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The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry and experienced fishermen.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitbyfishingschool.co.uk/ |title=Whitby & District Fishing Industry Training School – Apprenticeships in North Yorkshire UK |first= |last= |work=whitbyfishingschool.co.uk |year=2007 [last update] |accessdate=19 July 2011}}</ref> |
The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry and experienced fishermen.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitbyfishingschool.co.uk/ |title=Whitby & District Fishing Industry Training School – Apprenticeships in North Yorkshire UK |first= |last= |work=whitbyfishingschool.co.uk |year=2007 [last update] |accessdate=19 July 2011}}</ref> |
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==Religion== |
==Religion== |
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In the tree 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 17 Buddhists,12 Jews,3 Sikhs and 19 Muslims. There were no Hindus and 499 people had no religious affiliations.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do?a=7&i=1001&m=0&s=1311332508171&enc=1&extendedList=true&nav=A |title=Neighbourhood Statistics - Home Page |first= |last=|work=neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk |year=2011 [last update] |accessdate=22 July 2011}}</ref> |
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[[File:St. Mary's Church. - geograph.org.uk - 159153.jpg|thumb|right|St Mary's Church]] |
[[File:St. Mary's Church. - geograph.org.uk - 159153.jpg|thumb|right|St Mary's Church]] |
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St Mary's Church is situated on the East Cliff accessed by the 199 steps.It has an ancient foundation from the 12th century. It has been extensively altered and enlarged but retains its [[box pews]]. St Ninian's opened in Baxtergate in 1778 and St John's, also on Baxtergate, was consecrated in 1850. St Michaels 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.<ref name= vch/> There are places of worship for nonconformists including a United Reform Church, two Methodist chapels are no longer used.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/ |title= The Ancient Parish of Whitby |
St Mary's Church is situated on the East Cliff accessed by the 199 steps.It has an ancient foundation from the 12th century. It has been extensively altered and enlarged but retains its [[box pews]]. St Ninian's opened in Baxtergate in 1778 and St John's, also on Baxtergate, was consecrated in 1850. St Michaels 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.<ref name= vch/> There are places of worship for nonconformists including a United Reform Church, two Methodist chapels are no longer used.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/ |title= The Ancient Parish of Whitby |
Revision as of 12:47, 22 July 2011
Whitby | |
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Whitby and River Esk | |
Arms of Whitby Town Council | |
Population | 13,594 (2001 census)[1] |
OS grid reference | NZ893109 |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire 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 | |
Whitby is a town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated 47 miles (76 km) from York, at the mouth of the River Esk and spreads up the steep sides of the narrow valley carved out by the river's course. At this point the coast curves round, so the town faces more north than east. According to the 2001 UK census, Whitby parish had a population of 13,594.[1]
Whitby was first recorded under its Old English name of Streonshal in 656, when Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded Whitby Abbey, under its first abbess Hilda. The Synod of Whitby was held at the abbey in 664. In 867, the monastery was destroyed by Viking raiders, and was only refounded in 1078. It was in this period that the town gained its current name, Whitby, (from "white settlement" in Old Norse). In the 18th century Whitby became a centre for shipbuilding and whaling, as well as trade in alum and jet.
Whitby is known for its well preserved ammonite fossils. Three green ammonites are featured on the coat of arms of the Whitby Town Council. Tourism and fishing now form the mainstay of the town's economy. There are rail and bus links to the rest of North Yorkshire and North East England. Whitby has featured in literary works, television and cinema; most famously in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula.
