Painted in watercolours by an expert artist it depicts a wide variety of craft outside the harbour mouth. Apparently the artist has created the painting while on a ship that was moored in the bay. A step back in time to the Victorian era 鈥 cobles in full sail and a magnificent paddle ship that could only be the PS United Kingdom. A legend in her own time, a trip from Bridlington to Scarborough on her cost 2s 6d (12.5p), a fair sum of money in those days. However, the price included an 鈥榚xcellent quadrille band鈥 on deck. Bridlington must have been awesome in 1860 鈥 public rooms, ballroom dancing, theatres, public baths and particularly a commercial district. A newly formed Free Press 鈥 great hotels 鈥 an esplanade and a host of pubs, were additional services in the town. Moreover, with the introduction of the railway in 1846, hundreds could travel here every day, and so the town and environs became a popular Spa resort. Bridlington in 1860 was one of the greatest 鈥榃atering-places of England鈥, where people came to drink the iron-rich waters of a chalybeate spring 鈥榦f remarkable purity鈥 discovered in 1811. Think of Cheltenham by the sea! Taking the waters were so popular at Bridlington that The Illustrated London News featured the resort in its famous columns, describing it as having 鈥榬isen from a humble village to the rank of a town numbering above 3,000 inhabitants.鈥 The eloquently written article, published on October 20, 1849, curiously refers to a Polytechnic Rooms building, adjoining the North Pier. This can only be a reference to the Victoria Rooms, Bridlington鈥檚 prime social and cultural hub, 1847-1932 鈥 clearly featured in the middle of the image. Ostensibly a seat of learning, too, it鈥檚 possible the Victoria Rooms may have functioned in our modern sense of the word 鈥榩olytechnic鈥, complete with student digs. The building was described by the same paper as containing 鈥榓n upper and lower Promenade Room, News, Billiard, and Exhibition Rooms, with promenade on the roof and prospect tower鈥. The paper continues 鈥楾he Exhibition Rooms have this year been graced by a small but excellent collection of paintings in landscape, figure and composition鈥︹ These spacious, well-lit Exhibition Rooms were presumably used as the main student lecture theatres and classrooms. It鈥檚 no coincidence that Victorian students were known as Exhibitioners. To the right of the Victoria Rooms, perched high on the Esplanade, is Bishop鈥檚 Improved Baths. They were built in 1844 and offered 鈥榓ll the modern improvements鈥, with separate suites for both men and women. The tall spire of Christ Church looms beautifully in the left distance. Built of gleaming limestone in 1859, it must have sparkled in the afternoon sun. Duke鈥檚 Mill, Bempton Lane, can clearly be seen in the right distance. It was built in 1823 by Moses Dukes and remained in use until the early 20th Century. Interestingly, the windmill was one of the few in the town not to be situated along the Gypsey Race, the ancient chalk-stream that empties into the harbour.