Royal visit

Harry W Smith, the recently appointed borough engineer and surveyor, designed the new eastern (seaward) wing in a similar style to the original, to accommodate the council chamber and other offices. Royalty graced the opening of the town hall on 28th July 1903. HRH Princess Beatrice (Princess Henry of Battenburg), youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, was met on her arrival at the railway station by the civic heads of Yorkshire and by the five year old Sacheverell Sitwell who presented flowers. The Princess formally opened the town hall and unveiled the bronze statue of her mother, Queen Victoria. The ceremonial key that was used to open the Town Hall is displayed in the cabinet in the corridor. Further alterations to the Town Hall were made in 1962-64 with extensions in King Street and St Nicholas Street.

The statue of Queen Victoria in the Town Hall gardens is the only statue of a public figure to be found in Scarborough; it cost £600 in 1903. The Town Hall is a grade II listed building. The Civic Society restored the statue in 2018.