History
Toponymy
The earliest recorded name for Whitby was the Old English Streonshal in 656. Streanæshalc, Streneshalc, Streoneshalch, Streoneshalh, Streunes-Alae in Lindissi were recorded spellings between the 6th and 8th centuries, Prestebi (meaning the habitation of priests in Old Norse) is a 9th century name. After the Norman Conquest it was recorded as Hwitebi, Witebi (meaning the white settlemen in Old Norse) in the 12th century, Whitebi in the 13th century and Qwiteby in the 14th century.[2]
Abbey
A monastery at Whitby was founded in AD 657 by King Oswiu or Oswy of Northumbria after he had defeated Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. At its foundation, the abbey was an Anglo-Saxon 'double monastery' for men and women. Its first ruler, the royal princess Hild, was later venerated as a saint.[3] Whitby became a centre of learning and it was here that Caedmon the cowherd was miraculously transformed into the inspired poet whose poetry is an example of Anglo-Saxon literature. The abbey was the leading royal nunnery of the kingdom of Deira, and the burial-place of its royal family. The Synod of Whitby in 664, established the Roman date of Easter in Northumbria at the expense of the Celtic one.[4]
In 867, Vikings from Denmark landed 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Whitby at Raven's Hill, attacked the settlement and destroyed the monastery.[2] After the Norman Conquest of 1066 William de Percy ordered that the monastery be refounded as a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Peter and St Hilda in 1078. The original gift of William de Percy not only included the monastery of St. Peter at Streoneshalch, but the town and port of Whitby with its parish church of St. Mary and six dependent chapels at Fyling, Hawsker, Sneaton, Ugglebarnby, Dunsley, and Aislaby, five mills including Ruswarp, the town of Hackness with two mills and the parish church of St. Mary, and the church of St. Peter at Hackness. In about 1128 Henry I granted the abbey burgage 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 at Martinmas. The market rights were granted to the abbey and descended with the liberty. Whitby Abbey surrendered in December 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
Town
In 1540 Whitby had between 20 and 30 houses with a population of about 200.[5] The burgesses had little independence under the abbey and after the dissolution they attempted to obtain self-government. The king ordered Letters Patent to be drawn up granting these requests, but it was not fulfilled. In 1550 the whole of the liberty except Hackness was granted to the Earl of Warwick who in the following year conveyed it to his supporter, Sir John York and Anne his wife. They sold it to Sir Richard Cholmley, the lessee of the site.[6] In the reign of Elizabeth 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 1837, when by an Act of Parliament, government of the town was entrusted to a board of Improvement Commissioners, elected by the ratepayers.[2]
At the end of the 16th century, Thomas Chaloner visited alum works in the Papal States[7] where the rock was similar to that under his Guisborough estate. Alum was important for medicinal uses, in curing leather and for fixing dyed cloths. The Papal States and Spain maintained monopolies on the production and sale of alum but Chaloner secretly brought workmen from the Papal States to develop the industry in Yorkshire. Once it was established, imports were banned. Although the methods in its production were laborious, England became self-sufficient.[8][9] Whitby grew significantly as a port as a result of the alum trade and the trade in coal from the Durham coalfield to process it.[10] Alum was produced near Sandsend Ness 3 miles (5 km) from the town in 1615.
Whitby grew in size and wealth, extending its activities to include shipbuilding, using local oak timber. Taxes on imports entering via the port raised the finance to improve and extend the town's twin piers, improving the harbour and permitting further increases in trade. In 1753 the first whaling ship set sail to Greenland initiating a new phase in the town's development, and by 1795 Whitby had become a major centre for the whaling industry. The most successful year was 1814 when eight ships caught 172 whales. The "Resolution" brought back 230 tons of oil.[11] Blubber was boiled in four harbourside oil houses and sold for oil lamps. Whale oil was used for street lighting until the spread of gas lighting reduced demand and the Whitby Whale Oil and Gas Company became the Whitby Coal and Gas Company. The carcases yielded 42 tons of whale bone used for 'stays' in the corsetry trade until changes in fashion made them redundant. Catches became too small to be economic, and the fleet suffered a series of shipwrecks. By 1831 only the "Phoenix" was engaged in whaling.[12] Whitby benefitted from trade between the Newcastle coalfield and London. James Cook worked on Whitby colliers, shipping coal from the Tyne and Wear in 1746.[13] HMS Endeavour, the ship commanded by Cook on his voyage to Australia and New Zealand, was built in Whitby in 1764 by Tomas Fishburn as a coal carrier named Earl of Pembroke. She was bought by the Royal Navy 1768, refitted and renamed.[14]
19th century
Whitby developed as a spa town in Georgian times, a chalybeate spring, was in demand for its medicinal and tonic qualities. It attracted visitors leading to the building of "lodging-houses" and hotels particularly on the West Cliff.[2]
In 1839 George Hudson built the railway connecting Whitby to Pickering and York which played a part in the development of Whitby as a tourism destination. George Hudson was also responsible for the development of the Royal Crescent which was only partly completed.[15] For 12 years from 1847, Robert Stephenson, son of George Stephenson, engineer to the Whitby and Pickering Railway, was the Conservative MP for the town. Hudson, who had business interests in Whitby promoted Robert as a fellow protectionist.[16]
The advent of iron ships in the late 19th century and port development on the River Tees led to the decline of small harbours such as Whitby. The last wooden ship built in the port, the Monks-haven, launched in 1871, and the following year the harbour was silted up with gravel.
