Scarborough Lighthouse stands on Vincent Pier and was first established in 1804 to guide vessels safely into the harbour. The harbour is located beneath Scarborough Castle and alongside South Bay beach.
A harbour has existed at Scarborough since the 11th century. The West Pier was completed in 1325, but the present outer piers were not built until 1732. Vincent Pier, named after its builder William Vincent, was added in 1752, completing the outer harbour. The East Pier was built around 1811.
In 1804, a flag was displayed at the end of Vincent Pier to signal water depth. Two years later, a four-storey lighthouse tower was constructed at the pier head. A coal fire in a brazier at the top provided the light whenever the depth reached 12 feet or more. Each floor of the tower contained a trapdoor to enable coal to be hoisted to the brazier.
In 1843, the brazier was replaced by a lantern with an oil lamp, showing a fixed red light 57 feet above sea level, with a range of 13 miles. A large ball was hoisted above the lantern in daylight hours when there was sufficient depth of water. The keeper’s dwelling alongside the tower was likely built at this time.
By the late Victorian period, increased seafront lighting at Scarborough made the lighthouse less visible from the sea. In 1894, the signal was altered to an isophase light, alternating four seconds of illumination with four seconds of darkness. The system of showing the light only when there was at least 12 feet of water, and hoisting the daytime ball, continued.
During the First World War, coastal lights were generally extinguished to avoid aiding enemy vessels, although reduced signals were occasionally shown for allied shipping.
On 16 December 1914, Scarborough was heavily bombarded by German naval forces. Scarborough Lighthouse sustained severe damage, with a large hole blown in its northern side and the lantern destroyed beyond repair. Other lights on the East and West Piers were also damaged.
After the war, the lighthouse remained derelict for several years. It was eventually rebuilt to its original specifications by the Scarborough Townsmen’s Association, funded by public subscription. The trapdoors were reinstated, a new lantern was added, and the lighthouse was recommissioned on 23 September 1931. Electricity became the power source, with the light’s range reduced to nine miles.
Scarborough Lighthouse remained under the jurisdiction of the Harbour Commissioners rather than Trinity House. The keepers likely left service between the wars, and by 1952, an attendant was in place when the Scarborough Yacht Club moved into the former keepers’ accommodation.
In the 1960s, a fixed orange light was introduced, displayed when the depth at the pier was between six and twelve feet. The isophase period was adjusted to five seconds, and a diaphone fog signal was installed, sounding a two-second blast every minute.
Today, the ground floor of the dwelling houses harbour offices, while the Scarborough Yacht Club occupies the first floor. Within the inner harbour, the East Pier shows a green quick-flashing light, and the West Pier carries a mast with two vertical fixed red lights on the watch hut.
At the seaward end of Vincent Pier stands The Diving Belle, a sculpture commissioned in 2007. The pier remains easily accessible, with parking nearby.
