The Story of the lost Scarborough South Bay Pool 

Lovely video as always. Its amazing how many attractions have been and gone in Scarborough alone and I'm staggered that theres nothing marking the site of the old pool to inform what went before - its not like it would cost a fortune! The historical vandalism in this country over the years is deeply saddening.

I fear the nostalgic seaside town is a thing of the past. Such a shame. Great piece Andrew and god to see you back

Sad events, and no recognition of what once was is a great shame.

Brilliant video as usual. Scarborough, the prime example of how not to run a town. So much lost over the years, criminal.

My parents moved to Oxfordshire from Manchester when I was 4. My grandparents moved to York. During the school summer holidays, myself and my brother were dropped off at my grandparents for a couple of weeks. My grandad drove us to Scarborough on many occasions. At 9 years of age, I climbed to the top board. The pool below looked tiny. I'd dived before from a 15ft board at my local pool but this was something else. It took a good 40 minutes wandering to the edge and finally leaping off. I remember hitting the water quite well in a good dive, but, oh boy, was the water cold!!

A very welcome return with a lovely piece reminding us of gone beauties. Thank you!

A very interesting but also very sad video. It's been so long since I visited Scarborough that I didn't realise that the pool and the buildings had been demolished. I just had to check, and it was 1993. I can place the year as it was only a few months after Holbeck Hall collapsed into the sea. I'm pretty sure that there was at least a bar that was stil open in the pavilon building, but I maybe wrong. Can't believe that was 30 years ago. So sad that there isn't at least a memorial to such an amazing pool etc that would have brought so much joy to so many. Great video and passionate well research information as always.

Core memory unlocked. I was here on a family holiday about 1980/81 when I was a child. I remember walking around this pool, it was a right windy day and grey & over cast so there were no swimmers, but I remember feeling scared looking into the water, as it was so dark I couldn't see the bottom and the wind was causing waves on the surface, my dad grabbing my hand and pulling me back from the edge in case the wind blew me in. For some reason the memory of this I associated with the Spa though, but now I see this, this was definitely the place, 100%

Another superb video mate,i cant remember that pool at the south bay,but i remember the water park & theme park above it at north bay,had some brilliant times there,i sometimes bike around Scarborough & its sad to see that theres nothing at all to suggest how important & popular this part of history was/is 👍👍

Yes we definitely need one of those info boards to show everybody how great it once was…..& a new one where the Holbeck Hall Hotel used to stand as the old one is now unreadable. Thanks for another great vlog 👏

Lovely video. Such a shame, but as they say use it or lose it.

Another great video, I never knew this existed!..... where have I been, you ask 🤦. Its tragic that it's lost for good. A lot of what once was forgotten about. Shame on the council for not erecting information about what was here!

Always hugely interesting and well produced. Thank you!

Fantastic video, Also, heartbreaking, all these old videos of the past you don't see the mess or Vandalism of modern day society it often makes me think that I wished I lived in old England and not the mess it is today ❤❤

A more imaginative replacement for the pool could and should have been envisaged - maybe some ornamental landscaping/garden, a water feature and some historical commemoration of what was once a thriving attraction. Thank you for a very interesting video.

Lovely video. What an absolute travesty that there is no memorial to a place that had many great memories for people of the past 😢 this country of ours is shameful

Thanks for such a great video memory - it’s wrong that there is no recognition of the pool in what replaces the space. The pool is a significant part of Scarborough’s heritage and a significant part of my childhood. In the early 1970’s my parents and another family hired one of the summer bungalows (a small room with a kitchenet) and we visited regularly for three/four summers. I remember my Dad going to church on a Sunday lunchtime - which was really a visit to the Spa Bar. In the late 1970’s I had a holiday job with the Council as a lifeguard and was regularly posted to the Pool - the day started with washing out the changing rooms, showers and toilets - with a massive industrial hose - great fun. Then on to duty around the pool - invariably the days weather followed the tide - on the summer days when the tide was out it usually was sunny and the pool filled up with people. I remember it being busy and having to keep an eye on the childrens’ pools, where the fountains acted as climbing frames - with inevitable falls! Also keeping an eye on the diving boards and pool - which attracted the daredevil teens. When we had enough staff one lifeguard was assigned to diving board duty - we rarely had enough staff - on really hot days there were hundreds of people in the pool. So many great memories, thanks again for sparking them…