Jet was found and mined throughout the North York Moors and brought by pack pony to be made into a wide range of decorative items. The black mineraloid jet, the fossilized remains of the wood the Monkey-puzzle tree, is found in the cliffs and on the moors and used since the Bronze Age to make beads. The Romans mined jet, and it was at the peak of its popularity in the mid-19th century, when it was favoured for mourning jewellery by Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert.[17]
20th century
Whitby was the site of the Rohilla disaster of 30 October 1914, when the hospital ship Rohilla was sunk (either by running aground, or hitting a mine; accounts differ) within sight of shore just off Whitby. Eighty-five people lost their lives in the disaster; most of them are buried in the churchyard at Whitby.
In a raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in 1914, the town was shelled by the German battlecruisers Von der Tann and Derfflinger. 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. It was the final assault on the Yorkshire coast. The German squadron responsible for the strike escaped without capture despite attempts made by the Royal Navy.
A few cargo boats used the port up to the start of World War II, but throughout the first half of the 20th century the work the port was confined mainly to its fishing fleet. During a dock strike at Hull in 1955, six ships successfully unloaded their 2,500 tons of potatoes on Whitby fish quay in June and the revival of the old port began. In 1964 the local council opened the Endeavour Wharf, near the railway station, and 5 years later a private wharf on the opposite side of the harbour received its first cargo boat since 1939. The number of vessels using the port increased from 64 in 1964 to 291 eight years later. Major imports are timber, paper and chemicals, while exports have included steel, furnace-bricks, doors, and caravans.[18]
Governance
By an Act of 1837 government of the town was entrusted to a board of Improvement Commissioners, elected by the ratepayers. A Local Board was formed in 1872, and lasted until an Urban District Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1894.
Since 1974 Whitby has been within the area governed by Scarborough Borough Council, which is one of the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.[19] For county council purposes the town comprises three wards named Mayfield, Streonshalh and Whitby West Cliff. At the lowest level of governance Whitby has a town council. The town is divided into six electoral wards represented by 19 councillors responsible for burial grounds, allotments, play areas and some street lighting. Elections to the town council are held every four years.[20]
The townships of Whitby, Ruswarp and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre were formed into a Parliamentary borough under the Reform Act of 1832 returning one member until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.[2] In the UK parliament the town is represented by a Conservative, Robert Goodwill, who was elected member for the Scarborough and Whitby constituency in 2010.[21] Whitby lies within the Yorkshire and the Humber constituency of the European Parliament, which in the June 2009 European Election elected two Conservative, one Labour, one UKIP, one Liberal Democrat and one British National Party MEPs,[22] although one of the elected Conservative MEPs transferred to the Liberal Democrats in March 2010.[23]
Geography and geology
Whitby, is situated on the east coast of Yorkshire facing the North Sea in a deep valley at the mouth of the River Esk. Whitby has been a bridging point since at least medieval times and several bridges have spanned the river. The current bridge is a swing bridge with a 75-foot (23 m) span built in 1908. The houses are built of brick or stone, often with red pantiled roofs, in narrow, sometimes steep streets, on both sides of the river.[24]
In 1979 a marina was started with dredging in the upper harbour and the laying of 251.5m of floating pontoon with 122m of drying pontoon. The adjacent 2.4 hectares of reclaimed land is used for car parking and marine-orientated industries. The Church Street Pontoon was completed in 1991 and the Party Pontoon in 1995.[25]The new Whitby Marina Facilities Centre was opened in June 2010. [26]
The town is surrounded by the moorland of the North York Moors National Park and the coastal areas are designated as part of the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast.[27] This stretch of the Yorkshire coast, known as the 'Dinosaur Coast', the 'Fossil Coast' or the 'Jurassic Coast', is around 35 miles (56 km) long, stretching from Staithes in the north, to Flamborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire. At Whitby dinosaur footprints are visible on the beach. The rock strata contain fossils and organic remains including jet. Fossils include the petrified bones of an almost complete crocodile and a specimen of plesiosaurus measuring 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) in length, and 8 feet 5 inches (2.57 m) in breadth was discovered in 1841. Smaller fossil include many different kinds of ammonites, or "snake stones" in the alum shales and at Whitby Scar nautilites in the lower beds of the lias strata.[24] The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough has a collection of fossils from the area.
