Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens are back to their Victorian glory as restoration work is completed
Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens are treasured landscape areas with historic features with the first, Spa Gardens, believed to have been started around 1837.
To campaigners who secured more than £7m in funding for the major project this is a "triumph" in the preservation of heritage, connecting the gardens with its communities.
Coun Tony Randerson said the restoration was the realisation of an ambitious vision, which wouldn't have been possible without the determination of the South Cliff community.
“The scheme has achieved much more than just breathing new life into the gardens," he said. "It has made it a must visit destination for people of all ages to enjoy and created spaces and places that will bring communities together for many years to come.”
The project, carried out over 23 months, saw the restoration of 14 historical shelters, old railings and Egyptian gates, alongside the Italian Gardens. There is a new play area, a new 'hive' for gardeners and groups, signage and planting.
Crucially, there is also the Grade ll listed Holbeck Clock Tower, which proved one of the trickiest parts. Once work started, it was found that damage was more intense than first realised, and specialist conservators with stonemasons and lead workers were brought in.
Gemma Alexander, community engagement officer, said the clock tower is an "incredible" piece of Scarborough's history, gifted to the town by Alfred Shuttleworth in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V.
"It's quite an important historical feature, not just for the gardens but to the whole town," she said. "It was a Leeds clockmaker, William Potts & Son Ltd, that made the interior workings. It was originally wound, but after a worker in the 1960s got trapped in the tower overnight the mechanism was changed to an electric motor. It's Grade ll listed, so any work had to go through permissions. It's so worth it, because it's so beautiful and so iconic."
The £7.158m scheme has been part funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund as part of their Parks for People project.
Scarborough council contributed £2,041,000, while initial funds were generously raised by the local South Cliff community and ‘in kind’ contributions.
Adrian Perry, from the Friends of South Cliff Gardens, said the group couldn't have dreamed of this outcome: “This has been a story of the community and council working together to ensure that Scarborough retains and values the best of Scarborough’s past and is in good shape for the future. It has been a long journey but the result is very rewarding.”
And David Auton, chair of the South Cliff Community Group which helped secure funding and raised over £125,000 together with pledges in kind, said: “This has been an extraordinary journey and sees the gardens restored to the heart of the community - to remain our legacy for future generations."