Such a shame that all this has gone but so interesting to watch this. I have an Art Deco railway poster of Scarborough Spa in my bathroom, here in Shropshire, and so I'm reminded of Scarborough on a daily basis but didn't know much about the place until I started watching your videos which have brought back happy memories of childhood holidays. Good to see from your videos that some of Scarborough is just as it used to be. Some beautiful buildings. Keep up the good work Andrew !

Remember swimming there as a kid and jumping off the diving board, think we only used it two or three times, much preferring the north bay pool because it was heated. The cold sea water in the south bay pool was very bracing. As to the architecture of the place it was pretty amazing and almost criminal that it was allowed to fall into such disrepair prior to demolition. Fond memories though.

Many happy memories of working at the cafe overlooking the pool in the summers of 1970/71/72; it was very busy on fine days but, like so many British tourist attractions, was pretty dismal / deserted when the weather was punk. Our manageress at the time, Mrs Fox, always had designs on the Clock Tower cafe to the North and when I went to visit the SB Pool cafe, for old times sake, in ~1973, Mrs Fox had got her wish and was firmly ensconced at the The Clock 😂

great video. I have many happy memories swimming there in the 80s. jumping off the round table diving board was scary !

Thank you for this, it’s thanks to people like you who preserve sites and history that would otherwise be lost. 😊

Such an interesting video. I spent many holidays in Scarborough as a child, but never knew this place existed. Thank you, love your videos!

That was a great video I never knew Scarborough had so many outdoor entertainment venues, keep them coming .❤

Really enjoyed this one as love walking around that area of Scarborough. Look forward to seeing your next videos soon.

Fascinating. I’m old enough to have enjoyed this pool, but regrettably, times change and fashions move on. Thank you for this exposition 😊

I loved swimming in that pool i loved it I spent many happy times there swimming in the sun and rain was gutted when it closed

Family holiday in Scarborough my dad rented a holiday hut near swimming pool and we spent many hours playing in the pool the diving board was very scary that was in 70s

Great vid, I’m 70 from Scarborough but live in Adelaide South Australia - spent many a happy day in the summer holidays with a packed lunch and a bag of chips from the corporation cafe on the terrace, also in my late teens when the pool was closed to the public in the evening the Scarborough Sub Aqua club used it for training. Great days plucking up courage to jump of the high board and eventually dive off with a wet suit top on in case I got it wrong , lost count of the number of times I chickened out and came back down the ladder - Ron Loveland South Australia

A very enjoyable video. However it brought back a terrifying memory……It was 1950ish , Butlins holiday camp Filey , I was two. The afternoon entertainment at the pool was a man who set himself on fire as he dove from the high board. I remember very little of that holiday but that remains very vivid! Do you think that’s your Scarborough man because Filey is just down the coast?

Love the videos, keep them coming 👍🏻

We used to spend alot of time there as kids/ teenagers. Learnt to swim there. In hind sight with the popularity of cold water swimming it may have made a come back. We were in Penzance last year and the Jubilee Pool there is really popular and looks very similar to South Bay Pool albight smaller. Good video thankyou!

Very informative video mate. I am from Wakefield. Born in 1962. During my childhood and adulthood, we would regularly go to Scarborough on day trips and holidays. But, for the life of me, I cannot remember the South Bay Pool. You got my sub, and I will be checking out your other content.

I love your videos and have spent a few nights sleeping in vehicles on the Scarborough front so have a strong affinity for that town especially.

