| Whitby | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Arms of Whitby Town Council | |
.svg)  Whitby Location withinNorth Yorkshire | |
| Population | 13,213 (2011 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NZ893109 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WHITBY |
| Postcode district | YO21, YO22 |
| Dialling code | 01947 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
| 54°29′09″N0°37′14″W / 54.4858°N 0.6206°W /54.4858; -0.6206 | |
Whitby is a seaside town, port andcivil parish in the English county ofNorth Yorkshire. It was previously known asStreoneshalh and is located at the mouth of theRiver Esk, where theNorth York Moors meet theYorkshire Coast. It has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy, and is 47 miles (76 km) fromYork and 22 miles (35 km) fromMiddlesbrough.
From theMiddle Ages, Whitby had significantherring andwhaling fleets,[2][3] and was whereCaptain Cook learned seamanship. He first explored the southern ocean inHMSEndeavour, built in Whitby.[4]Alum was mined locally, and Whitbyjet jewellery was fashionable during the 19th century.[5]
Tourism started in Whitby during the Georgian period and developed with the arrival of the railway in 1839. The abbey ruin at the top of the East Cliff is the town's oldest and most prominent landmark. Other significant features include theswing bridge, which crosses the River Esk and the harbour sheltered bygrade II listedeast and west piers. There are statues of Captain Cook andWilliam Scoresby, and a whalebone arch on the West Cliff. Whitby featured in literary works includingBram Stoker's novelDracula.
Whitby was known in the Anglo-Saxon period asStreoneshalh, meaning "Streon's nook of land". The modern name, which first appears in theDomesday Book, means "Hvíta's farmstead", from Old NorseHvítabýr.[6]
Amonastery was founded at Streoneshalh in 657 AD by KingOswiu or Oswy ofNorthumbria, as an act of thanksgiving, after defeatingPenda, thepagan king ofMercia. At its foundation, the abbey was an Anglo-Saxon "double monastery" for men and women. Its first abbess, the royal princessHild, was later venerated as a saint.[7] The abbey became a centre of learning, and hereCædmon the cowherd was "miraculously" transformed into an inspired poet whose poetry is an example ofAnglo-Saxon literature. The abbey became the leading royal nunnery of the kingdom ofDeira, and the burial-place of its royal family. TheSynod of Whitby, in 664, established theRoman date of Easter in Northumbria at the expense of theCeltic one.[8]
The monastery was destroyed between 867 and 870 in a series of raids byVikings fromDenmark under their leadersIngwar andUbba. Its site remained desolate for more than 200 years until after theNorman Conquest of England in 1066.[9] After the Conquest, the area was granted toWilliam de Percy who, in 1078 donated land to found aBenedictine monastery dedicated toSt Peter and St Hilda.[10] William de Percy's gift included land for the monastery, the town and port of Whitby andSt Mary's Church and dependent chapels atFyling,Hawsker,Sneaton,Ugglebarnby,Dunsley, andAislaby, five mills includingRuswarp,Hackness with two mills and two churches.[11]
When theDomesday Book was compiled in 1086, Whitby was recorded being partially waste and a small settlement lying within theLangbaurgh Wapentake of Yorkshire.[12] Further details reveal the state of Whitby's economic and agricultural decline (when compared with its pre-Conquest state underEarl Siward) which were due to the depredations ofWilliam the Conqueror's army during theHarrying of the North in 1069–70.[13]
In about 1128 Henry I granted the abbeyburgage in Whitby and permission to hold a fair at the feast of St Hilda on 25 August. A second fair was held close to St Hilda's winter feast atMartinmas. Market rights were granted to the abbey and descended with theliberty.[9]
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Whitby Abbey surrendered in December 1539 whenHenry VIIIdissolved the monasteries. By 1540 the town had between 20 and 30 houses and a population of about 200.[14]Theburgesses, who had little independence under the abbey, tried to obtain self-government after thedissolution of the monasteries. The king orderedLetters Patent to be drawn up granting their requests, but it was not implemented. In 1550 theLiberty ofWhitby Strand, except for Hackness, was granted to theEarl of Warwick who in 1551 conveyed it toSir John York and his wife Anne who sold the lease to the Cholmleys.[15] In the reign ofElizabeth I, Whitby was a small fishing port. In 1635 the owners of the liberty governed the port and town where 24 burgesses had the privilege of buying and selling goods brought in by sea. Burgage tenure continued until theWhitby (Yorkshire) Improvement Act 1837 (7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. x) entrusted government of the town to a board of improvement commissioners, elected by the ratepayers.[9]
