The Story of Scarborough's Aquarium & Gala Land
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2022
- Exploring the history of another of North Yorkshire's lost attractions - Scarborough Aquarium & Gala Land. A key part of establishing Scarborough & the Yorkshire coast as one of the UK's premier seaside holiday destinations.
Once known as the People's Palace and closed for the final time over 50 years ago, this video details its fascinating history as an underground world of wonder & curiosity, before showing what is left today of the groundbreaking structure!
(Special thanks to Andy Dunn for providing the newspaper excerpt reading and to the following for sharing their content: Scarborough Museums & Galleries, Chris Jones & Dave Eboney - ua-cam.com/channels/KYn.html...)
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Hi Andrew,Your video of the demise of Galaland has cleared my memory at last . I was born in 1943 and must have been 7,8 or thereabouts when I was taken to Galaland , and it left indelible memories which your video has cleared up ! How many people can say they rode on the mini railway inside Galaland.. I remember it being elevated and it seemed (as a child) to track almost in the ceiling.
My grandfather ( a butcher, cattle dealer and then farmer) used to allow his wife an annual trip to Scarborough , from Lincoln, for their ANNUAL days holiday. Can’t remember with whom I was taken ,but certainly went more than once.
I could never be sure exactly where I remembered this mini railway, but now you’ve confirmed it for me. Well researched, thank you, now my mind can rest that Galaland DID exist, and I’ve been there and seen it.
I’m 80 years old now, but those memories are still vivid.
Enjoyed reading that. Thanks for commenting 👍🏼
I only had one holiday there in 1954 at age 11 but can't remember seeing you thanks.
Fascinating video, extremely well researched and presented. The abandonment of entertainment venues in Scarborough seems to be a recurring theme over the years.
Thanks Rachel! Yes, sadly it does. I think a lack of foresight, ambition & know-how by those in power at certain times in the past (distant & recent) haven’t helped the town.
Ambition. Definitely this. Where are the cycling events, PDC darts, world snooker events, chess tournaments etc etc.
No doubt Scarborough is a beautiful town and well known. The absence of national sports events is embarrassing.
Lovely video Andrew. My Grandma was Scarborough born and bred, she sadly left us in 2020 at the age of 100, she used to tell us of the attractions that could be seen throughout the South Bay on our regular walks in the area so it was lovely to see it all, thankyou!
Beautiful place ..kids love it
I thought Gala Land was such a magical place when I visited it as a kid in the 50's and 60's. We had a caravan nearby so we visited Scarborough regularly in the summer months. I was a choir boy, so I once participated in the weekly "Kids' Talent Contest" in the theatre in Gala Land - singing "Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep". I won the daily heat, but came second in the final to a girl in a kilt performing some Scottish dancing.
Well researched and presented.
It's great,as a local,to learn a bit more about our history.
So many attractions have closed down in Scarborough,even in my half century of life.
I remember being taken to Gala land as a small child just before it closed, my grandad worked on the site during the demolition and he had a small collection of the victorian tiles that he brought home in his dinner bag.
Awesome. Hope you still have them!
A magical place ! I remember it well, with the talent contests held there, palm readings, a man who guessed our weight and many other amusements which took place. I was there 75 years ago.
I found this video absolutely absorbing, so well researched and presented. Brought to life the memories spoken about by my Mother and Father and their siblings about the wonderful times they had spent at Gala Land. Dad was born in 1921 and Mum 1923, sadly no longer with us but they, and many elderly local residents that I used to speak to, had such very fond memories of their times here. I remember it being it being cleared and the building of the underground car park. Sadly I don't ever recall going in it, I was born in 1958 so may have done as a little one but no memory of it. Thank you so much for all the work you have put into producing this.
Thanks Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I empathize 100% with you, Julie, as my parents were also born in 1920 and 1923 and later retired here. My Dad was actually born in Vernon Road and was called Vernon because of it - a name that he hated. Wow, this video has stirred up some heart-felt memories.
Engrossing and enjoyable video, of what was by all accounts, a key part of Scarborough's entertainment infrastructure, now sadly buried under a gloomy car park. Well done for bringing it to light!
