Filey is a place steeped in history and has been visited by world renowned people, who have drawn inspiration from is picturesque beauty.

The Romans also found Filey of strategic importance, building a signal station at Carr Naze, and historians have suggested the beach at Filey was an ideal place for the Anglo-Saxons to land after the Romans had left!

Probably since people settled in Filey (also known historically as Fivelei, Fiflea and Filo), fish have been harvested from the sea. Species would include herring, otherwise known as ‘the silver darlings’.

During the middle ages, Filey was of considerable size, but was not a wealthy community until around the 17th century – did you know Filey’s Spa (like Scarborough’s) was discovered in the 1670s? This resulted in the town attracting increasing numbers of visitors to its environs.

Unfortunately, this fresh water spring has disappeared due to cliff erosion, but its discovery helped put Filey on the tourist map.

Increasing numbers of visitors came to the resort during the early 18th century, while in the 1850s, the Crescent, latterly known as Royal Crescent, attracted affluent people to the area and the location became one of the most sought-after addresses in the North.

The railway come to Filey in the mid-1800s, while during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, Filey was a popular resort to the great and the good.

More recently, Butlin’s Holiday Camp attracted thousands of holidaymakers until its closure in 1984.

Famous people:
Charlotte Bronte, author of classics such as Jane Eyre and The Professor, stayed in Filey, and her sister Anne is buried in Scarborough.

One of the most famous naval battles in history took place a few miles off Filey. From 23 to 24 of September, 1779, John Paul Jones and Captain Richard Pearson fought a bloody battle on the waters of what is now the North Sea. Captain Pearson capitulated to his rival, who was on the side of the Americans during their War of Independence.