Secret Victorian tunnel to be opened for the first time in generations as part of major restoration of South Cliff Gardens in Scarborough

Thanks to the vision of the old Scarborough Corporation, a series of small private gardens on the cliffs, protected by their own micro-climates and able to support exotic species, were acquired from their owners, unified and opened to the public, where they became a cornerstone of the Victorian and Edwardian resort town's heyday.

Yet those glory days are long past, and the South Cliff Gardens have fallen into disrepair in recent years. The 14 ornate historic shelters are crumbling, drainage on the paths is poor and overgrown foliage obscures iconic views of the Esplanade. Footfall is in long-term decline and austerity measures have whittled away at Scarborough Council's parks funding. The South Cliff Gardens have become a faded jewel.

March will mark a new era for the gardens, as a major restoration project funded by £4.6million of National Lottery money begins. Supported by a passionate Friends group, the council has reimagined the future for South Cliff Gardens - pledging to make them more accessible, more inclusive and a focal point for entertainment and events. New gardeners will be recruited, volunteers harnessed and the maintenance budget increased.

Key to the scheme is the reopening of a tunnel beneath the South Cliff Lift that has been lost to time, and which once linked the north and south areas of the gardens after the funicular railway was built and split them in two. The underground passage has been sealed for generations, and few people know it still exists. Now, it will be brought back into use to reconnect the gardens.

According to project manager Victoria Thompson, the gardens were at real risk of being lost forever if the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant had not been awarded in 2019.

"It was make or break for them. They were in a real state of disrepair, and in critical decline. Austerity has meant a lot of cuts to park budgets, and there was more destabilisation on the cliff. The 14 shelters could have been lost. Without the Lottery grant, we probably wouldn't still have the gardens."

The NLHF became interested partly because they realised the project could complement an Environment Agency engineering scheme to stabilise the South Cliff and protect 420 homes from erosion. They appreciated the potential for local heritage to be preserved alongside livelihoods.

"The trees are overgrown and blocking views of the Esplanade, the paths have degraded, and one shelter is rotting, propped up and cordoned off. The Italian steps need repairs and will be glorious when they're fixed.

"Thanks to the micro-climates, a lot of the mature species have survived from Victorian times, in these little pockets that protect them. As it's such an exposed site, we will have to be careful when reducing tree cover not to allow too much wind and rain in."

First on the lists of works is the building of a new operations centre to replace a small gardeners' depot. As well as space for the council's landscape team, there will also be a community facility and areas for the volunteers.

The 14 shelters will be restored, and there will be a new play area and disabled toilets near the Clock Cafe. Paths will be drained and resurfaced, with a focus on the most accessible route, and the Holbeck Clock Tower repaired. Gates and railings will be painted, fruit trees planted and an outdoor classroom created.

Disability action groups have been consulted on how best to make the gardens suitable for those with poor mobility - no easy task on a site with steep gradients. A 'dementia audit' has been conducted to ensure signage is clear.

Gemma Alexander has been appointed as community engagement officer for the next four years, overseeing the volunteers and a new events programme.

"We have a very dedicated weekly volunteer group with up to 15 people who come and help the head gardener prune roses and tidy beds. The wider Friends group is much larger, and we want to recruit more volunteers of all ages.

"We want to start running heritage walking tours, and are going to train 16 of them as guides. We want to offer health walks, gardening and craft clubs."

Gemma is keen to explore Scarborough's rich literary heritage by starting a family book festival, and hopes that the South Cliff Gardens will become an events venue in their own right.

"We have so many beautiful spaces for pop-up music and theatre. We could have a harpist playing in the Italian Gardens - it would be blissful. We could be an overspill for places like the Spa, but we also want our own identity.

"The Clock Cafe have been very supportive, and we hope to start and end our walks and tours there. We are very interested in inclusion and helping to reduce isolation and loneliness, and the cafe is the perfect place to draw people together."

As Victoria points out, the renaissance of one of Scarborough's finest assets would not be possible without the people who love the gardens - from the volunteers who have already restored the Rose Garden to the 430 members of the South Cliff Community Group, who collected £105,000 in 'pledges' that will go towards the overall funding pot.

"Their work has been fundamental to the project. They handed out hundreds of leaflets and collected money from people from all over the country in just six weeks. We wouldn't be here without them."

The history of the South Cliff Gardens

The site is divided into the Spa Gardens, Prince of Wales Gardens, the Rose Garden, Holbeck Gardens, Shuttleworth Gardens and the Italian Gardens.

Spa Gardens were laid out by civil engineer George Knowles in 1837, and there was originally a charge to enter the Spa and its grounds. Scarborough Corporation acquired the Spa in 1957, and the entry fee was abolished.

Prince of Wales Gardens date back to 1860, and were originally for the private use of residents. In 1926 they passed into Corporation hands, and a rockery, pond, lawn and shelter were added.

The Rose Garden was created by George Beeforth of Belvedere House in 1883, as a private rosary sheltered by hundreds of trees. This became Corporation owned in 1912.

Holbeck Gardens are the only part of the site that were created for the public from the outset. The Corporation funded their landscaping from 1885 onwards, when the Scarborough Cliff Bridge Company's head gardener at the Spa was seconded to work on them. The putting green and pavilion were added in 1928.

Shuttleworth Gardens were privately owned by Alfred Shuttleworth, who lived at Red Court from 1906. He bought a house opposite his own which blocked his sea view, demolished it and turned the land into a garden, which he donated to the town in 1917. The miniature rock and water garden, summerhouses, boathouse and bridge date from the late 1930s. The Holbeck Clock Tower was also a gift from Shuttleworth to commemorate King George V's coronation in 1911.

The Italian Gardens are the work of Scarborough's borough engineer Harry W Smith in part of the former Belvedere Gardens which had belonged to George Beeforth until 1912. The shelter at the north end of the Italian Gardens bears the date 1914.

In 1913 the Corporation acquired the land south of the Cliff Tramway and north of the former Belvedere Gardens from the Cliff Bridge Company. On part of this land the Clock Café was built during World War One. This structure and the 22 beach chalets in front of it have recently become listed buildings.