Visitors to
Whitby
will see the great Whitby Abbey which dominates the East Cliff of the town where many tourists climb the 199 well worn steps to
take a closer look at the Abbey ruins. Holiday makers can take in a local
variety show or see the play of the week, Visit and browse ancient
artefacts in the Captain Cook Museum, Take in the Dracula Trail guided tour,
Stroll along the harbour and watch the deep sea fishing
trawlers
land their catches of fresh fish. Take the coastal walk along the Whitby
cliff tops, Choose one of the many panoramic views over Whitby, sit and
relax while the World goes by.
Whitby is centrally located
to visit all the North Yorkshire Moorland villages and holiday resort
towns up and down the Yorkshire coast such as,
Scarborough
the Victorian Spa town, Goathland, home to the Television series
called Heartbeat, Grosmont where the
Steam Railway takes you through to Pickering the inland market town or
onward to the ancient Viking town of York, Small local fishing villages
such as Robin Hoods Bay - Runswick Bay and Staithes. Many more
attractions are too numerous to list, not forgetting the lovely North Yorkshire Moors and many
more local villages.
The ancient town of
Whitby has been the scene of the very first Synod, held at the
Abbey of St Hilda;
nurtured Caedmon, the first English poet. Whitby has fostered the genius of Captain
James Cook and his sailing ships that were built in the town. Fathered the
abilities and bravery of the Scoresby Whaling family, the finest sailors and whalers of their day.
Hosted authors the likes of the great Charles Dickens
and Bram Stoker author of the vampire story called "Dracula".
Whitby Swing Bridge
joins the two communities East and West of the river Esk together and has been the scene of rivalry in the earlier part of this century,
where gangs of youths would contest the bridge with " t`other side o` watter dogs ". The original bridge was first mentioned in 1351
and used to lie to the South of the present one, roughly aligned with Baxtergate
area of Whitby. Centuries ago, houses on wooden piles overhung the river
above and below the bridge. A block of early 18th century buildings on the south side was demolished in 1975. The present swing bridge was
built in 1909 and is now electrically operated.
Whitby's
past
history and present have combined to make it known to millions throughout the world. Even the darker corners of our town have been
immortalised in the classic Victorian novel of "Dracula". The author Bram Stoker, set three quarters of his story
in and around
Whitby and it is still possible to retrace those steps of the un-dead, taking the "Dracula Trail
Guided Tour".
Whitby Jet is a type of
brown coal, a fossilised wood of an ancient tree, similar to our present
day "Araucaria", the monkey puzzle tree. Also known as Black
Jet, these trees flourished in the
Jurassic period, about 180 million years ago. When the trees died, they
fell into the swamps, rivers or eventually found their way to the sea.
The trees would become waterlogged and sink to the bottom, where they
lay for millions of years. Dead and decaying organisms, mud and detritus
falling on top of the already decaying tree, causing great
pressure, flattening the trunk and branches, together and with chemical
changes, created what we see today,
Whitby Jet
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe ( 1853
- 1941 ) A nationally and internationally acclaimed pioneering photographer who helped to develop photography as an art form. Sutcliffe worked
in Whitby from the mid 1870`s until his death. Most of his photographs for which he is now famous, were taken out of
the holiday season. They include many of the harbour, fishing boats, children at play and fishermen.
Places of Interest in Whitby:
Whitby Museum
Whitby Jet
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe
Captain Cook Museum
Whitby Abbey
Abbey Museum
Places of Interest outside of Whitby:
Heartbeat
Eden Camp
Jorvik Museum York
North Yorks Moors Railway
Castle Howard
Ryedale Folk Museum
