The History of the White Lodge dates back to 1801 when the North Sea was known as the German Ocean and the lifeboat house stood at the bottom of Carr Hill. A piece of land known as ‘Little Field’ was purchased by one Christopher Foster. Several years later the land was resold for £400 and upon it in 1856 the ‘South Crescent Villa’ was built.
The house was inhabited for several years but later fell into ruin. It was not until the 1890’s, when the actress Dame Madge Kendal purchased the house, and in a few months, and at an expense of approximately £5000, it became to all intents, a new house in an old setting.

It was during this time that the house became known as ‘The Lodge’ where there was every possible facility for the enjoyment of tennis and when guests tired of that, they could go golfing on the adjacent flat or else take to the cycle. ‘The Lodge’ grounds stretched down to the water edge at this time and boating, sailing and deep sea fishing were common pastimes for guests.

In 1920 the Filey Urban District Council purchased the gardens that ran almost down to the sea and ‘The Lodge’ became South Crescent Lodge.

At this time Filey was not the modern shopping center that it is today. Fields flanked both sides of Station Road and iron railings were festooned with fishermen’s brown nets, hung out to dry. There was no Post Office in Murray Street but an old boot shop and at the opposite corner of Hope Street stood Old David’s stuffed bird shop.

The old wooden sea wall below the far gardens above which stood ‘The Lodge’

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was a favourite with the children. It was christened the ship, because the planked deck on top was like an old Nelson battleship. The rough ground above it had belonged to ‘The Lodge’ as had the dell that led up to Ravine Hill.

It was the Crescent that gave dignity to Filey, and even today with most of the houses turned to flats, it breathes the real spirit of the old place. In former days there were oblong yellow washed mounting blocks for equestrians, long since removed, but the houses remain and many of the little pebbled gardens of old with their oval beds of marigolds and stocks. Flights of stone steps lead up to the front doors hollowed by generations of little feet in sand shoes or Victorian buttoned boots.

It was in the mid 1930’s that the ‘South Crescent Lodge’ became the ‘White Lodge Hotel’, and has been operating as a first class hotel ever since. Over those fifty years many changes have been made to the structure of the buildings, ranging from Sun Lounge attachment to the bar extensions since October 1996.