Climate
As part of the United Kingdom, the Whitby area generally has warm summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. The latitude of the area means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds with depressions and their associated fronts, bringing with them unsettled and windy weather, particularly in winter. Between depressions there are often small mobile anticyclones 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 the 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 low stratus clouds (known locally as sea frets) to the coasts and moors.[28]
Climate data for North Yorkshire Moors | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
17 (63) |
21 (70) |
25 (77) |
29 (84) |
32 (90) |
34 (93) |
33 (91) |
28 (82) |
26 (79) |
19 (66) |
16 (61) |
34 (93) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
15 (59) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
20 (68) |
17 (63) |
13 (55) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
12 (53) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2 (28) |
−1 (30) |
0 (32) |
2 (36) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
1.5 (34.7) |
0 (32) |
3.8 (38.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16 (3) |
−14 (7) |
−10 (14) |
−7 (19) |
−5 (23) |
−1 (30) |
4 (39) |
5 (41) |
−1 (30) |
−8 (18) |
−11 (12) |
−13 (9) |
−16 (3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73 (2.9) |
54 (2.1) |
71 (2.8) |
39 (1.5) |
43 (1.7) |
56 (2.2) |
54 (2.1) |
58 (2.3) |
47 (1.9) |
63 (2.5) |
98 (3.9) |
82 (3.2) |
738 (29.1) |
Average snowy days | 13 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 62.4 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 55 | 72 | 105 | 132 | 182 | 170 | 185 | 170 | 130 | 115 | 68 | 42 | 1,426 |
Source: [29] |
Demography
According to the 2001 UK census, Whitby had a population of 13,594 living in 5,973 households. Of the total number of homes 2,034 were rented and 3,939 were owner occupied. Of the 5,506 economically active persons aged between 16 and 74, 420 were unemployed. The number of people working in the service industry was 4,113. Approximately 1,500 people were aged under 16, 8,400 were aged 16–64, and 2,800 aged 65 and over.The mean age of the population was 41.78 years. The number of people who travel to work by motorised transport is 3,134 but 2,190 households have no cars or vans. [30]
The local economy has been historically determined by the development and changing fortunes of fishing, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. These sectors are continuing to change. Structural changes to local economies have led to concentrations of deprivation, worklessness and benefit dependence. A narrowing employment base and an increasing dependence on low wage/low skill sectors has resulted in significant losses of younger age groups. Consequently business start-ups are low, as is the number of small and medium sized enterprises. On the other hand, in-migration has been characterised by older, often (but not exclusively) lower income groups, who make increasing demands on the area’s health and social care capacity. These demographic changes, together with the relative remoteness from the region’s main growth areas and the decline in traditional employment sectors, poses a significant ongoing challenge.[31]
Population change
Population growth in Whitby from 1801 to 1961 | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941[a] | 1951 | 1961 |
Population | 10,974 | 10,275 | 12,584 | 11,725 | 11,682 | 12,875 | - | 7,886 | 8,820 | 7,501 | 6,349 | 5,879 | 5,811 | 11,451 | - | 11,674 | 11,675 |
Whitby CP/AP [32] |
Economy
Tourism is the mainstay of Whitby's economy. The town contains many hotels and guest houses, many of which are located along the West Cliff frontage. In 1996, Whitby West Cliff qualified for the 'Tidy Britain Group Seaside Award'. Wind surfing, sailing and surfing all take place off the beach, with the area also visited by divers. Golfing facilities in the area range from Whitby Golf Club to "pitch and putt". Whitby also has various sports facilities including the town cricket and football grounds and tennis courts. The Cleveland Way Long Distance Footpath follows the coast between Saltburn and Filey running along the developed frontage of Whitby.
