Edwardian Scarborough shelter wins Grade II Listed Building status
Local history buff and biker Phil Hibbard has succeeded in winning listed status for a popular Scarborough seafront seating shelter.
The decorative Edwardian shelter and viewing terrace on Foreshore Road, to the front of St Nicholas Gardens, has been made a Grade II Listed Building thanks to Phil’s application to Historic England.
Phil, who is a lorry driver, biker and member of Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society, said he started looking for areas that he thought needed protecting following the demolition of the Futurist Theatre.
“In my opinion, it’s a shame that a building of that stature was demolished in the way that it was,” he said.
“It got me thinking ‘what other vulnerable areas are there?’”
Searching Historic England’s website, he quickly found what he described as “a glaring omission” - the seafront seating shelter.
“It’s something that that was built over 100 years ago and still perfectly suits the purpose it was built for,” said Phil, who also runs Scarborough Architectural Heritage Facebook group.
In the summer, the seating shelter and viewing terrace are packed with people, he added, and he said it has become a podium for the town’s Armed Forces Day.
This combined with its fine cast iron Edwardian features, made it street furniture that should be preserved, he said.
After receiving Phil’s application, Historic England sent their own assessors out to look at the seating shelter and viewing terrace, and decided it should be listed.
“This gives it a level of protection,” said Phil. “It can’t be demolished or significantly altered without prior permission for the Secretary of State."
Adrian Perry, President of Scarborough Civic Society, said: "I think it's really good news for Scarborough because it's a very nice, interesting piece of architecture that is hopefully going to be preserved and another piece of Scarborough is saved."