Scarborough Chalets Back To Their Very Best

A block of Scarborough’s beach chalets, which were demolished after two landslips, have been returned to their former Edwardian glory.

The 11 chalets on the town’s South Cliff form part of a crescent of 22 under the Clock Café. They were seriously damaged by two landslips in 2018, leading to their demolition a year later.

In a £580,000 project, North Yorkshire Council has rebuilt the wooden chalets to match the former Grade II listed buildings – with their multi-coloured doors restoring the landscape above South Bay.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“Rebuilding these chalets means we have restored an important part of Scarborough and adds to the £7.2 million restoration scheme at South Cliff Gardens.

“Together with the chalets we own in Filey and Whitby, they are a big part of our tourism offer, being popular with both local people and visitors.”

For retired businessman, Martin Johnson, his wife Jenny, and their family, it means they can return to their “happy” place once more. They have rented chalets on the Scarborough coastline for almost 50 years and felt “lost” when number 250 succumbed to the weather.

Mr Johnson said:

“Beach chalets are in our blood – both of us grew up spending hours at chalets in Scarborough rented by our families so it was only natural that we rented one ourselves,” 

“Our three daughters also grew up with them, and when they return home it’s one of the first places they want to go to. The newly built chalets are lovely, very true to the originals and it’s great to see them reopened.

“We love the community that is generated by them – we have a lot of friends we have met there. It is a very relaxing place to come to sit and watch the sea, the children playing on the beach, and meet friends for coffee.”

Beach huts first came to North Bay in Scarborough in 1911 with those at South Bay being built around 1911 to 1912. Bathing machines had been popular on the British coast into the early 1900’s, but the advent of war meant the beaches were closed. When they reopened, people fell in love with beach holidays once more and saw the popularity of the modern beach chalets rise.

North Yorkshire Council’s ward member for Weaponness and Ramshill, Cllr Richard Maw, added:

“I am super delighted to see the opening of the new beach chalets on South Cliff, which look amazing.

“They mirror the original huts whilst simultaneously providing improved facilities. I am certain that locals and tourists will find these new chalets very much to their liking and are a welcome investment to the South Cliff area.

“In 2026 Scarborough celebrates its quatercentenary as a tourism resort – marking us as the UK’s first seaside resort. Beach chalets are a crucial part of the seaside visitor experience and these new builds can rightly be celebrated!”

North Yorkshire Council has 35 chalets in Scarborough, 170 in Whitby and 36 in Filey available for weekly and daily lets. For more information on bookings, visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/leisure-tourism-and-culture/beaches

The South Cliff Gardens restoration project, which spanned two years, was made possible with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund.

The scheme, which was completed in March last year, involved improving access to the gardens, creating a new depot for the gardens team and introducing new signage.  The Italian Gardens and the listed Holbeck Clock Tower were restored along with the Italianate Steps and improve access to the Spa buildings and Scarborough’s promenade.