Snapshots from Bridlington

Scarborough may have been the first seaside resort in the UK, but Bridlington tourist board will have you know that the first record of surfing in Britain occurred in Brid in 1890. According to local legend, Brothers HRH Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana’ole and HRH Prince David Kawananakoa were studying in the UK and ‘probably made their own surfboards with timber bought from a Bridlington boat-builder’.

Bridlington is on the East Yorkshire coast, south of Scarborough and Filey, and divided from those coastal bays by the magnificent Flamborough Head.

If you arrive here by train you will discover what is possibly the best station refreshment room in England. The Station Buffet is packed with all sorts of interesting paraphernalia and Brief Encounter (1945) springs to mind…

On my previous visit to Brid I called in at the Beside the Seaside museum. In 2016, alas, I found that it had closed, but I have a photo of an exhibit that was housed there in 2009.

Reconstruction of a seaside guest house at Beside the Seaside, 2009

A short walk up the promenade to Sewerby will take you to a Model Village and Tea Gardens. It’s just the kind of attraction that make seaside resorts so special, as if time has stood still, and yet it is still appealing to all generations of customers. I noted that the miniature art shop here is run by an ‘iPad artist’ – a nod to local resident David Hockney.

There are some great examples of seaside architecture in Bridlington, from a building that is deliberately constructed to resemble a boat (complete with mast outside), to the beautifully curved Belvedere Café at the end of the south beach. It has steps wrapped around it’s left side that take you onto a viewing platform on the roof.

Some rather grand houses overlook the sands on the south beach.

And there are some fine examples of beach huts.

If you are looking for a retro treat, Topham’s Ice Cream Parlour (set 1947) is worth a visit. Hot drinks are served in glass mugs here just as they should be, and there are banoffee sundaes and knickerbocker glories on the menu. 

When I was in there, an elderly gentleman wearing a suit, and pinned with an enormous badge reading ‘Sweet Sixteen’ came in. A member of staff exclaimed, “You look very dapper today”, and the gentleman started singing. I didn’t bother going to see the show at the Spa; I had my entertainment for the price of an ice cream...