A flavour of Japan in the heart of Scarborough

THE TRANQULITY of an oriental-themed park might not be what visitors to Scarborough would expect to find at the heart of the coastal town.

But Peasholm Park has been a centre for sanctuary and community fun in the 110 years since it opened.

The friends group, which supports the borough’s council in caring for the park, sets out on its website a potted history of the site’s development, from the decision to create a park in 1911.

“Mr Harry W Smith, the borough engineer, had the idea of setting out the new gardens in a Japanese style,” it says. “This was innovative thinking and his ideas have led to the creation of the unique Peasholm Park, whose distinctly oriental style remains unsurpassed 100 years later.”

Exotic plants for the park were brought from the French Riviera and Japanese statues from Killerby Hall, ahead of Peasholm’s grand opening in June 1912.

Within a decade of its opening, it became the main Sacrborough destination for community events such as fetes and galas.

Over the coming years, the park was further developed. The naval warfare attraction was added in the late 1920s and the Battle of Peasholm, in which war breaks out on the park lake, has been a popular sight for visitors over the years.

The pagoda was also added, as well as a cascade on the lake island and more oriental statues.

But after a boom period for the park, which attracted visitors from all over the country in the 1950s, a downturn followed.

The friends group explains: “In the 1970s and 1980s as fewer people chose to visit Scarborough for their annual holiday, choosing instead the bright lights and more reliable weather found in the newly developing Mediterranean, the park became sadly neglected.

“Possibly the lowest point for Peasholm was in October 1999 when the pagoda was burned down by vandals. The town was horrified but there was no money to rebuild and so the island was closed to the public.”

The pagoda standing today, pictured here, was rebuilt in its original form, thanks to grant funding from the Heritage Lottery. Technical details: Nikon D850 camera, 12-24mm lens, exposure of 1/160th of a second at f9, ISO 640.