Bridlington Tourist Information

Bridlington is a fine seaside resort on the Holderness Coast of East Yorkshire, 17 miles south east of Scarborough. As well as being a popular tourist resort, it is a historic fishing port.

No one knows for sure when Bridlington was first inhabited. However, the 2˝ mile manmade Dane's Dyke on Flamborough Head was built in the Bronze Age.

A Roman Road certainly ran through the town and Roman coins have been discovered in the area.

In the Domesday Book the area was recorded as “Bretlinton”. The Harrying of the North by William the Conqueror laid most of the area to waste.

The land was given to Gilbert de Gant in 1072 and his son Walter built an Augustine Priory in 1133. The town was granted the right to have a port and a weekly market.

In 1415 Henry V visited the priory after the Battle of Agincourt and the town and quay continued to expand. The manor was returned to the Crown with the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 and the last Prior was executed at Tyburn for taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace Uprising.

In 1624 the priory was given to Sir John Ramsey, Earl of Holderness.

One final moment of historic importance was when Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles 1 landed in Bridlington in 1643 to support the Royalist cause.

The first hotel in Bridlington opened in 1805 with the discovery of a mineral water spring. By 1846 the railway was transporting many tourists to Bridlington from all over Yorkshire.

Tourism finally waned with the advent of package holidays abroad but the port is still popular for sea fishing trips.

Present Day Bridlington

Bridlington currently has a population of 33,000 residents, with many more visitors during the summer months.

To the north the coastal cliffs rise steeply to Flamborough Head. To the south the coast is much flatter. There is a protective sea wall and a wide sandy beach. The offshore sand banks are an important habitat for marine life. Bridlington still exports huge amounts of shellfish to Europe.

The Old Town is the historic site of the market and the surviving Priory Church of St Mary. It is on the site of the 12th century Bridlington Priory and has a magnificent organ and a ring of eight bells.

Bridlington is the location of an important weather station, one of only two on Britain's east coast.

Alarmingly, it is said to have the highest amount of coastal erosion in Europe, pounded by the North Sea.

Things to Do Around Bridlington

There are several golf courses around Bridlington with splendid coastal views. The Bridlington Golf Club is to the south of the town and Playgolf and Flamborough Head Golf Club are to the northeast.

Bridlington has two superb beaches, North and South, with excellent sea bathing, pleasant ornamental gardens and a promenade. Visitors can take a trip from the Quay for a day's sea angling. A huge Ferris wheel gives great views of the town and coastline.

The Bayle Gate Museum is all that remains of the gate house of the Priory; it has a collection of local and military history.