Scarborough: the poster magnet to penguins, courting couples and tonic seekers in nostalgic exhibition

Penguins at Scarborough? Anything is possible in a tourism poster

VINTAGE posters from a golden age of travel and tourism will go on display at Woodend, The Crescent, Scarborough, on Saturday.

Dating from the 1910s to the 1960s, the posters in Scarborough: A Day At The Seaside were issued by the-then Scarborough Corporation’s tourism department and by rail companies operating in the area.

Just the tonic: taking a holiday at Scarborough

On show from the coming weekend to April 26, they will include such nostalgic images as a family of penguins seeking shade under a parasol on Scarborough’s South Bay beach, alongside other bright and idyllic scenes from a bygone era.

The prints are all taken from the 200-plus original posters held in the Scarborough Collections, under the care of Scarborough Museums Trust.

Scarborough Open Air Theatre…as it was in 1938

Andrew Clay, the trust’s chief executive, says: “This will be a vibrant and colourful exhibition recalling an age when travelling by train for a holiday at the seaside was the height of sophistication.”

Limited-edition prints of the posters on display will be available to buy, all at the actual size.

Scarborough: the essence of coastal sophistication for courting couples in 1932

Woodend is open Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.