Great video really enjoyed it, I love standing in places like that you can really feel the vibe from the 1000's of people from the past enjoying such a recreational outdoor space..I'm fascinated by such things and maybe one day soon we'll be able to step into the past to view them for ourselves..Keep up the good work..👍

Hi Andrew, we've recently come across your channel, my wife and I visited the North Yorkshire coast for the first time ever staying in Robin Hoods Bay, we packed so much into a weeks stay, god knows why it's taken us so long to visit this area as it's absolutely stunning, we're already planning our return visit in 2025 as we're all booked up for 2024, anyway we've watched quite a few of your films and we've been very impressed with the quality and the information you include, it must take quite a while to do all the research, keep uo the good work and all the best, Steve & Jackie in sunny Stoke.

Thanks for the memory prompt. Favourite family spot in the 60s. Could have been my dad on the diving board, great Yorkshire show off at diving ,swimming and cricket. Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

Great video as always. My memories of the pool in the 70s are the same as the north bay pool; Going in and getting back out again very quickly and shivering at the side for a while before repeating the process. Happy days.

I'm a regular visitor to Scarborough and absolutely love the town. The council really need to mark such an historic site. Some information boards with old photos in the same locations that the photos were taken would be very interesting to visitors. Who doesn't like "now and then photos".

Gosh! We holidayed at North Bay several times during the 70s and early 80s and frankly had no idea that there was a giant pool in South Bay. A bit of a hike to get to though I guess.

Brilliant video. I have vague memories of going in the pool as a child in the 70's. Thank you my friend really enjoyed watching this 👍👍👍👍

Brilliant as always,many happy holidays in Scarborough as a child……..your videos make me love it all over again ❤

Skillfully done!

Brilliant video. I love going to Scarborough and would have loved to have seen and experienced this pool in it's glory. Great video.

Your videos are always interesting and informative. So many facets to Scarborough’s history. Look forward to the next one.

Fantastic to see you back!

Great video. I can remember swimming in that pool with my dad and sister aged around 11 in 1988 I think it was. So glad i got to swim in it before it closed for good.

Well done you! Loved that! My parents lived in Sleights just outside Whitby so my heart is in North Yorkshire. However, your production quality is so good it reminds me of the Hull History Nerd. Another channel I follow. I do hope that you and he are in contact as I’m certain there’s a Channel 4 series in the making between the two of you!

I enjoyed this. I have very vague memories of swimming there when I was young, and much clearer memories of rambling around the derilict site as a teen. On one occasion we got stuck in the changing rooms for nearly 6 hours because the tide came in while we were in there!

Damn i remember that back in the late 60`s when my parents took us on a holiday there.

This is my kind of history. Absolutely fascinating!😊

Great as always never knew anything about this site .thanks for bringing it back to life

Fascinating!

Shame to see it go, can't quite remember how much was left when started taking my kids there when we were stopping close by.

I used to swim in the south bay pool as a child. I even jumped off the high diving platform aged 9/10 yrs old. Happy memories.

Look how many people came to the pool. I went to 2 outdoor pools in the 70’s. One in wythenshawe Park Manchester, the other I think was near the river Bollin, a tributary of the river Mersey.

Great video, always look forward to them . What's strange is they could afford to build better design structures. In the past. But now they can't, and get more tax revenue than ever.

I went swimming there 1960s & early 70s. On warm days, it was packed. People played music on transistor radios & even small reel to reel tape recorders. We smoked, drank pop, talked & swam. You could even go up to the cafe in your swim wear. Entry was 12.5 pence for the whole day. Fab. Shame it's gone, just like the North Bay pool, (now an eyesore behind hoardings advertising the town, lol.)

Another superb video. Great filming and knowledge shown.

Fond memories of Scarborough before my hip replacement and after.

Brilliant So many district councils need a good sorting out. Scarborough would benefit from this being reopened. Tynemouth in Northumberland likewise. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

Another great video, it takes me back k to being a kid and my mam and dad taking me to the pool, thank you

Another lovely video Andrew and such a travesty that it was allowed to happen.

