Harry Smith was recruited as Scarborough's Town Engineer in 1897 with a brief to make Scarborough the finest seaside town in England. We think he succeeded.
Harry was only 30 when he came here, and to give himself some gravitas he grew a beard to impress his potential employers, shaving it off when he had safely procured the job! He was known to be a meticulous gardener, fond of begonias, and would offer a pound to anyone who could find a weed in his immaculate garden.
Harry was responsible for creating many of Scarborough's attractions including The Italian Gardens, the walks, pergolas and beach huts of South Cliff, the Lido (first sea-filled pool in Britain), the miniature Railway, the Open Air Theatre (still a big hit today with concert-goers coming to see the likes of Blondie and James Taylor) and the jewel in Scarborough's crown - glorious Peasholm Park, modelled on the Willow Pattern and reclaimed from the marshy site of Northstead manor. It's testament to Harry's planning and imagination that Peasholm Park is still consistently voted one of the top ten parks in Europe. He was also responsible for building good social housing for the many workers who came to work in the increasingly popular seaside resort.
When Harry retired from his role in 1934 he had spent a million pounds of public money on developing the town. In his final speech he said modestly ' I hope you will agree I have spent your money well'.
We dedicate this song to the many unsung public servants working in local government in the past and today, who create and look after the environments we inhabit.
Here's a link to this song on Bandcamp where you can listen to and/or buy it
The photograph is of the island the the pagoda in Peasholm Park.