At the end of the 16th centuryThomas Chaloner visitedalum works in thePapal States,[16] where he observed that the rock being processed was similar to that under hisGuisborough estate. At that time alum was important for medicinal uses, in curing leather and for fixing dyed cloths and the Papal States and Spain maintained monopolies on its production and sale. Chaloner secretly brought workmen to develop the industry in Yorkshire, and alum was produced nearSandsend Ness 3 miles (5 km) from Whitby in the reign ofJames I.[17] Once the industry was established, imports were banned and although the methods in its production were laborious, England became self-sufficient.[18][19]Whitby grew significantly as a port as a result of the alum trade and by importing coal from theDurham coalfield to process it.[20]
Whitby grew in size and wealth, extending its activities to includeshipbuilding using localoak timber. In 1790–91 Whitby built 11,754 tons of shipping, making it the third largest shipbuilder in England, after London and Newcastle.[21] Taxes on imports entering the port raised money to improve and extend the town's twin piers, improving the harbour and permitting further increases in trade. In 1753 the firstwhaling ship set sail toGreenland and by 1795 Whitby had become a major whaling port. The most successful year was 1814 when eight ships caught 172 whales, and thewhaler, theResolution's catch produced 230 tons of oil. The carcases yielded 42 tons ofwhale bone used for 'stays' which were used in the corsetry trade until changes in fashion made them redundant.[22]Blubber was boiled to produce oil for use in lamps in four oil houses on the harbourside. Oil was used for street lighting until the spread of gas lighting reduced demand and the Whitby Whale Oil and Gas Company changed into the Whitby Coal and Gas Company. As the market for whale products fell, catches became too small to be economic and by 1831 only one whaling ship, thePhoenix, remained.[23]
Whitby benefited from trade between the Newcastle coalfield and London, both by shipbuilding and supplying transport. In his youth the explorerJames Cook learned his trade oncolliers, shipping coal from the port.[24]HMSEndeavour, the ship commanded by Cook on his voyage to Australia and New Zealand, was built in Whitby in 1764 byThomas Fishburn as a coal carrier namedEarl of Pembroke. She was bought by the Royal Navy 1768, refitted and renamed.[25]
Whitby developed as aspa town inGeorgian times when threechalybeate springs were in demand for their medicinal and tonic qualities. Visitors were attracted to the town leading to the building of "lodging-houses" and hotels, particularly on the West Cliff.[9]
In 1839, theWhitby and Pickering Railway connecting Whitby toPickering and eventually toYork was built, and played a part in the town's development as a tourism destination.George Hudson, who promoted the link to York, was responsible for the development of the Royal Crescent which was partly completed.[26] For 12 years from 1847,Robert Stephenson, son ofGeorge Stephenson, engineer to the Whitby and Pickering Railway, was the Conservative MP for the town promoted by Hudson as a fellowprotectionist.[27]
The blackmineraloidjet, the compressed remains of ancestors of themonkey-puzzle tree, is found in the cliffs and on the moors and has been used since theBronze Age to make beads. The Romans are known to have mined it in the area.[28][29] In Victorian times jet was brought to Whitby by pack pony to be made into decorative items. It was at the peak of its popularity in the mid-19th century when it was favoured for mourning jewellery byQueen Victoria after the death ofPrince Albert.[30]
The advent of iron ships in the late 19th century and the development of port facilities on theRiver Tees led to the decline of smaller Yorkshire harbours. TheMonks-haven launched in 1871 was the last wooden ship built in Whitby, and a year later the harbour was silted up.[31][32]
On 30 October 1914, the hospital shipRohilla was sunk, hitting the rocks within sight of shore just off Whitby atSaltwick Bay. Of the 220 people on board, 74 died in the disaster, with 33 of those being buried inWhitby Cemetery.[33][34]
In araid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in December 1914, the town was shelled by the GermanbattlecruisersVon der Tann andDerfflinger. In the final assault on the Yorkshire coast, the ships aimed their guns at the signal post on the end of the headland. Whitby Abbey sustained considerable damage in the attack, which lasted ten minutes. The German squadron responsible for the strike escaped despite attempts made by the Royal Navy.[35]
During the early 20th century the fishing fleet kept the harbour busy, and few cargo boats used the port. It was revitalised as a result of a strike atHull docks in 1955, when six ships were diverted and unloaded their cargoes on the fish quay. Endeavour Wharf, near the railway station, was opened in 1964 by the local council. The number of vessels using the port in 1972 was 291, increased from 64 in 1964. Timber, paper and chemicals are imported, while exports include steel, furnace-bricks and doors.[36] The port is owned and managed by Scarborough Borough Council since the Harbour Commissioners relinquished responsibility in 1905.
