THERE are even northerners who haven’t heard of Saltburn-by-the-Sea. If they
had, they would be there looking for a bargain bolt hole. Prices are at
least £50,000 cheaper than 20 miles down the coast in Whitby, where they
have more than doubled in the past five years. A terraced house in Whitby
now costs, on average, £177,000; in Saltburn it’s £98,000.
“Saltburn has been a bit of a well kept secret to the wider world,” says Adam
Pomeroy, branch manager at Reeds Rains estate agents in the town. “It’s a
little bit out on a limb. However, it has always been regarded as the
‘smart’ part of this coast, the place where people from grimy Middlesbrough
aspired to live.” It takes only half an hour to drive north along the
winding coast road from Whitby to Saltburn. But the landscape changes
dramatically as fishing and farming give way to industry, and North
Yorkshire turns into Cleveland and Teesside.
Many of Saltburn’s 5,900 residents are employed at the Corus steelworks, the
Boulby potash mine, which is also the site of the UK’s particle physics
research project, or at the chemical works 12 miles north in Middlesbrough.
There are no ancient fishermen’s cottages for weekenders to drool over in
Saltburn, but 19th-century cliff-top terraces, named after jewels: Garnet
Street, Pearl Street, Ruby Street, Coral Street etc. There are also striking
hotels – including the Zetland, which has been converted into flats –
eclectic shops, some still wearing their original canopies, including a deli
and a chocolatier, a grand pub called The Victoria, an imposing railway
station, a restored pier and a water-balanced cliff lift. If it looks like a
child’s fantasy seaside town, that’s probably because it’s almost what it
is. Saltburn was built as a model Victorian resort by Henry Pease, a local
entrepreneur. In 1859 he took an evening walk to Saltburn, where “seated on
the hillside he had seen, in a sort of prophetic vision, on the edge of the
cliff before him, a town arise and the quiet unfrequented glen turned into a
lovely garden”. Pease formed the Saltburn Improvement Company and employed
George Dickinson of Darlington, surveyor and civil engineer, to build his
dream. By 1870 Saltburn was a thriving resort.
But in 1881 Henry Pease died, and his dream faltered with him. Although
popular with NorthEast holidaymakers, Saltburn never became the rival to
Scarborough its founder had imagined. It remains relatively undeveloped.
Signs of the times are coming though. Last year the old ticket office for
the miniature railway was turned into a cappuccino bar.
In the 1980s, like many fading seaside places, Saltburn suffered from
unemployment, rising crime and the deterioration of its housing stock,
especially in those lustrous-sounding “jewel streets”. Redcar and Cleveland
council created a local plan to revive the area’s fortunes by improving
infrastructure and encouraging tourism. The tide is definitely turning, but
there is some way to go: decades of neglect have left many properties
decidedly worse for wear.
Word-of-mouth recommendation about Saltburn’s special qualities has brought in
new people to take on these old terraces. Surfers were among the first; the
long, sandy beach is believed to boast some of the best waves on the North
East coast. There is a surf-shop, surf lessons, surfing breaks and,
increasingly, a surf-driven demand for flats. “We’re finding that one of the
most popular properties are flats that can be let out to surfers,” says
Pomeroy. “There is definitely a growing recognition that these are a good
investment.” In the Zetland building there is a nicely modernised
two-bedroom flat of about 850 sq ft for sale for £150,000, through Ingleby’s
estate agents.
“It went through a very raggy period,” admits Sandra Hall, who moved to
Saltburn in 2003 from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, when she married a local
man. “But I can honestly say that the place is thriving. You’ve got lots of
creative people moving into the ‘jewel streets’, and doing up the old
houses, and such a wonderful buzz about the place.” Properties requiring
work can be found around here from £170,000, such as the four-bedroom house
that Reeds Rains is selling on Ruby Street for £175,000.
Saltburn appears to have found a true sense of community. It is proud of its
unusual history and traditions, but unlike many seaside towns embraces the
future with confidence. The internet café is the hub of the high street,
local websites (and there are many) promise 139 events and activities
between now and December, including the miniature railway’s 60th anniversary.
The latest news is that the Women’s Institute and Allotments Association is
relaunching its craft and produce show, last held in 1953. It is aimed at
children. “We felt this would be a good way of bringing back some of the old
values and ways of life that youngsters just don’t see now,” says Ann Cowie,
president of Saltburn WI.
You don’t get that in Brighton. Or Whitby, for that matter. “Saltburn’s unique
atmosphere comes from its size,” says Stephanie French, of Agora, the
business organisation that promotes the town. “There isn’t much space for
new residential development. That helps to keep everyone’s energies focused
on the town centre.” If you’re looking for the catch to Saltburn, then that
is probably it. If you want a seaside home to hide from the world, then
Saltburn would probably be hell. But if you’re after a little piece of
seaside heaven for less than £100,000, hurry before everybody hears about
it.
Reeds Rains, 0845-117 3366; Inglebys, 01287-623 648.
FACTFILE
The average price of a property in Saltburn is £127,732.
The most common properties are terraced houses; the average price of a terrace
house has increased by a modest £35,000 since 2003.
The most expensive road in Saltburn, according to the property website
www.mouseprice.co.uk, is Victoria Road, where a house costs, on average,
£406,625.
The town has only 2,300 households.
Saltburn is one of eight pilot communities selected by Manchester Metropolitan
University and the Association of Town Centre Management as part of the
Agora project, which intends to reverse economic decline on the high street.
