The People's Palace and Aquarium

The Aquarium was designed by Eugenius Birch, who also designed the pier in North Bay and the Scarborough to Whitby railway line. Work started on the Aquarium in 1874 and it opened in 1877. It covered two and a quarter acres, the majority being underground so it didn’t spoil the sea views. It was more of a zoo than an aquarium with seals, monkeys, alligators and tigers. It also had a concert hall, reading room, shooting gallery, orchestra and played host to visiting celebrities.

Despite its grand design and range of activities it was never a financial success and was taken over by the council in 1925 and renamed Gala Land. The council turned it into a glorified amusement arcade but still couldn’t make it pay its way and it was demolished in 1966 to be replaced by the underground car park.

On September 16th 1925, shortly after the council took over the running of the Aquarium, a tram going up Vernon Road started to slip backwards. The conductor and the two passengers jumped clear, but the driver stayed at the controls to try and bring it to a halt. Unfortunately it careered through the roof of the aquarium concert hall and fell 30ft to the floor. The driver escaped from the wreckage with only minor injuries.

The lithographs below are taken from the Royal Aquarium Album of Scarborough produced in the 1880’s. There are 24 pictures in the album, not all of them of the Aquarium (officially the People’s Palace and Aquarium).  However they are the first pictures I have found that really show the scale and opulence of the building.