Scarborough Railway Station, a Grade II listed building, was built on what was then the outskirts of the town in 1845 and opened on 7th July that year. It was built for the York and North Midland Railway and designed by George Townsend Andrews, an architect who designed many stations in North and East Yorkshire (York old station included).
The building was much admired in the press. Five days after its opening, the Leeds Times praised it highly in an article: ‘The refreshment rooms are quite as extensive as those at York, and more handsome. The buildings, designed by Mr. Andrews, of York, are in the Italian style, and have a beautiful colonnade in front.’
Some changes have been made to the railway station since its opening. In the early 1880s, as a result of the very large excursion traffic, North Eastern Railway spent £4,000 on improvements at Scarborough railway station. The clock tower was added, along with a new frontage, which replaced the colonnade, though this was met less favourably by critics.
The improvements also included a separate Excursion Station, which in 1908 became a parcels office and what is said to be the world’s longest railway bench, 139m (456 ft) long and built by the company’s Chief Architect William Bell. The bench was the same length as almost 12 double decker buses and can seat up to 300 people. The bench was renovated in 2020 by Network Rail with new seats and backrests at a cost of £14,500.
Scarborough became increasingly popular as a tourist destination, with Thomas Cook offering holidays to the town, and consequently another dedicated excursion station opened on Londesborough Road on 8th June 1908. The last train to depart from Londesborough Road Station was in August 1963, and it was officially closed in July 1966.
