Scarborough Fair and Other Stories

Scarborough Fair and the words of that lovely songassume they had happy holidays in such an idyllic
are all I have known of Scarborough, that and thespot. But Edith's relations with her parents were
fact that Butlins have a showpiece there. On closertempestuous and particularly with her father, George,
investigation it seems there have been some famouswho apparently locked her in an iron frame to
names born out of Scarborough. Charles Loughtoncorrect what he thought was a deformity of her
was born in the Victoria Hotel, opposite the station inspine. She was a tall, thin, austere and angular
1899 and had his first stage success was at the oldsix-foot woman in the end, no doubt stooping
Arcadia Theatre. He loved his home town and thanksthrough adolescence to fit in. Like many of that
to his brother's vigilant collection of memorabilia, thegeneration, Edith saw her parents as strangers. The
Laughton Collection of British Art can be seen atSitwell home is now Wood End Museum of natural
Scarborough Art Gallery.history but contains many mementos of the family.
The prickly poetess, Edith Sitwell and her aristocraticOther legacies left by the Victorians are the hotels
family hail from Scarborough. Lady Louisa settled theand houses and beautiful terraced gardens. Take a
family at Wood End and later declared her famoustrip to see the Bolts, the narrow passageways of
grand-daughter 'an exceedingly violent child' and whenthe old town which were 12th Century lavatories,
asked what she wanted to be when she grew up,automatically flushed twice daily at high tide. A new
the child had suggested 'a genius'... and some say shequay was added just after 1300 and the alleys
was. Together with her famous siblings Edith spentsurvived but presumably no longer the best spot to
summers at Scarborough and you might wronglybolt if you're caught short.