About Whitby

Whitby is a small town of about 16,000 people situated on the northeast coast of England in the county of North Yorkshire, 80km northeast of York and 30km north of Scarborough. 

It is surrounded by the North York Moors National Park - heather covered moorlands and green valleys. The River Esk runs from the moors along Eskdale and through Whitby to the North Sea. The old port town is clustered on the east side of the harbour at the mouth of the river and beneath the cliffs. Opposite the old town, on the West Cliff, is the later seaside resort developed in Victorian times.

Below the West Cliff is 2.5 km of clean sandy beach ending at the picturesque village of Sandsend. The beach is very popular with holidaymakers in the summer. Above the town on the East Cliff is the abbey which was founded as early as 656 by Abbess Hilda. In 663/664 the Synod of Whitby was held here by the King of Northumbria to decide whether to follow the traditions of the Celtic church or the Roman church. The followers of the Roman church prevailed and this led to the acceptance of Roman usage elsewhere in England. It marked a turning point in the development of the English church.

In the middle ages, Whitby developed as a fishing port, catching mainly herring. It was also an important whaling port for a time - as can be seen at the town museum (opposite Functional English) and at the whale bone arch on West Cliff. The town produced many fine sailors: William Scoresby, who invented the "crows nest" lookout for sailors and in 1807 sailed into the Arctic to discover a northwest passage around the top of the Americas to Asia, and James Cook among them. All of the four ships Cook sailed in his voyages to the South Seas were built in Whitby. In the 17th and 18th centuries Whitby ships (colliers) were involved in the transportation of iron ore and coal to and from Tyneside.

Since the decline of the fishing industry after World War Two, Whitby has come to rely on the growing tourist trade for its livelihood. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Whitby to visit the attractions, the surrounding countryside and attend the various festivals that happen throughout the year, for example, the visit of the Endeavour replica ship. 

Apart from its beach, museums, craft shops and tea rooms, many people visit Whitby for its literary and television associations. Bram Stoker based part of his novel "Dracula" in Whitby and mentions St Mary's church and the 199 steps - both on the east side of Whitby. Lewis Carroll, author of "Alice in Wonderland", was supposedly inspired to write his poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by his walks along Whitby beach. In the 19th century, local photographer Frank Meadows Sutcliffe took many pictures of the town, its inhabitants and the surrounding area. These can be viewed, and prints purchased, in the Sutcliffe Gallery. More recently the town of Whitby, the surrounding villages and countryside were the setting for a major television series "Heartbeat".

Whitby has many pubs, tea shops, cafes and restaurants all with a charm of their own. Among the best known are the Duke of York pub at the foot of the 199 steps on the East Side which serves a selection of beers and bar meals, Botham's bakery and tea rooms (suppliers to the school) - on Baxtergate and Skinner Street on the west side of the river, the Walrus and the Carpenter restaurant and cafe on the Market Place, the Hideaway restaurant on St Ann's Staithe and the Whitby Indian & Tandoori restaurant in the old railway station. Whitby is also justly famous for its fish and chips with the Egon Ronay commended Magpie Cafe on Pier Road - always busy - and the Silver Street Fish & Chip Shop, possibly the best fish and Chips in Whitby!

• Last revision Nov 2004

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