06/08/2024
Marine Drive in Scarborough is a fantastic walk or drive. Plenty of open top buses to enjoy the view from.
The Marine Drive was officially opened 116 years ago today!
The first ever marine carriage drive in the country and was arguably the final and most ambitious project in transforming the town into a modern seaside resort.
The Drive, which was constructed primarily as a sea defence work and took 10 years, 10 months and 10 days to complete. It was fraught with danger and constant setbacks as the sea lashed the site.
Construction of the Drive tested the civil engineering technology of the time to its limits, as hundreds of men carried out back-breaking work by hand, assisted by steam-powered cranes.
Work began on March 30 1897, and when the foundation stone was laid by the mayor in the June, it was expected that the project would be finished in three years – when in fact it took nearly 11.
The sea continued to lash the building work relentlessly over the years, causing havoc with the work timetable and contractors' finances. The most vulnerable parts of the site were the gantries carrying rail trucks and steam cranes which were erected to put the stones and concrete blocks in position.
The "last" stone was laid by the mayoress on October 1 1904, but the following January much of the work was undone as a huge storm washed away most of the North Pier. The Drive was repaired by January 1908, but even then the sea did not give up its continuing attack.
During a storm on January 18, a 400ft section of the wall moved seaward by around 16in, leaving a huge crack in the surface of the Drive.
When the Drive was finally opened for public use in the April, the total costs were calculated at 124,700 which was nearly twice as much as the original tender.
A Royal opening ceremony was performed on August 5 1908, by one of Queen Victoria's sons – Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, who was accompanied by his wife and their daughter Princess Patricia.
Early years there was a toll payable at toll houses (one at the Luna Park end still there).