I’m 51 and have been to Scarborough many times. I was told by my mum about the underground activities.
This is excellent work. I remember seeing Benny Hill in Scarborough in the late '50s and I'm pretty certain the show was in Galaland. My Mum remembered listening to live music there after World War 2.
I think I must have been one of the last visitors to Gala Land. It would have been around 1965, aged 10, when I was mooching around one late afternoon while my parents were visiting an elderly family friend up the cliff lift at the top of St Nicholas Cliff. I had escaped the boring conversation for an hour or two and was surprised to discover an amusement arcade where I had thought none existed. I remember it as empty, run down and full of old and rather decrepit attractions. I did go on the 'rollercoaster', played on some very old fashioned arcade games, and was rather excited to discover a 'What The Butler Saw' penny Mutoscope - something of an anticlimax! There were even some dodgems, though being the only driver was not especially thrilling! I spent a couple of shillings of holiday pocket money and then headed back to find my mum and dad. The following year when we returned for our annual holiday visiting my grandparents, the arcade had closed. Even though ist was rather tired and run down, it had an exotic and rather magical feel to it.
As a Londoner Scarborough is one of my favourite places to escape to. I first visited c1970 when I was v young. This is a brilliant piece of amateur documentary-making. I'll be viewing your other films with interest. Keep up the great work!
Cheers Carl!
Watched again.Many thanks.We Love Scarborough.Great memories.
I remember going to Gala Land on frequent occasions as my family stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in Devonshire Drive from mid 50's to the 90's. I especially remember the 3 Legged Duck along with other oddities as well as the Pump Action rifles the only place I have used them. Brilliant memories. Keep up the good work.
I absolutely love u, Scarborough’s my home town and I’ve lived here all my life. I love learning the history about it but I NEVER KNEW about this complex, thank you for showing me to this.
Been there many times and would have never known the history of this place if you didn’t make this excellent video.
Yet again we’ll worth the wait,thanks
Thanks Matthew! Not so long wait for the next one 👍🏼
We both live in sunny Scarbados, and loved this. We knew nothing of the Aquarium even though we've walked over its remains many, many times. You have created a professional piece of work, and it was fascinating to watch. But at least Scarborough does have a 'hole in the road' even if Sheffield lost its.
I remember this well as a young child. Got stuck down there once in a thunder storm. The water came flooding in! It was just a fair - under - ground by then.
I remember going into Galaland as a child and was quite scary. Great video, thank you.
Awww, superb. Scarborough is my special place, has been since I was a nipper.
I must've seen the remains of this building as Scarborough was the family holiday destination of choice in the 1960's.
Born in 1960 I visited Scarborough with my parents and can remember something about this and saw it once
The next time I visited it had gone and it was developed as it is today.
Great video thanks
I've been holidaying in Scarborough since I was a child in the late 60s and had no idea about this. Thanks for the video. It is a gem.
Cheers Alan!
Great video.My parents and I used to go to Scarborough on holiday in the early 50.s Visited Gala Land a few times.Remember it well.
Great video again Andrew. As an a Scarborian living abroad I have so many memories of this place. My parents used to tell me all about it, and growing up the council used the car park as an improvised skatepark in the late 70's. In the 80's we used to hang around the steps and fountain that were on the top of the site and ride our bmx's and skateboards.
Some really great drone shots of the town as well that show views I never saw in my 20+ years of growing up there. They really open it up and give a sense of proximity of the streets.
Great production as well.
Thanks so much for this little gem.
Thanks Paul - glad you enjoyed it! 👍🏼
We used to go to Scarborough for a week every year and, as a child, I was fascinated by the rather random hotch-potch of roofs that made up the top of Gala Land. I always wanted to go down there, but my mum implied it was all a bit cheap and tawdry. Eventually she conceded and we went down, and it was a great disappointment, so we never went there again.
Great video Scarborough. Well researched. From my understanding some buildings were put on hold around 1872 due to shortage of materials, including iron so shows the visions there was to get this built
Wow, thank you for really delving into this aspect of Scarborough’s history. I tried in vein to find out about the history of the site a couple of years ago following seeing pictures of it on Pinterest.
