Summers in Dunbar

This month’s photos are taken from the exhibition, curated by Pauline Smeed, which is available in the History Society’s room in the Town House. The exhibition is entitled “Summers in Dunbar” and covers a number of aspects of Dunbar as a tourist destination. Returnable keys from the Roxburghe Hotel The photo above shows 2 keys from the Roxburghe Hotel which was situated at the east end of Dunbar, next to Dunbar Golf Course. Room 42 was, according to Nigel Marcel, son of the former owners of the hotel, on the top floor, facing the sea and he confirmed that when guests did go off with keys from the hotel, they were inevitably returned with a stamp affixed to the key. At its peak, the hotel was one of the most important in Scotland and attracted many famous golfers who stayed in the hotel when taking part in major tournaments in Scotland. Town Council booklet on Dunbar This photo shows the cover of a publicity booklet published by Dunbar Town Council in the 1960s, with its claim to be the Sunniest resort in Scotland. Dunbar did have a high number of hours of sunshine during the year compared with other towns, although whether it had more hours than other resorts would have been difficult to prove. The swimming pool, with the main pool, the children’s pool and the boating pond can be clearly seen. The water was filtered, but not heated, so it was generally cold. The bottom of the main pool was painted turquoise, so that the pool looked more inviting – and warmer – in the sun. The anguished yells of those who dived straight in confirmed the coldness of the water.

This early advert for the Palace of Pleasure, which was situated near the east beach, sought to attract visitors to the various attractions available. Interestingly, the advert asks visitors to spend “a pleasant half hour” at the amusements, perhaps suggesting that the owners expected a quick turnaround of customers. The Palace of Pleasure had slot machines, a monkey house and a rifle range. Bingo was added later as was an external area where kids could play on dodgem-like cars. This space is now a children’s playground.

One of the attractions in Dunbar in the 1960s was the series of cycling events known as the Dunbar Kermesse. The races took place in Church Street, Castle Street, Victoria Street, Lamer Street and Woodbush. These streets were closed off when the races took place – at weekends during the summer – and cyclists raced at great speed round the streets in circular laps. The events always attracted large crowds of visitors, some who came specifically for the races.