Amarina was started in 1979 by dredging the upper harbour and laying pontoons. Light industry and car parks occupy the adjacent land. More pontoons were completed in 1991 and 1995.[37] The Whitby Marina Facilities Centre was opened in June 2010.[38]
Whitby Town Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Robert Dalrymple[39] | |
Michael King | |
| Seats | 19 Councillors[40] |
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2023 |
Next election | 7 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Whitby Museum | |
| Website | |
| www | |
By an Act of 1837 government of the town was entrusted to a board of Improvement Commissioners, elected by theratepayers. A Local Board was formed in 1872, and lasted untilWhitby Urban District Council was formed under theLocal Government Act 1894.[9] The townships of Whitby, Ruswarp and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre were formed into a Parliamentary borough under theReform Act 1832 returning one member until theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885.[9]
In the currentUK Parliament, the town is represented byAlison Hume of theLabour Party, who was elected as theMember of Parliament (MP) for theScarborough and Whitby constituency in2024.[41]
From 1974 to 2023 Whitby was administered as part of a two tier council system byScarborough Borough Council, one of the seven district councils inNorth Yorkshire.[42] For borough council purposes the town comprised three wards: Mayfield, Streonshalh and Whitby West Cliff. The borough council was anon-metropolitan district, responsible for housing, planning, leisure and recreation, waste collection, environmental health and revenue collection.[43] Above the Borough council was North Yorkshire County Council, which was anon-metropolitan county providing education, transport, highways, fire, waste disposal, social and library services.[44]
In April 2023 both the county and district councils were replaced by theunitaryNorth Yorkshire Council, which now provides all the services previously provided separately by the two councils. The town comprises two electoral divisions, Whitby West and Whitby Streonshalh, each represented by a single councillor. Whitby West is represented by Phil Trumper of theConservative Party, whilst Whitby Streonshalh is represented by Neil Swannick of theLabour Party.[45][46][47]
At the lowest level of governance Whitby has a town council which, for election and administrative purposes, is divided into six electoral wards represented by 19 councillors responsible for burial grounds, allotments, play areas and street lighting. Elections to the town council are held every four years.[48]
In the three wards that make up the Whitby district of North Yorkshire, out of a population of 13,596 there are 10,286 who stated that their religion was Christian in the 2001 UK census. There were 19 Muslims, 17 Buddhists, 12 Jews, 3 Sikhs and 499 people had no religious affiliations.[49][50][51]
St Mary's Church is an ancient foundation,St Ninian's opened in Baxtergate in 1778 and St John's, also on Baxtergate, was consecrated in 1850. St Michael's was opened in 1856 and St Hilda's on the West Cliff was built in 1885. The Roman Catholic church dedicated to St Hilda was built in 1867 on Baxtergate.[9] There are places of worship for nonconformists including a United Reformed Church; two Methodist chapels are no longer used.[52] The Mission to Seafarers maintains a Christian ministry and has a chapel, reading room and recreational facilities.[53]
TheBishop of Whitby is asuffragan bishop of theChurch of EnglandDiocese of York, in theProvince of York.[54] The town lies within the Central Vicariate of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough.[55]
Whitby is situated on the east coast ofYorkshire facing theNorth Sea in a deep valley at the mouth of theRiver Esk. It has been a bridging point since at leastmedieval times and several bridges have spanned the river. The current bridge, built in 1908, is a swing bridge with a 75-foot (23 m) span that separates the upper and lower harbours which have a total area of around 80.1 acres (32.40 ha). The houses are built of brick or stone, often with redpantiled roofs, in narrow, steep streets, on both sides of the river.[56]
The town is surrounded on its landward sides by themoorland of theNorth York Moors National Park and the North Sea abuts it on the seaward side. The coastal areas are designated part of the North Yorkshire and ClevelandHeritage Coast.[57] The harbour and the mouth of the River Esk are on ageological fault. On the east side the cliff is tall, 187 feet (57 m), and consists of alternating layers of shale,sandstone andclay.[58] On the west side the cliff is much lower and has a deep capping of boulder clay over a sandstone base making it less stable and liable to slippage. Both cliffs are being eroded quite rapidly.[59]
The town is a coastal stretch known as the Dinosaur Coast or the Fossil Coast, the area is around 35 miles (56 km) long and stretches fromStaithes in the north and south toFlamborough. At Whitby dinosaur footprints are visible on the beach.[60][61] The rock strata containfossils and organic remains including jet. Fossils include the petrified bones of an almost complete crocodile and a specimen ofplesiosaurus measuring 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) in length, and 8 feet 5 inches (2.57 m) in breadth was discovered in 1841. TheRotunda Museum in Scarborough has a comprehensive collection of fossils from the area.