Your videos keep on getting better, a perfect length concentrating on facts and pictures.. Your video is a mystery solved for me and a future reference on this topic in my view. I don’t see how you can top this one!.
Thanks Phil! I did spend a bit longer on this one as there was so much to include. Getting all the info together from so many different sources & putting it into a story took a while. Thanks again 👍🏼
Great video Andrew and there was quite a few images I had not seen before, my thoughts about its origin are slightly different but that aside it was a master piece of engineering that they would struggle to reproduce today but sadly like most of out history it was condemned to the wrecking ball. My search for construction photos has been over 3 years now and there is not a single one I've come across showing construction or even the clearing of the area before starting the complex yet the Grand was constructed before this place has dozens of picture before after and during the build. Let's hope scarborough council make an effort to recognise this place for what it was.
Cheers Dave! And thanks for your help & input 🙌🏼
@@NorthYorkshireWanderer Hi andrew great video as always a future one might be the attack from the german navy in ww1 still much evidence around scarborough i.e the shrapnel marks on the houses in the bottom end of the crescent .and of course the grand got hit badly.
Just discovered this channel and must say even though I don’t remember this venue I always wondered about the underground car park’s history and surmised it had been repurposed in some way!
Those are the places where I fell in love - where we held hands. RIP
Great video! Been to Scarborough lots of times but didn't know about this. Such an ambious build for the time. Looked like it was fabulous inside.
I was in Galla Land when I was 8yrs app there was a small carnival I remember thinking as a child it was a strange place as it had no windows in now 71. Havnt been there for a lot of yrs. Really enjoyed the information as I could see thing that haven't changed. Thanx for that.
A really well researched and presented film, thanks Andrew. We used to holiday in Scarborough as a family every year through the 70's and i never knew anything about an aquarium once being present in that area. Just goes to show that one can live and learn.
Drove past this area many times when visiting Scarborough would never had known anything like that was there in the past.
Thank you for a most informative video.
Another Great Video and what a shame The Aquarium was demolished! I personally liked The Grand Hotel video more than this,but this was interesting too,and well narrated and the Drone footage is superb,well done!
What a fascinating video - I had no idea about this place despite childhood holidays in Scarborough during the early 1960s and couple of visits in adult-life. I've learned so much about the area from your videos and I'm looking forward to travelling up from Shropshire to have a look at some of the places that you have featured. It will certainly be a trip down memory lane. Such a shame that so many of these interesting buildings have gone. I have really enjoyed watching this one - so well made, as always !
Thank you for sharing! I love local history, it's all the stuff they never taught you at school!
Amazing history the aquarium looked amazing inside so sad it has gone thanks for putting this together : )
I remember going to Galaland in about 1960. It had some amusements & a fairground type of roundabout. I also remember sitting in a small theatre watching a talent competition, that was won by a young lad playing a trumpet, I'm sure he played the song "Oh, my papa". The only other thing I remember was it was very dark & quite a lot of people were in there
Very interesting, thank you. I remember seeing the entrance in the '50s (childhood holidays) but never went in.
I parked in this car park today, only knew it existed after watching your video. Great video.
Awesome video Andrew. I came to find out about the aquarium here in Scarborough when I use to swim at the towns swimming club. I was able to read the clubs hand written committee minutes which dated back to as early as 1894, amazingly they still exist to this day. They talk about swimming in the old pool you mention at blands cliff but also at the Aquarium where they regularly trained and put on aquatic shows for members of the public. The club swam at Aquarium top and blands cliff until the South Bay pool was built in c1915. I never knew anything about the aquarium until I read these minutes but never seen the photos you've put in your excellent video!
Thanks Aaron!
Great stuff Andrew. Every Sunday, I finish my run in this area and always wish The Aquarium was still here. My Dad loved it and remembers it well! Apparently there is a void running around the outside of the carpark walls where some bits of the original walls can be seen!
Cheers Dave. Yes, I’ve seen they are there behind the walls. It would be good if they exposed them & had some info around the car park - even wall murals using the old photos to brighten the place up a bit!
