SIT
around and listen TO the music the ladies' taking
their work with them, the gentlemen their TOBACCO,
all TO remain in one delicious dream listening now
to the music, now to the pashng OF the waves
until one O'Clock arrives, when the band stops and
the visitors retire to luncheon.
TIE AFTERNOON.
Any one frat entering Scarborough in the after
noon would imagine 1t the dullcst Of lounging
places, for. save by the two or three basket pony
! carriages which are crawling along the sands on
the very verge OF the receded sea- t Is entirely de-
serted. The shopping was done by the ladies' in
| the early morning before spa time and will not be
| taken up again unit. Immediately before dinner.
| Every one now has driven out INTO the country to
Hackness PARK. the lovely seat OF Sir j. Johnstore
to Fiiey or Scorby pretty villages the coast, or
to enjoy whin OF that fresh mountain air which Is
only to be found IN Scotland or on the large York
shire moors some OF which lie between scar
borough and Whitley.
| THE EVENING PROMENADE.
Six O'Clock sees the table d'h0te in full swing,
but there Is no long sitting after dinner, ior Herr