Great video as always 🌊🐶❤️

My wife and myself love everything you post. When are you going to be doing more, please

0:55 That RC dog in the background is so lifelike.👹

Smashing video as always.Nice you're back.My Lancashire (I'm from there too) grandparents went on holiday to Scarborough in the 1920s so it must've been good even though it's Yorkshire.😂

I can remember coming here just before it closed as a kid , the water was so dark in colour scared the crap out of me 😂

Fascinating video and thanks very much for making it. We discovered the ‘Star Map’ earlier this summer on a visit to Scarborough and I wondered what it’s origins were.

Such an interesting video - thank you! I went to Scarborough a few times as a child in the 1960's and I don't ever remember this pool area. A real shame that there is no information for visitors about the site's history.

Would love to see a video on the Futurist Theatre

Nice work Davva, been to Scarbs several times and never knew about this.

Good video Andrew, enjoyed that one. Such a shame, I must have left Robin Hood’s Bay for Uni when it was finally demolished as I just can’t remember that at all. I always walk down that way and up near where Holbeck Hall Hotel was when I stay over. Some amazing buildings up that South Cliff location. Thanks again.

My personal favourite lido out door pool Weston super mare It had the highest diving board deck in the day It was the largest outdoor pool in Europe in 1937

Brilliant sad storey 😢

Thank you for the insight into the history 👍

I stood on top of the tower in 1979. it is a shame what has happened.

Enjoyable and painful watch as this brings back vivid memories of both open air pools either end of New Brighton and the one in Southport, we had many very happy memories in all three pools during the seventies and painful memories of witnessing the two big pools in both Towns close down and being sufficiently badly neglected to justify demolition! No rose tinted glasses required in writing this either!

Another great video, very informative. 😊

Fabulous video, thank you so much

Have quite a lot of these types of outdoor pools in some of the small towns and villages here in Tenerife - most of them have the low walls so they fill up when tide comes in - can be quite dangerous at times during rough seas. Last few years a few people have been lost who have been washed out of the pool and over the wall by the waves during rough seas.

As a kid, the coldest water i have ever experienced. Brutal.

Have you ever done a video about the Holbeck

Another great video, thanks

Really enjoyed that thank you 🙏 👍👍👍

Happy memories, Summer 1970!

Very interesting,it's a shame it couldn't survive. I remember it well from our holidays in nearby Filey and Hunmanby.

I'm lucky that I got to swim in this pool in 1982, The highest diving board was closed due to it not being stable but, the 5m part had a spring board on it which was probably not legal lol. I'd love to see a similar video of the story of the north bay pool which was just as much fun

Could you do one on the North bay pool? I was 7 or 8 when I seam there in the late 1940s. It was SO cold I sank! Not surprising: we had recently returned from Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Excellent video...

We had a natural rock pool where I grew up, the tide cleaned it when they went out and in, all the local council had to do was drain the manmade sluice once a year in the spring and ise a digger to shovel the small amount of sand which had settled, not content with letting that go to pot, they built an outdoor pool which lasted only a few years and lay derelict until a backhand deal sold it off for 2nd homes, a real double whammy!

Thanks

Old enough to have swam in that as a kid and can only remember it being absolutely freezing and thinking why bring me here 😂 Also been in the north bay pool sad to see it empty as well when we visit.

such a devastating loss

I remember swimming in there with my cousin in the 1980s .. my other cousin used to live by the market hall

Thanks!

it was an eyesore i dont understand what people were expecting it to be saved for ,unless they never saw it back in the 80s

I visit scarborough freqently on my motorcycle & never knew this existed. I thought the furthest you could go south was to the pervilian.

That small circular area would make a great smaller pool, perhaps a paddling pool for children.

Brilliant video mate 👏 did you ever do a video about the North Bay pool?