Wow. I’ve been going to Scarborough for nearly 40 years, and learnt some thing new today, thanks for this video. 😁 really interesting.
I've been on many days out and a couple of holidays in Scarborough and didn't know anything about this . Very interesting
Never knew any of this existed. Thank you for sharing.
An enjoyable video. I used to love going underground to Galaland as a child in the 60's, it was so exciting!! It's sad that there is no evidence now of what used to be there. I'm pleased that the video confirms that my memory is correct!
Been to Scarborough many times over my life now 73, never new a thing about it, or even the underground car park, next time I'm there will certainly visit it, thanks for this video, as they say you learn something new every day.
Cheers Barry! 👍🏼
Excellent - many thanks for a brilliant video.
Thank you!
You have a knack of finding interesting subjects and telling their story in a relaxed way that commands our attention.
I remember visiting gala land when I was 10 or so and often wondered exactly what happened to it thanks for your informative video
Fascinating video and a really interesting piece of Scarborough history that I never knew about.
Excellent presentation on Scarborough and by far the best I've seen.
Many thanks!
Thanks so much, Maureen! 🙂
You are rather delightful to watch that's for sure 🙂❤
Thank you, that was very interesting. I lived in Scarborough for four years and knew nothing about this.
Well Done...Im gobsmacked.....I enjoyed every minute..Well researched and presented..You should be on telly...Phil..
Another awesome video. Thanks.
If you haven't covered it already, a video on the Millennium museum would be fantastic!
I live here and I have never noticed this!
Very interesting, thanks. Lived in Scarborough for a year during teacher training, but missed the aquarium and it’s history altogether.
I feel the BBC would love to make a film of this quality! Fantastic:)
??? How would they do it any better and why would they? No local reporters left anyway.
Thanks Peter! Really appreciated 👍🏼
Fantastic, love the video. Brilliant research. Thanks for all of your time and dedication to these. I am not from the area, but you set the scene really well. Love the history of these now lost but hopefully we will never forget triumphs in our history. Thanks once again.
Cheers Lee! 👍🏼
I LOVE stuff like this - anything to do with lost entertainment history - I'm just obsessed with! A major reason why they probably don't want to draw visitors attention to it is that it will highlight the disappointment of what was once there, compared to now.... when the general narrative is that 'things get better'.
Another interesting, informative and entertaining video! Thank you for your considerable efforts in revealing Scarborough's and north Yorkshire's fascinating history.
They are greatly appreciated!
Thank you as always! 🙂👍🏼
Great video Andrew! My late Dad used to talk about when he visited Gala Land as a kid (he was born in 1942). It's been fantastic to see pictures and hear detaila of the kind of things he might have seen. Thanks for making and sharing the video!
Thanks Stevie!
Been to Scarborough several times and knew nothing of this. What a tragedy that something so magnificent was lost for future generations, it seems to be a British disease that when something is in need of repair and upgrade we would rather demolish and start again. Can't help thinking something like this would be a big draw now, having been refurbished and restored of course. As always brilliant presentation and production. You really should be on TV!
Thanks so much, really glad you’re enjoying them! It is really disappointing to see that there appears to have been absolutely no forward planning over the years when they have got rid of several attractions around the town.
Nice one mate. Good old local history.
Another Fascinating Video.
Love it.
A BIG THANKS TO YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL AND FASCINATING VIDEO ! My father was born in Vernon Road in 1920 and he and my Leeds Mum retired to Scarborough in 1983. They must have mentioned Galaland and the Aquarium several times but it never registered with me even though I´ve often walked around that area whilst visiting them. You´re absolutely right about Scarborough "forgetting" its Past. Like so many other resorts, both in Britain and abroad, one usually has to search for the history in bookshops and the odd local museum, since most councils rarely do much to commemorate past glories along the streets. It´s almost as if they´re only interested in the money that tourists are going to throw at them. Any road, thanks so much again for this trip down Memory Road !
