Victorian Gem in Scarborough restored to its former glory thanks to volunteers

It has stood against the end of Belle Vue Terrace, now the Stumble Inn, for almost 130 years.

This late Victorian relic is a hugely significant piece of Scarborough architecture and history.

Because of its very interesting history, it has recently been restored by a team of volunteers under the auspices of the Scarborough Civic Society.

On close inspection this shelter is an absolute gem.

As with much architecture from the Victorian age, it combines form and function with sturdiness and bags of style.

You just have to look at the curve of the roof and red and blue floor tiles; also the decorative cast iron fruit and leaf motif panels (the spandrels) to understand how much pride the Victorians designed into their civic works.

It proudly displays 30 white Yorkshire roses on its pillar tops (capitals).

The powers-that-be who originally commissioned the shelter described their requirement as “a seat and overhanging veranda”, to improve the end of Victoria Road.

It is in essence just a humble shelter conceived and erected to tidy up an unused piece of land on a suburban junction: to provide a refuge for pedestrians against the vagaries of the North Yorkshire weather.

It was never intended as a showy seaside town decoration for tourists to enjoy.

So why is it so significant historically?

Well, first merely the fact that it has survived till today at all.

It is pretty much unaltered apart from the seating arrangement.

Generally, streets change over time to adapt to new requirements, old pieces of street furniture are often the casualties of the modernisation.

Second, it was the very first project designed and implemented by Scarborough’s great borough engineer Harry W Smith.

Over a 36-year career here he did so much to change the face of the town for the better.

He took up the post of borough surveyor on February 1, 1897 and had his design for this shelter accepted by the Corporation’s Streets and Buildings Committee just seven weeks later.

You can see Smith’s signature on the original rather lovely technical drawing for the shelter, which is reproduced here by kind permission of the North Yorkshire Archives.

It was definitely one of Smith’s more humble endeavours – but perhaps the ambitious young man was laying down an early marker to show his new employers what he could do.

His outstanding legacy to us today is embodied in the more prestigious projects of Peasholm Park, Olivers Mount memorial, Open Air Theatre, South Cliff Gardens, and many more.

However, he had to start somewhere!

Something else which makes this shelter so special is that it was probably also entirely manufactured here in Scarborough.

The plaque on one of the shelter’s pillars reads, “Harry Pickup Engineer Scarborough”.

Pickup’s foundry works are now long gone but were then located in Roscoe Street just a stone’s throw from where the shelter now stands.

Back in the day, Pickups were regular suppliers of cast metal items to the Corporation.

Records show regular payments to the firm during this period.

If you look, you will notice Pickup patent manhole covers all around the town.

There is also an unusual run of railings sporting a laurel wreath design which bears his name.

This is immediately above the South Cliff lift.

According to the records the price agreed by the corporation for the manufacture and erection of the shelter was £220 – that is roughly equivalent to £37,000 in today’s money.

There is no evidence that the design of Smith’s shelter was ever copied elsewhere, so it seems we have something humble in purpose but at the same time unique and of tremendous historical significance to the town.

Something well worth preserving for the future; not least because it is an excellent spot, sheltered from the elements, to relax and enjoy a Cooplands coffee and pastry!

Until this summer the shelter was dilapidated and in serious need of attention.

So the team of Civic Society volunteers, who are more used to sprucing up the old black and white street signs around the town (and the odd cast iron horse trough and decorative rowing boat), took up the challenge.

First the Society paid for blacksmiths to have the worst of the rotten ironwork cut out and replaced.

Since May the volunteers have spent many hours rubbing down all the metal work and repainting it from top to bottom, restoring the structure mostly to the original paint scheme.

Much of the paint has been supplied by the NYCC.

Some work remains to be done to the roof and guttering to prevent further deterioration to the internal timbers.

The council’s Property Services have committed to complete that.

The Civic Society (scarboroughcivicsociety.org.uk) promotes pride in the beauty, history and character of Scarborough and its surroundings, and is always keen to welcome new members.