Scarborough Castle defends a prominent headland between two bays, with sheer drops to the sea and only a narrow landward approach. Specially constructed viewing platforms on the battlements offer panoramic views. Long before the castle was built, this natural fortress was favoured by prehistoric settlers, and later housed a defended Roman signal station, part of a system which relayed warning of seaborne raiders to inland Roman garrisons. Later part of the Roman building was adapted as a Saxon chapel. Scarborough also has strong links with the Vikings. Its name is believed to mean the 'burh' or fortress of the Norwegian Viking Thorgils 'Skarthi'-Thorgils 'the Hare-lipped'-and in 1066 this was the first landing place of King Harald Hardrada, during his ill-fated attempt to seize the English throne from Harold Godwinson.
Henry II's towering 12th-century keep, dominating the approach, is the centrepiece of fortifications developed over later centuries in response to repeated sieges - notably by rebel barons in 1312, by Tudor rebels, and twice during the English Civil War. Though again strengthened with barracks and gun-batteries against Jacobite threats in 1745, the castle failed to defend the harbour against the American sea-raider John Paul Jones in 1779, and was itself damaged by German naval bombardment in 1914. During World War II it played the more covert role of hosting a secret listening post.