Smaller fossils include numerous species ofammonites, or "snake stones", from theWhitby Mudstone Formation (Alum Shale Member) and at Whitby Scarnautiloids in the lower beds of thelias strata. The town's folklore (similar toKeynsham's in Somerset) has it that fossils were once living serpents that were common in the area. This was until the 7th century AD when Anglo-Saxon AbbessSt Hilda of Whitby (614–680), first had to rid the region of snakes. She did so by casting a spell that turned them to stone and then threw them from the cliff tops.
Local collectors and dealers in fossils often carved heads on ammonites to increase curiosity value and improve sales. Since 1935, the Whitby Coat of Arms incorporates three snakestones due to this folklore. TheHildoceras genus of ammonite is named in St Hilda's honour.[56][62]
Tourism supported by fishing is the mainstay of Whitby's economy in an isolated community with poor transport infrastructure and restricted by building constraints in the surroundingNorth York Moors National Park.[63][64] The economy is governed by the changing fortunes of fishing, tourism and to some extent, manufacturing.Structural changes have led to concentrations of deprivation, unemployment and benefit dependence. A narrowing employment base and dependence on low wage and low skill sectors has resulted in younger age groups leaving the area. There are few business start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Older people who make increasing demands on the area's health and social care capacity have moved into the area. Demographic changes, Whitby's relative isolation from the region's main growth areas and decline in traditional employment sectors pose an economic challenge.[65]
The town has a variety of self-catering accommodation, holiday cottages, caravans and campsites, and guest houses, inns, bed & breakfast establishments and hotels. The jet industry declined at the end of the 19th century, but eight shops sell jet jewellery, mainly as souvenirs to tourists.[66] In 1996, Whitby West Cliff qualified for a 'Tidy Britain Group Seaside Award'. The town was awarded "Best Seaside Resort 2006", byWhich? Holiday magazine.[67]
The harbour has a total area of about 80 acres (32 ha) and is used by commercial, fishing and pleasure craft. Inshore fishing, particularly for crustaceans and line fish, takes place along the coast. Lobsters, brown and velvet crabs are important to the local fishery. From May to August, salmon is found in the Esk, and small open boats are licensed to net these off the harbour entrance. There are around 40 licensed angling party boats. The commercial catch is no longerherring but has been replaced by cod, haddock, and other fish caught within 12 miles (19 km) of the coast.[68] Afish market on the quayside operates as need arises.[69] The ready supply of fresh fish has resulted in an abundance of "chippies" in the town, including theMagpie Cafe whichRick Stein has described as the best fish and chip shop in Britain.[70]
The Whitby Marina project, jointly funded by Scarborough Borough Council,Yorkshire Forward and theEuropean Regional Development Fund, was developed to diversify the local economy.[71] The remaining shipbuilding firm,Parkol Marine, is a family-run business on the east side of the river.[72] Founded in 1988, the boatyard has two berths for new build and a dry dock for repairs.[73] St Hilda's Business Centre provides office space for a range of businesses. Whitby Business Park is a 49-acre (20 ha) site located by the A171 road, 2 miles (3 km) from the harbour on the southern outskirts of the town. Companies on the park include Supreme Plastics,Whitby Seafoods Ltd and Botham's of Whitby alongside major retailers,Homebase andSainsbury's.[74]
The east coast has limited conventional energy generation capacity, but Whitby is the closest port to a proposed development onDogger Bank, ideally placed to provide theoffshore wind power industry with support vessel operations and logistics.[75][76] The Dogger Bank wind farm could include up to 2,600 giant 400-foot (120 m) turbines covering more than 3,300 square miles (850,000 ha).[77]
Whitby's port is used for shipping to Europe, especially Scandinavia, and mainly handles grain, steel products, timber andpotash. Vessels limited to 3,000 tonnesdeadweight tonnage can dock at the wharf, which is able to load or unload two ships simultaneously. As of 2004[update], 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2) of dock space is used to store all-weather cargo, with a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) warehouse.[78][79]