Whitby Harbour continues to be used for commercial as well as fishing and pleasure craft. The harbour is situated at the mouth of the River Esk with a total area of about 80 acres (32 ha). Inshore fishing, particularly for crustaceans and line fish, takes place along the coast. Lobsters, brown crabs and velvet crabs provide an important part of the local fishery. From May to August, salmon is found in the River Esk and small open boats are licensed to net these off the harbour entrance. There are also around 40 licensed angling party boats. The commercial catch consists mainly of cod, plaice, whiting, haddock, lemon sole, dogfish and skate, generally caught within 12 miles (19 km) of the coast.[33] There is a fish market on the quayside which operates as need arises.[34] The ready supply of fresh fish has resulted in an abundance of "chippies" in the town, including the Magpie Cafe which Rick Stein has described as the best fish and chip shop in Britain.[35]
The town was awarded "Best Seaside Resort 2006", by Which? Holiday magazine.[36]
The East Coast has limited conventional energy generation capacity and related infrastructure, but Whitby has been identified as being ideally placed to provide support for the off shore wind industry on Dogger Bank, providing support vessel operations and logistics, as it is the closest port to the proposed developments.[37][38] The Dogger Bank wind farm, which is expected to include up to 2,600 giant 400-foot (120 m) turbines, will cover more than 3,300 square miles (8,500 km2).[39]
Transport
The Port of Whitby is strategically placed for shipping to Europe, especially Scandinavia, and is capable of handling cargoes of grain, steel products, timber and potash. Vessels of up to 3,000 tonnes DWT are received at the wharf, which has the capability of loading/unloading two ships simultaneously.[40] As of 2004 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2) of dock space is allocated for storage of all-weather cargo and a further 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of warehouse space is reserved for weather-critical goods storage.
The town is served by Whitby railway station which is the terminus of the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough operated by Northern Rail. It was formerly the northern terminus of the Whitby, Pickering and York line, and in 2007 the North Yorkshire Moors Railway began a summer service between Pickering and Whitby operated by steam locomotives. The Scarborough and Whitby Railway following a scenic route along the coast was built in 1885 requiring the red brick Larpool Viaduct to cross the Esk Valley into Whitby.[41] The line closed as a result of the Beeching axe in 1965 and the trackbed is used as a footpath, bridleway and by cyclists.[42] The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway, had a station at Whitby West Cliff and ran close to the cliffs, to the north of the town. It opened in 1883 and closed in 1958.[43]
Whitby is situated on the A171 road from Scarborough to Guisborough which originally passed over the swing bridge. A high level bridge over the Esk Valley was built in 1980 to avoid the swing bridge and ease congestion in the town centre. The A174 accesses coastal towns to the north and the A169 crosses the moors to Pickering.
Whitby is served by the Yorkshire Coastliner bus line, operating from Leeds, Tadcaster, York, Scarborough, Bridlington, Pickering and Malton with connections beyond Yorkshire.[44] Arriva runs services connecting Whitby to Scarborough and Middlesbrough. The coastal section of the 110-mile (180 km) Cleveland Way National Trail passes through Whitby.[45]
Public services
Health care is provided by the Whitby Community Hospital, run by the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust.[46] There are five general practitioners and five dentists in the Whitby area.[47][48] Yorkshire Ambulance Service provides hospital transport.[49]
Whitby fire station, run by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, is crewed between 8 am and 6 pm.[50] There are two police stations in the town and police services are provided by the North Yorkshire Police Authority.[51]
There is a lifeboat station operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on the east bank, which from 2007 is housed in a new building. The crew members are unpaid volunteers and the station has two lifeboats, the inshore lifeboat OEM Stone III and the George and Mary Webb.[52]
North Yorkshire County Council Waste Management services provides a Household Waste Recycling Centre at Whitby Industrial estate and within the Scarborough Borough area, the Council operates an alternate weekly collection of household waste, whereby the type of waste collected alternates between recyclables and landfill waste.[53][54] Yorkshire Water controls the water supply and sewerage.Whitby's water is treated at and distributed from Ruswarp Water Treatment Works. The raw water supply to Ruswarp comes predominantly from the River Esk.[55] CE Electric UK is the company responsible for delivering electricity to the town and Northern Gas Networks supply piped gas.[56][57]
Landmarks
Whitby is an important bridging point of the River Esk and in 1351 permission was granted for tolls to be taken on Whitby 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 of cast iron swivelled to allow vessels to pass.[2][24] This bridge was replaced between 1908 and 1909 by an electric swing bridge.[58]
