Scarborough is rich in history, with its castle perched high above the North and South Bays, and a town which is proud to be Britain's first seaside resort! We're proud of our story which has lead to millions of people visiting every year...

The town was founded in 966AD as Skarðaborg by Thorgills Skarthi, a Viking raider. But there is evidence of settlers on the Headland from 2,500 years ago. Scarborough Castle was built by Henry II.

In the Middle Ages, Scarborough Fair, permitted in a royal charter of 1253, held a six-week trading festival attracting merchants from all over Europe. It ran from Assumption Day, 15 August, until Michaelmas Day, 29 September. The fair continued to be held for 500 years, from the 11th century to the 18th century, and is commemorated in the song Scarborough Fair:

The oldest house in Britain, dated 8500BC, was discovered outside Scarborough at Star Carr (near Seamer). The Mesolithic archeological site has been compared to Stonehenge in terms of its importance.

Superb fossil remains, along the Yorkshire coast near Scarborough, have given the area the title of Dinosaur Coast. Scarborough is home to its own museum of geology called The Rotunda Museum, situated next to the Spa Bridge in South Bay.

In 1626, Elizabeth Farrow discovered a stream of acidic water running down the cliff and into the sea in the South Bay. The water healed ailments because of it's chemical make-up, much like stomach salts in chemists do today. A Dr Wittie book about the spa waters published in 1660 was a huge catalyst for visitors to 'Scarborough Spa' and the town became Britain's first seaside resort. The famous old bathing machines didn't make an appearance until 1735.

When the Grand Hotel was completed in 1867 it was the largest hotel in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors represent the months, 52 chimneys represent the weeks and originally 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year. A blue plaque outside marks where the novelist Anne Brontë died in 1849. Winston Churchill and The Beatles are amongst those who've stayed there.

Behind Sandside on the harbour, discover The Bolts, a relic of medieval life in Scarborough. Walk the narrow street from the Harbour Bar all the way to Luna Park and discover some old treasures along the way. Although much of the old town has been lost, there are still many historic buildings, streets and landmarks waiting to be explored.

St. Mary's Church & Anne Bronte's Grave... St. Mary's is the parish curch of Scarborough and dats back from 1170. Originally the church had 2 imposing towers but these were removed in the 14th century.The central tower and the chancel were destroyed during the civil war when Parliamentarians used the church as a base from which to attack the Royalists in Scarborough Castle. Anne Bronte is buried in the graveyard on the castle side.

During World War I, Scarborough was bombarded by German Warships which also attacked Whitby & Hartlepool. The day marked the first death on British soil of the Great War and shocked the country.

The Grade II listed Scarborough Spa complex is home to the Scarborough Spa Orchestra, the last remaining seaside orchestra in the UK.

Jonathon Fletcher from Scarborough invented the world's first web-crawling search engine - called JumpStation - the very technology that powers Google, Bing, Yahoo and all the major search tools on the web today.

800 BC – Iron Age Fortifications: The first known settlers fortified the headland, a natural defensive position.

1626 – The Spa Discovery: Mrs Thomasin Farrer discovered a natural mineral spring. This made Scarborough Britain’s first seaside resort, as visitors flocked to "take the waters" for health.

1829 – The Rotunda Museum: Built by geologist William Smith, it is one of the world's first purpose-built museums.

1914 – WWI Bombardment: German warships shelled the town, killing 19 people. The event became a key part of British war recruitment propaganda.