Thank you Ian! 👍🏼
Very intriguing! It looks like a magnificent structure, with incredible healing power from the water! Perhaps this is why it went into decline - coincidentally each time when events happened to destract ppl (war, world cup). At these places there are always coincidental "electric avenue" networks linking it. Such a shame it's not there - I appreciate you doing this video! Will subscribe and watch more. Thank you
There you are. Glad to see you.
Well as a long-time visitor to Scarborough since childhood I never knew any of this. I do think that the area around there has a somewhat continental feel to it and Scarborough is a lovely place, many happy memories. A very well presented and thought-provoking presentation. I saw another documentary on UA-cam a little while ago, the presenter walks around towns pointing out historical things and Scarborough really has a fascinating history.😂
Wow, I've been educated. I've been going to Scarborough since the early 80s.
Fascinating video, thank you
A brilliant video which takes me back in time to 1954. I had relatives in Scarborough and I remember us playing on sands across the road from Galaland.
At age of 11, I ventured down the steps and was faced with slot machines, background music, etc. A completely different world - so unforgettable. Now 80, (from Cumbria), I thank you for an amazing presentation.
Thanks John! 👍🏼
Wow, what a fascinating video! Despite spending so many holidays in Scarborough since 1967, I never knew about this! Thankyou for all your research and for presenting this so beautifully.
I continue to love Scarborough to this day - and always will. It has and it hasn't changed and it's a little sad that so many promised plans and investments have not come to fruition in recent times but I've so many happy memories of Scarborough that it will always have a piece of my heart. Thankyou once again.
Thanks Cheryl! 🙂
Great informative video. Your research paid off. Look forward to your next one.
I lived there from 1987-2007 as a Joiner, I never knew about that! The Grand was always a Dump of a Hotel.
Great video.
Perhaps you can tell the story of Ravenscar, the town never built. I had a lot to do with Ravenhall.
Great video ,took me back to my younger days of a lad aged 13 I am 75 now and lived in Scarborough most of my life when I was 13 I started working on the Dodgem ride down in Gala Land and spent two very happy summers down there the Dodgem track was at the far end it was in fact on the part where Tram fell in ,And it had a great glass roof which use leak like hell lol ,So had many of a electric shock when dealing with stuck cars by touching the cars pole and one foot still on the track lol ,But all part of the job ,The next time I was down there was many years later when it was been turned into the under ground carpark ,which by the the way was done by TARMAC civil engineering , I was by this time a fully qualified plasterer and I and a great plasterer called Paddy Gallagher long since gone, Plastered the toilets etc down there in the roundabout part ,Plus up on the top all the cement rendering on the site .Great days and time sadly all gone now .
Nice one mate really enjoyed that 👍🏻🇬🇧
Another great video. I love the drone shots and the old photographs. Scarborough's looking great in the sunshine. Well done Andrew!
Cheers David!
Another brilliant and informative edition. Well researched. Thanks for all your effort in reliving the historic past of our region.
Cheers Malc! 👍🏼
Coming to Scarborough in a few weeks and now learning about the place is very interesting and can't wait
brilliant. we learned a great deal. well done and thanks for a well rounded history
Fantastic video Andrew yet again, very informative. I had no idea about this at all having been to Scarborough with my grand parents from a young age!
Absolutely superb. Thank you so much. You make such splendid, informative videos. Thank you again.
Thanks Alan!
Another great video, weren’t those Victorian engineers fantastic ? Scarborough council should look at installing an interpretation board with info about the history of the site. It deserves to be commemorated,
Loved it. Thanks
I had no idea about any of this thank you so much for doing this, my next visit will be very different with this new knowledge
I remember gala land very well I loved going there as kid in the 1950’s
Great video 👍
That car park / toilet looks like a muggers paradise 😮
Wonderful - thank you
Great video Andrew!
Great video.
I can remember visiting the underground fun fare as a highlight to holidaying in whitby. Now I know what became of it great video well done and thanks
Simply brilliant
Fascinating documentary really enjoyed
I lived in Leeds born in 47 visited scarborough many times each yr and can never remember gal land at all..Very good video though full of info.
Fantastic video been telling people about this for years they didn't believe me. Thanks for your hard work. All the best. ******
Cheers Roger! 👍🏼