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| Whitby |
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| Whitby VM IJ |
Whitby lies on the North Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk and flanked by the North York Moors. |
| Whitby Location |
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| Whitby map |
Whitby Abbey stands on a cliff overlooking the harbour. It was originally founded as a monastery in the 7th century. Whitby was subject to Viking raids from 867 to 870 and the monastery destroyed. It would be 200 years later, under Norman rule, before another monastery was founded in 1078. The buildings were expanded in the 1220's and the Abbey in it's current configuration built.
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| Whitby Abbey pre Reformation |
The Dissolutions of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII saw the Abbey destroyed in 1540.
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| Whitby Abbey post Reformation |
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| Whitby Abbey June 2023 |
Adjacent to the ruined abbey is St Mary's Church which was founded in 1110 and is reached by climbing 199 steps from the town.
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| Whitby St Mary's Church |
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| Whitby Abbey and St Mary's Church |
The town grew in size as result of shipping locally mined Alum which was used in leather and textile trades. This drove the need for coal from the Durham Coalfield and the expansion of the port including the building of twin piers. Whitby also built ships and by the end if the 18th century was the largest shipbuilder outside of Newcastle and London.
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| Whitby Market Place |
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| Whitby |
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| Whitby VM IJ |
Whitby became a centre for the Whaling industry, the first whaling ship setting sail to Greenland in 1753.
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| Whitby Whaling Fleet |
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| Whitby Whalers |
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| Whitby Whaling |
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| Whitby Whaling Jaw Bones |
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Whitby Whaling Jaw Bones
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Whitby Whaling Jaw Bones VM IJ
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The coaling trade and the colliers shipping coal between London and Newcastle would see James Cook apprenticed in Whitby learning his seamanship on collier ships. Cook would progress in his profession, joining the Royal Navy, serving in the Seven Years War. Cook would become famous for his three voyages of scientific exploration.
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| Whitby Captain Cook Memorial |
Cooks first voyage to the Pacific Ocean was in command of HMS Endeavour, a replica of which is located in Whitby.
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| Whitby HMS Endeavour |
The advent of iron ships in the later part of the 19th century would bring an end to Whitby's shipbuilding industry. The decline of the demand for whale products would see the demise of the whaling industry. Whitby declined as a port and it's main maritime activity became fishing.
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| Whitby Harbour |
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| Whitby Harbour June 2023 |
The two parts of Whitby are connected by a Swing Bridge over the River Esk. The first bridge over the River Esk was constructed in 1351. A wooden Swing Bridge was first constructed in 1835 being replaced by the current iron bridge in 1908.
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| Whitby Swing Bridge - Closed Position |
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Whitby Swing Bridge - Open Position
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| Whitby Swing Bridge - View Down River |
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| Whitby Swing Bridge - View Up River |
Whitby features in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. The Transylvanian Count is on a ship that runs aground at Whitby. He escapes the ship in the form of a black dog and ascends the 199 steps from the harbour to St Mary's Church.
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| Dracula St Mary's Graveyard |
The first railway came to Whitby in 1839, being re-sited to it's current location in 1847. This helped develop Whitby as a tourist destination.
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| Whitby Railway Station |
Whitby Station also serves as a terminal for the North York Moors Railway (NYMR), which runs between Whitby and Pickering. The steam trains run on Network Rail as far as Grosmont where they join the preserved railway to Pickering.
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Whitby Station IJ
Repton Schools Class Steam Engine |
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Whitby Station IJ
Repton Schools Class Steam Engine
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| Whitby Station Wating Room Micro Pub VM IJ |
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Whitby Station Wating Room Micro Pub VM
Cards Champion
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