George Beeforth and South Cliff Gardens

By Gemma Alexander

George Lord Beeforth was one of the most influential figures in the early development of the southern side of Scarborough. Born on Easter Sunday in 1823 he like Colonel James Harrison was the only son in a large family, unlike Harrison though his wealth was earned rather than inherited.

Following the death of his father in 1833 Beeforth was sponsored through his education at Scarborough Grammar School by a distant relative. Next came an apprenticeship with a local bookseller after which he went on to become independently successful in a number of intellectual and arts related enterprises including a move to London to open an art gallery primarily featuring the works of French artist Gustave Dore. Engravings produced by the gallery were extremely fashionable and wealthy homes throughout England and beyond including countries that at the time where colonies of the British Empire displayed them.

Whilst still resident in London Beeforth purchased 13 acres of land on the South Cliff of Scarborough and set about building a row of fashionable new houses including his own impressive home known as The Belvedere. Designed by architect William Petch and completed in 1885 it boasted features including a library, billiards room and a water powered organ which remains in the property today and is believed to be the last working example still in existence. An underground tunnel runs from the house to a small fenced off area over the road which is now the only privately owned part of the larger gardens.

A popular pastime for wealthy Victorians was to collect flora and fauna from around the world and whilst Colonel Harrison’s preference was to travel the globe in order to add to his trophy hunting collection Beeforth’s great passions was forestry. He used his extensive knowledge of the subject to import and populate his newly acquired land with a wide variety of trees including species of spruce, cedar, pine, willow and oak.

In 1883 he also successfully created a thriving rose garden on the cliff side location against the expectations of many of his peers. This boasted over 14000 rose bushes which were protected from the harsh seaside elements by the thoughtful planting of a natural boundary of conifers, shrubs and deciduous trees which helped mitigate against wind damage.  

Beeforth used his gardens for philanthropy and would hold charity parties within his grounds where for six pence each guests could enjoy a homemade tea and entertainment. He also opened his gardens to visiting workers from the Bass Brewery who came to Scarborough on family day trips sponsored by their employer.

On his retirement to Scarborough in 1889 Beeforth became a prominent local figure, he was appointed Mayor of the town from 1893 to 1894, was a magistrate for North Ridings and also acted as a Director on a number of business boards. He even laid the foundation stone for Scarborough College on 29th of August 1898.

Beeforth’s wife Helen died in 1894 during the last year of his term as Major, despite his loss he continued to live in The Belvedere for several more years before moving into a smaller property on the Esplanade in 1909. Soon after that in 1912 he sold his land including the Rose Garden to the Scarborough Corporation, for £5500 and this marked a significant step towards the unification of South Cliff Gardens and the creation of the public space we enjoy today.

The rose garden did fall into disrepair over time but the Friends of South Cliff Gardens successfully applied for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and in 2015 a restored garden including almost 11,000 new rose bushes was opened by the then Mayor.

George Lord Beeforth remains an important historical figure to the South Cliff community, a new operations building created as part of a further National Lottery Heritage Fund sponsored restoration of the gardens has been named Beeforth’s Hive after winning 32.8% of the votes cast in a public poll. An information board in the rose garden installed by the Friends Group also memorialises of his contribution to the gardens.

About the Author

Gemma Alexander - is the Community Engagement Officer for the project to regenerate Scarborough’s historic South Cliff Gardens with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund. Gemma began her career as a bookseller later working in libraries, and her last job before moving to Scarborough was with the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.