The bridges 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 by English Heritage. The East Cliff is quite a distance by road, the alternative is to climb the 199 steps of the "Church Stairs"[59] or use the footpath called "Caedmon's Trod".[60]The Church Stairs were originally made from wood, the earliest reference to their construction dates to around 1400. The stone steps are around 200 years old and were completely renovated between 2005 and 2006. There are landings on the stairs designed to assist coffin bearers on their journey to the cliff top graveyard of St Mary's Church. [61]
The swing bridge separates the upper and lower harbours which have a total area of around 32.40 hectares. The port is owned and managed by Scarborough Borough Council since the Harbour Commissioners relinquished responsibility in 1905. The harbour is sheltered by the east and west piers on which there are lighthouses and beacons at the entrance, all with fixed lights, the east beacon shows red and the west shows green. The west lighthouse, built in 1835, is the taller at 25.5 metres. The east lighthouse, built in 1855, is 16.5 metres high. A foghorn situated on the end of the west pier extension sounds a blast every 30 seconds during fog.
In West Cliff there is a statue of Captain James Cook, who served his apprenticeship in the town, and a whalebone arch, commemorating the once large whaling industry. The whalebone arch is the second such arch, the original is preserved in Whitby Archives Heritage Centre. By the inner harbour there is a statue commemorating William Scoresby, designer of the crow's nest.
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.[62] Alongside is St Hilda's Priory[63] the mother house of the Order of the Holy Paraclete. The castle was used as a school and is now a conference centre and hotel in association with the priory.
Education
Whitby schools have a three tier system, primary, middle (11–14) and Whitby Community College (11–19), which gained specialist school status in September 2002, specialising in Technology. The College, Caedmon and Eskdale Schools (11–14) formed a confederation in 2004 and collaborate closely and support the feeder primary schools, Springhead Special School, Thornaby Community School and the Adult Learning Service.[64][65][66] 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.[67]
The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry and experienced fishermen.[68]
Religion
In the tree 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 17 Buddhists,12 Jews,3 Sikhs and 19 Muslims. There were no Hindus and 499 people had no religious affiliations.[69]
St Mary's Church is situated on the East Cliff accessed by the 199 steps.It has an ancient foundation from the 12th century. It has been extensively altered and enlarged but retains its box pews. St Ninian's opened in Baxtergate in 1778 and St John's, also on Baxtergate, was consecrated in 1850. St Michaels 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.[2] There are places of worship for nonconformists including a United Reform Church, two Methodist chapels are no longer used.[70] The Whitby Mission to Seafarers maintains a Christian ministry to seafarers and their families by the provision of a reading room, chapel and recreational facilities.[71]
The Bishop of Whitby is a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of York, in the Province of York, England.[72] The town lies within the Central Vicariate of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough.[73]
Sport
The Whitby Regatta takes place annually over three days in August.[74] The competition between three rowing clubs - Whitby Friendship ARC, Whitby Fishermen's ARC and Scarborough ARC - forms the backbone of the weekend.[74] The event has expanded to include a fair on the pier, demonstrations, fireworks and military displays - including the spectacle of the Red Arrows.
Whitby Town F.C., formed in 1892, is an amateur football club which plays in the Northern Premier League at the 3,200 capacity Turnbull Ground on Upgang Lane.[75] There is an 18 hole golf club situated on the cliff tops to the north west of the town.[76] Also along the north west coast the beaches between Whitby and Sandsend are popular with surfers.[77]
Culture
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, a photographer who had a shop on Skinner Lane, left a photographic record of the town and harbour, fishing and the residents, in late-Victorian times. His most famous photograph is entitled "Water Rats" taken in 1886. He retired from photography in 1922 and became curator of Whitby Museum.[78]
In 1902 Robert Pannett bought land that would become Pannett Park but nothing was done until after his death, when the trust he set up created the park and an art gallery. The park opened in 1928. Whitby Museum was built behind the gallery by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society. The Friends of Pannett Park, formed in 2005, successfully bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to refurbish it the park.[79] The museum holds a large collection on the archaeological and social history of jet. It also displays a "Hand of Glory". There has been a lifeboat in Whitby since 1802. The old boathouse built in 1895 and used until 1957 became a museum and displays the Robert and Ellen Robson lifeboat built in 1919.[80]
The Whitby Gazette was founded in 1854 by Ralph Horne, a local printer and became a weekly newspaper in 1858 and is now published twice weekly.[81] Local radio stations are BBC Tees and Yorkshire Coast Radio.[82][83]
Each year, on the eve of Ascension Day, the Penny Hedge ceremony is performed.