Whitby railway station is a terminus of theEsk Valley Line fromMiddlesbrough, operated byNorthern.[80]
It was formerly the northern terminus of the Whitby, Pickering and York Line. In 2007, theNorth Yorkshire Moors Railway began a summer service on that line betweenPickering and Whitby operated by steam locomotives, as an extension of their long-standing Pickering-Grosmont service.[80]
TheScarborough and Whitby Railway followed a coastal route and was built in 1885. It required construction of the red brickLarpool Viaduct across the Esk Valley into Whitby.[81] The line closed as a result of theBeeching cuts in 1965; the trackbed is now used as a footpath, bridleway and by cyclists.[82]
TheWhitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway had a station atWhitby West Cliff and ran close to the cliffs to the north of the town. It opened in 1883 and closed in 1958.[83]
Whitby is situated on theA171 road from Scarborough to Guisborough, which originally passed over theswing bridge. A high level bridge over the Esk Valley was built in 1980 to avoid the bridge and ease congestion in the town centre. TheA174 accesses coastal towns to the north and theA169 crosses the North Yorkshire Moors to Pickering.[84]
Whitby is on theYorkshire Coastliner bus route toLeeds,Tadcaster, York, Scarborough,Bridlington, Pickering andMalton.[85]
Arriva North East runs bus services connecting Whitby to Scarborough and Middlesbrough.[citation needed]
The coastal section of the 110-mile (180 km)Cleveland Way National Trail passes through Whitby.[86]
Whitby Community Hospital was formerly run by the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health CareNHS Trust, and more recently by theHumber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.[87] In February 2018 it was decided to redevelop the hospital site at a cost of £12 million into a "health and wellbeing hub" with an urgent care centre and 19 inpatient beds.[88]
Fivegeneral practitioners and five dentists serve the Whitby area.[89][90]
Yorkshire Ambulance Service provides transport throughout Yorkshire.[91]
Whitby fire station is manned byNorth Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service between 8 am and 6 pm.[92]
The town's two police stations are provided by North YorkshirePolice Authority.[93]
lifeboat station built in 2007, on the east bank, is operated by theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution. Crew members are unpaid volunteers and the station has twolifeboats, an inshoreD class lifeboat theWarter Priory which was donated to the station in 2017,[94] and an all-weatherShannon-class lifeboat, theLois Ivan, launched in 2023.[95]
North Yorkshire County Council waste management services operate a household waste recycling centre at Whitby Industrial Estate, and a weekly collection alternating between recyclables and landfill waste.[96][97]
Mains water supply, predominantly from the River Esk, is treated at Ruswarp Water Treatment Works byYorkshire Water who also deal with the town's sewerage.[98]
CE Electric UK is responsible for delivering electricity and Northern Gas Networks supply piped gas.[99][100]
Whitby has a three-tier school system, primary, middle (11–14) andCaedmon College (11–19), the latter formed in 2014 from the merger of Caedmon School (11–14) andWhitby Community College (14–19).[101]Eskdale School continues to operate as a middle school, but is currently[when?] consulting on raising its age range to 16. In February 2018 Caedmon College and Eskdale School agreed to federate and plan to provide a joint sixth form in the town.[102]
The primary schools are St Hilda's Roman Catholic Primary School, Stakesby Community Primary School, West Cliff Primary School, Airy Hill Community Primary School and East Whitby Community Primary School. North Yorkshire County Council provides education services.[103]
The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry, and experienced fishermen.[104]
