Bridlington and the surrounding villages are awash with history and are set for another grand celebration of the past through the Heritage Open Days event this September.
People can discover and explore the areas rich and vibrant heritage and culture in the form of two open weekends – 9/10th and 16/17th of September.
Below, Max Lunn outlines a brief history of the town and inset are some of the places that will be opening their doors to the public.
Bridlington as we know it today was once two
settlements, with three names! – Bretlington,
became Burlington, which then became
Bridlington as we know it today. Burlington Quay
was only a cluster of fishing cottages until around
the mid-19th century.
There has been a Port in Bridlington since Roman times.
In medieval times, Burlington was the main town
centre but was a mile or so inland from the sea and
is what we now know as Bridlington Old Town – a
conservation area since the 1960s.
This was once the more important part of town and was renowned as a centre of pilgrimage, learning and trade – based around the magnificent Augustinian Priory, now a striking and cathedral-like parish church, alongside the fascinating Bayle gatehouse, owned by the ancient institution – The Lords Feoffees & Assistants of the Manor of Bridlington.
Burlington was once a cluster of thatched
cottages, however a major fire in the mid-1600s
destroyed almost everything, though many timber
frames and beams still survive in the cellars of the
Georgian and Victorian properties.
The High Street was rebuilt largely in the Georgian period and is now the second most complete Georgian street in England – used a number of times as a period film and TV set. Dad’s Army being the most recent.
The Priory Church, once the largest and most
wealthy Monastery in Yorkshire, has been visited
by five Kings of England.
The Bayle Museum once a 14th Century gatehouse to the Monastery is a Grade 1 listed building with a fascinating interior and history, having been a courthouse and school in its varied past.
The Georgian High Street has
many historic properties. The Old Town has many
galleries, coffee shops, as well as restaurants and
pubs for you to explore.
From Roman times, a Port was established where
the Gypsey Race runs into the sea. The port was
developed by the Monks of Bridlington Priory in the 1100’s and was significant as a trading Port right up to the last century. In the 1820’s there were 17 ship owners in the town which provided the fastesttransport for coal, timber salt etc. In 1643 Queen Henrietta Maria landed at Bridlington harbour.
The Quay was only a small fishing village until
the discovery of a chalybeate spring which saw
the emergence of the town as a Seaside resort
in the 19th century aided by the arrival of the
Railways in 1846, built by George Hudson.
In 1898 the Quay and the beaches attracted 300,000
visitors in the summer season alone, all arriving
by train.
The main seaside and harbour areas had
a huge expansion, that area is still developing
and being regenerated today. In the last 20
years the town has had a major resurgence in
tourism.
Bridlington Harbour is the main feature of the Quay, which is enclosed by two stone piers. Bridlington is the Lobster Capital of Europe much of its lucrative catch is exported to France, Spain, and Italy.
On the Quayside you will find the Harbour Heritage
Museum which is free to enter from Easter until
the end of October. Bridlington Sailing Coble
Preservation Society is also nearby with three
historic Coble sailing craft either in the Harbour or
being restored in their workshop.
Just south of the Harbour you will find The Spa, this
is Bridlington’s home of entertainment and the arts,
with a Theatre, Concert Hall, Conference facilities
and Restaurant looking out to sea.
Nearby there is also the Spotlight Theatre which is community run.
The Quay and its environs in Bridlington offers
visitors amazing beaches and family friendly
activities. Park and Ride facilities offer access via
the famous Land Train to take you into the Quay
and on to Sewerby Hall. In the summer, the Open
Top Bus service offers a ‘hop on hop off’ circular
route through Old Town, out to Sewerby and returns via the Quay for a single day rider ticket.
Bridlington is linked to a number of notable people
throughout history:
William Kent (1685 – 1748) was the leading
architect and designer of early Georgian Britain.
Credited as having introduced the Palladian style
of architecture into England and originating the
‘natural’ style of gardening known as the English
landscape garden.
The composer Albert Ketelbey in 1914 wrote the
orchestral work In a Monastery Garden, after a visit to Bridlington’s Priory Church, which was published in the following year both as a piano piece and in full orchestral form. It was his first major success, his most famous piece, and became known all over the world; by 1920 over a million copies of the sheet music had been sold.
David Hockney’s love of The Yorkshire Wolds
provide the backdrop for a series of paintings that
span 50 years of Hockney’s fascination with the
area. These paintings – the so-called Yorkshire
landscapes – reveal thorough observations of the changing four seasons, and how light, space
and nature are constantly in flux, follow “Hockney
Country”, the heart of the stunning Yorkshire Wolds and discover the views behind some of
David Hockney’s most celebrated landscapes.
Born in Bridlington in 1954 is Mark Herman, who was educated in Bridlington and Hull, he is an English film director and screenwriter. Herman wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Brassed
Off (1996), best known for writing and directing the
2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
The countryside around Bridlington is also full
of historic places all with a tale to tell. As you
leave Bridlington towards Sewerby village there is
Sewerby Hall, a Grade 1 listed country house, and its grounds with lots for families to do. The Hall hosts the unique Amy Johnson memorabilia collection to commemorate our most famous and inspirational aviatrix.
Leaving Sewerby head towards
Flamborough Head the road takes you over Danes
Dyke a prehistoric ditch and embankment, then
on to Flamborough. Flamborough is home to its
Lighthouse but also to The Chalk Tower, one of the
tallest chalk structures, built in 1674 as a lighthouse
by Sir John Clayton and George Blake, which has a
fascinating history.
Leaving Flamborough head for Bempton Cliffs and
the RSPB reserve, which is the largest mainland
colony of Gannett’s, Puffins and most recently an
Albatross that visits each summer.