For over four decades the town has hosted the Whitby Folk Week and a bi-annual Whitby Gothic Weekend for members of the Goth subculture. "Whitby Now" is an annual live music event featuring local bands in the Whitby Pavilion which has taken place since 1991.[84] Since 2008, the Bram Stoker Film Festival has taken place at the end of October.[85]
The Pavillion Theatre in is an entertainment complex with traditional arch theatre built in the 1870s. It hosts a wide range of events during the summer months.[86]
Literature
Part of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was set in Whitby, incorporating pieces of Whitby folklore, including the beaching of the Russian ship Dmitri. Stoker discovered the name "Dracula" at the old public library on Marine Parade.[87] Elizabeth Gaskell set her novel Sylvia's Lovers partly in the town. Lewis Carroll stayed at 5, East Terrace between July and September 1854, and his first publications may have been published in the Whitby Gazette. In 1861 Wilkie Collins stayed in Whitby to work on his novel, No Name. He was accompanied by Caroline Graves, the inspiration for The Woman in White.
James Russell Lowell, the American writer, often visited Whitby while ambassador in London 1880-85, staying at 3 Wellington Terrace, West Cliff. 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.' Storm Jameson, author, was born in Whitby.
Other literary works referencing Whitby include:
- Caedmon's Song by Peter Robinson
- Possession by A. S. Byatt
- The Hundred and Ninety Nine Steps by Michel Faber
- The Resurrectionists by Kim Wilkins
- The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis
- Never the Bride, Something Borrowed, Conjugal Rites by Paul Magrs
- Fabulous Whitby, a 2008 anthology edited by S. Thomason and Liz Williams
- Room 13 by Robert Swindells
- In Exchange of a Soul and Between the Heather and the Northern Sea by the 19th century writer Mary Linskill
People
- Arthur Humbles was a world record breaking endurance cyclist who, in later life, settled in Whitby and ran a bicycle shop on Bridge Street.
Cities twinned with Whitby
Whitby is twinned with a number of towns across the globe. They were all either visited by Captain Cook in ships that were built in Whitby - or were named after the original Whitby by settlers from England.
- Anchorage, Alaska, United States[88]
- Porirua, New Zealand[89]
- Stanley, Falkland Islands[90]
- Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
- Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
- Kauai County, Hawaii[91]
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(help)
Notes
- a There was no United Kingdom census in 1941.
Further reading
- Barker, Malcolm (2006). Essence of Whitby. ISBN 1-90508-011-5.
- Barker, Rosalin (1990). The Book Of Whitby. ISBN 0-86023-462-2.
- Platt, Colin (1985). Whitby Abbey. ISBN 1-85074-456-4.
- Stamp, Cordelia (2006). Whitby Pictorial Memories. ISBN 1-85937-491-3.
- Waters, Colin (1992). A History of Whitby's Pubs, Inns and Taverns. ISBN 0-95192-380-3.
- Waters, Colin (1992). Whitby, A Pictorial History. ISBN 0-85033-848-4.
- Waters, Colin (2004). Whitby Then and Now. ISBN 0-75243-301-6.
- White, Andrew (2004). A History of Whitby. ISBN 1-86077-306-0.
External links
- Whitby Town Council
- Whitby Web Cam Live 180 degree high resolution view of Whitby
- Mapping the Town: the history of Whitby, presented by Julian Richards (BBC Radio 4) (RealAudio format)
- Whitby at Curlie
- Tide times for Whitby from the BBC and Easytide.
- Whitby Coastal Walk BBC Coast programme