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The swing bridge spanning the Esk divides the upper and lower harbours and joins the east and west sides of the town. Whitby developed as an important bridging point of the River Esk and in 1351 permission was granted fortolls to be taken on the bridge for its maintenance. In 1609 a survey for a new bridge was commissioned while in 1628 it was described as a drawbridge where men raised planks to let vessels pass and tolls were collected. The bridge posts were rebuilt in stone at a cost of £3,000 in 1766. This structure was replaced by a four-arched bridge between 1833 and 1835, one arch made ofcast iron swivelled to allow vessels to pass.[9][56] This bridge was replaced between 1908 and 1909 by the current electric swing bridge.[105]
The bridge allowed the town to spread onto the west bank, whilst the east bank, the Haggerlythe, is dominated by St Mary's Church and the ruins of Whitby Abbey which is owned byEnglish Heritage. St Mary's Church is a grade Ilisted building on the site of a Saxon church. The church's ancient foundation dates from the 12th century. Over time it has been extensively altered and enlarged but retains several features includingbox pews. The East Cliff is quite a distance by road from the church, the alternative is to climbthe 199 steps of the "Church Stairs" or use the footpath called "Caedmon's Trod".[106] The stone stairs, which replaced the original wooden steps, were built about 200 years ago and renovated between 2005 and 2006. There are landings originally assisting coffin bearers on their journey to the graveyard on the cliff top.[107]
The harbour is sheltered by the grade II listed east and westpiers each with a lighthouse and beacon.[108][109] Thewest lighthouse, of 1831, is the taller at 84 feet (25.5 m) and theeast lighthouse, built in 1855, is 54 feet (16.5 m) high. On the west pier extension is a foghorn that sounds a blast every 30 seconds during fog.[110] New lights were fitted to both the lighthouse towers and the beacons in 2011.[111]Whitby Lighthouse, operated byTrinity House, is south-east of the town on Ling Hill.
On the West Cliff is a statue of CaptainJames Cook who served his apprenticeship in the town, and a whalebone arch, commemorates the whaling industry.[112] It is the second such arch, the original is preserved in Whitby Archives Heritage Centre. By the inner harbour is a statue commemorating William Scoresby Sr. (father ofWilliam Scoresby Jr.), designer of thecrow's nest.[113]
On the outskirts of town to the west is the 19th-century Sneaton Castle built by James Wilson who sold his sugar plantation where he had over 200 slaves and moved to Whitby.[114] Alongside it is St Hilda's Priory,[115] the mother house of theOrder of the Holy Paraclete. The castle was used as a school and is now a conference centre and hotel in association with the priory.
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe left a photographic record of the town, harbour, fishing and residents in late-Victorian times. His most famous photograph entitled "Water Rats" was taken in 1886. He became famous internationally as a great exponent of pictorial photography. He exhibited his work in Tokyo, Vienna, France, the US and Great Britain winning over 60 gold, silver and bronze medals. He retired in 1922 and became curator ofWhitby Museum.[116] The Royal Photographic Society made him an honorary member in 1935. Sutcliffe's photograph archive and collection are now at Whitby Museum.[117]
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Pannett Park was built on land purchased by a local philanthropist and politicianAlderman Robert Pannett in 1902. After his death in 1928, the trust he set up created apublic park and art gallery.[118] In 1931Whitby Museum was built behind the gallery by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society. It holds a collection of the archaeological and social history of jet and has on display a "Hand of Glory".[119] The Friends of Pannett Park, formed in 2005, successfully bid for aHeritage Lottery Fund grant to refurbish the park.[120]
There has been a lifeboat in Whitby since 1802 and the old boathouse, built in 1895 and used until 1957, is a museum displaying theRobert and Ellen Robson lifeboat, built in 1919.[121]
The ancientPenny Hedge ceremony is performed on the eve ofAscension Day commemorating a penance imposed by the abbot on miscreant hunters in theMiddle Ages.[122] The hunters using a knife costing a penny had to cut wood in Eskdaleside and take it to Whitby harbour where it was made into a hedge that would survive three tides. This tradition is carried out annually on the east side of the upper harbour.[123]
