Woodend Museum of Natural History

The Woodend building stands on the North Cliff in Scarborough, a stone villa built in 1835 for architect George Knowles. It was one of four similar villas along the seafront, the others being Crescent House, Londesborough Lodge and the White House. The Sitwell family bought it in 1870 and remodelled the interior under George Sitwell’s direction. Scarborough Corporation purchased the house in 1924 and turned it into a natural history museum, opening in 1951. After closing in the 1990s the exhibits were stored and the building passed to the Scarborough Museums Creative and Cultural Trust in 2005. The house became a Creative Industries Centre in 2007, now housing an art gallery and studios. The gallery shows temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. The stone façade has a string course, cornice and blocking course beneath a hipped slate roof. Inside, two storeys and an attic are arranged over five bays, with a two-storey extension on the west side. Grade II* listed since 1953, the building is recognised for its fine architectural detail. Visitors find a classical villa with sash windows and a tall stair window on the east front. A continuous balcony on the south front runs above a segmental arched arcade. The north front features a doorway with panelled pilasters and scroll brackets under a cornice. The interior now serves as a cultural hub rather than a museum, offering changing displays of modern art.