TheWhitby Gazette was founded in 1854 by Ralph Horne, a local printer. The first issues were records of visitors and lodgings rather than a newspaper.[124] The publication became a weekly newspaper in 1858, with a short spell of being published twice weekly between 2000 and 2012.[125] The local radio stations areBBC Radio Tees,[126]This is The Coast andCoast & County Radio
ThePavilion Theatre built in the 1870s in West Cliff hosts a range of events during the summer months.[127] For over four decades the town has hosted the Whitby Folk Week, and since 1993 the bi-annualWhitby Goth Weekend for members of theGoth subculture. "Whitby Now" is an annual live music event featuring local bands in the Pavilion which has taken place since 1991.[128] Since 2008, the Bram Stoker Film Festival has taken place in October.[129]
The town has a strong literary tradition; it can even be said that the earliest English literature comes from Whitby asCædmon, the first knownAnglo Saxon poet[130] was a monk at the order that usedWhitby Abbey during the abbacy of St Hilda (657–680).[131] Part ofBram Stoker's novelDracula was set in Whitby, incorporating pieces of local folklore, including the beaching of theRussian shipDmitry. Stoker discovered the name "Dracula" at the old public library. One scholar has suggested that Stoker chose Whitby as the site of Dracula's first appearance in England because of theSynod of Whitby, given the novel's preoccupation with timekeeping and calendar disputes.[132][133]Elizabeth Gaskell set her novelSylvia's Lovers partly in the town which she visited in 1859[134] andLewis Carroll stayed at 5, East Terrace between July and September 1854: his first publications may have been published in theWhitby Gazette.[135]
Charles Dickens is known to have visited Whitby, and in a letter of 1861 to his friend Wilkie Collins, who was at the time in Whitby, Dickens says:
In my time that curious railroad by the Whitby Moor was so much the more curious, that you were balanced against a counter-weight of water, and that you did it like Blondin. But in these remote days the one inn of Whitby was up a back-yard, and oyster-shell grottoes were the only view from the best private room.[136][137]
Wilkie Collins stayed in Whitby to work on his novel,No Name. He was accompanied by Caroline Graves, the inspiration forThe Woman in White.[138]Mary Linskill was born in a small house at Blackburn's Yard in 1840. She reached a wide readership when her second novel,Between the Heather and the Northern Sea, was published in 1884. Her last novelFor Pity's Sake, was published posthumously in 1891.[139]James Russell Lowell, the American writer, visited Whitby while ambassador in London 1880–85, staying at 3 Wellington Terrace, West Cliff.[140][141] On his last visit in 1889, he wrote:
This is my ninth year at Whitby and the place loses none of its charm for me.[142]
G. P. Taylor, a formerChurch of England curate in Whitby, is now a celebrated author. His best-selling bookShadowmancer was set in Whitby.Theresa Tomlinson, a writer of historical and other fiction for children and young adults, lives in the town.[143]
The novelPossession: A Romance byA. S. Byatt, set in the town, was adapted into a 2002 feature film calledPossession starringGwyneth Paltrow.[144]
In the British Television drama seriesHeartbeat (1992–2010), set in the 1960sYorkshire, the plot frequently takes place in Whitby over the seasons.[145]
A crime novel series by James Whitworth is set in Whitby. The first two novels areDeath's Disciple andThe Eve of Murder. These were followed byBidding to Die,Better the Devil You Know andMurder on the Record.[citation needed]
A trilogy of young adult novels,The Whitby Witches, makes much of the town's setting and history, embellishing local traditions whilst incorporating them into the narrative. The author,Robin Jarvis, recalls "The first time I visited Whitby, I stepped off the train and knew I was somewhere very special. It was a grey, drizzling day but that only added to the haunting beauty and lonely atmosphere of the place. Listening toCarmina Burana on my headphones, I explored the ruined abbey on the clifftop. The place was a fantastic inspiration. InThe Whitby Witches I have interwoven many of the existing local legends, such as the frightening Barguest, whilst inventing a few of my own, most notably the aufwaders."[146] Jarvis returned to Whitby for his 2016 novel,The Power of Dark, the first in The Witching Legacy series.
Other literary works making reference to Whitby include:
Wind surfing, sailing and surfing take place off the beaches between Whitby andSandsend[152] and the area is visited by divers. Whitby's other sports facilities including cricket and football pitches, and tennis courts.[citation needed]
Whitby Regatta takes place annually over three days in August.[153] The highlight is arowing competition between Whitby Friendship, Whitby Fishermen's, and Scarborough amateur rowing clubs.[153]
Whitby Golf Club formed in 1891 and has been at its 18-hole course on cliff tops to the northwest of the town since 1895.[154]
Whitby Town F.C., formed in 1892, is a semi-professionalfootball club which plays in theNorthern Premier League at its 3,200 capacity Turnbull Ground on Upgang Lane.[155]
Whitby Cricket Club has been in existence since the 1920s and plays from the Turnbull Ground on West Cliff.[156] Two senior Saturday teams compete in theNorth Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League,[157] and a junior section in the Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League.[158]
The area generally has warm summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. Its latitude means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds withdepressions and their associatedfronts, bringing unsettled and windy weather particularly in winter. Between depressions there are often small mobileanticyclones that bring periods of fine weather. In winter anticyclones bring cold dry weather. In summer the anticyclones tend to bring dry settled conditions which can lead to drought. The two dominant influences on the climate of the Whitby area are shelter against the worst of the moist westerly winds provided by the North York Moors and the proximity of the North Sea. Late, chilly springs and warm summers are a feature of the area but there are often spells of fine autumn weather. Onshore winds in spring and early summer bring mists or lowstratus clouds (known locally assea frets) to the coast and moors.[159]
| Climate data for Whitby, elevation: 41 m (135 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 30.9 (87.6) | 29.9 (85.8) | 33.1 (91.6) | 27.9 (82.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 17.8 (64.0) | 16.2 (61.2) | 33.1 (91.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.8 (49.6) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.9 (67.8) | 19.7 (67.5) | 17.3 (63.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 7.7 (45.9) | 13.1 (55.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) | 5.1 (41.2) | 6.5 (43.7) | 8.4 (47.1) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 16.1 (61.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.4 (45.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 9.9 (49.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.8 (40.6) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.1 (50.2) | 12.2 (54.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.7 (45.9) | 4.7 (40.5) | 2.4 (36.3) | 6.6 (43.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) | −10.5 (13.1) | −12.5 (9.5) | −7.0 (19.4) | −2.3 (27.9) | 0.3 (32.5) | 1.9 (35.4) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.5 (32.9) | −3.0 (26.6) | −8.7 (16.3) | −19.6 (−3.3) | −19.6 (−3.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 57.5 (2.26) | 46.4 (1.83) | 39.2 (1.54) | 44.4 (1.75) | 38.8 (1.53) | 57.6 (2.27) | 49.1 (1.93) | 61.3 (2.41) | 53.3 (2.10) | 58.9 (2.32) | 71.0 (2.80) | 66.7 (2.63) | 644.1 (25.36) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 60.9 | 87.7 | 129.8 | 167.5 | 211.4 | 194.0 | 202.5 | 188.2 | 145.7 | 108.2 | 70.3 | 55.7 | 1,622 |
| Source 1:Met Office[a][160] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[161][162] | |||||||||||||
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On 5 January 2016 the town was seriously affected by flash floods.[163]North Yorkshire Police cautioned motorists to drive with "extreme caution" and advised that the area be avoided "unless absolutely necessary".[164]
According to the2011 UK census, Whitby parish had a population of 13,213 living in 6,097 households.[1]In the2001 UK census of the total number of 5,973 homes 2,034 were rented and 3,939 were owner occupied.[165]Of the 5,506 economically active persons aged between 16 and 74, 420 were unemployed.[166] The number of people working in the service industry was 4,113.[166] Approximately 2,500 people were aged under 16, 8,400 were aged 16–64, and 2,700 aged 65 and over.[167] The mean age of the population was 41.78 years.[167] The number of people who travel to work by motorised transport is 3,134[166] but 2,190 households have no cars or vans.[168]
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939[b] | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitby CP | 8,125 | 7,886 | 8,820 | 7,501 | 6,349 | 5,879 | 5,811 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ruswarp CP | 3,141 | 4,236 | 4,839 | 5,097 | 5,019 | 4,831 | 6, 195 | ||||||||||||||||
| Helredale CP | 387 | 411 | 504 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawsker CP (part) | 590 | 665 | 741 | 816 | 79 | 79 | 79 | ||||||||||||||||
| Population | 10,974 | 10,275 | 12,584 | 11,725 | 11,682 | 12,875 | 11,856 | 12,787 | 14,400 | 13,414 | 11,834 | 11,218 | 12,589 | 11,451 | 12,698 | 11,674 | 11,675 | 12,327 | 12,980 | 13,632 | 13,594 | 13,213 | 13,129 |
Whitby CP/AP[169] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Between 1801 and 1925 Whitby comprised Whitby, Ruswarp and part of Hawsker civil parishes and (between 1894 and 1925) Helredale civil parish, all of which were merged on 1 April 1925 into the current Whitby area.[170]
Whitby'stwin towns include several visited by Captain Cook in ships built in the town.
Whitby
Places adjacent to Whitby | |
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