Reset search
Working in WhitbyWorking in Whitby
SatelliteEdit route

Working in Whitby

October 2023 - October 2024
A working sojourn in the beautiful North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby. Read more
Currently traveling
  • 119footprints
  • 2countries
  • 247days
  • 1.9kphotos
  • 10videos
  • 767miles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    A walk through Whitby

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We had a day off today. Mark stayed on site to continue cleaning and painting the apartment, ready for us to move in. I caught the bus into Whitby to explore the town a bit more.

    My first stop was Pannett Park, named after Robert Elliott Pannett, a local gentleman who donated a great deal of his time and money to educational and charitable causes in Whitby. He bought the land that the park now occupies in 1902 to prevent it falling into the hands of speculative builders. Following his death in 1920, his will revealed that he had left the land to the town for 'the creation of a public park and a building for the reception and preservation of my works of art'.

    Pannett Park and Pannett Art Gallery opened on 1st August 1928.

    From the park, I walked past the Church of St Hilda and several rows of elegant townhouses. I also passed a couple of houses with unique tall narrow windows spanning two floors. They were built this way to save money on window tax.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Great architecture and stunning views

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    I visited Royal Crescent on West Cliff, which was built in the 1850s by George Hudson, also known as the Railway King. His intention was to develop a complete crescent of large houses and hotels to rival the Royal Crescent in Bath. Unfortunately, he was declared bankrupt before completing the project. He fled to France to avoid being sent to debtor's prison. The half-crescent of elegant houses he did complete stands today as an excellent example of Victorian architecture.

    Just around the corner from Royal Crescent is Whitby's Whale Bone Arch, a draw for all visitors to the town.

    In the 18th and 19th centuries, the whaling industry was thriving in Whitby. Dozens of ships braved the Arctic seas off Greenland to hunt whales for their lucrative oil. It was a dangerous pursuit, and many crews never returned. On a ship's return to port, the crew would tie a whale's jawbone to the top of the mast as a sign that they had killed the animal and not the other way round.

    To recognise this tradition, a whalebone arch was erected on Whitby's West Cliff in 1853. The archway frames a view of the town's quaint cottages and cobbled streets, as well as the ruins of medieval Whitby Abbey across the bay on East Cliff.

    The original arch succumbed to the vagaries of the British weather and was replaced in 1963 with 20-foot jaw bones from a 113-ton Fin whale 🐋 killed by a Norwegian whaling ship.

    The current arch comprises the lower jaw bones of a Bowhead Whale legally killed by Alaskan Innuits. They were presented to the town of Whitby by the citizens of Anchorage, Alaska, in April 2002. (Whitby is twinned with Anchorage)    Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Bombardment Garden, West Cliff

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Nestled amid the ice cream kiosks and Victorian shelters of West Cliff is Bombardment Garden. This evocative memorial to those who died when two German ships opened fire without notice or provocation is a hidden gem. It is well worth a few minutes of your time as you stroll along the promenade.

    The ships fired at least 100 large shells into the town of Whitby, starting at 9.05 am on 16th December 1914. Miraculously, only two people were killed and another was seriously injured. About 30 houses were razed to the ground. The bombardment lasted for seven minutes before the ships sailed away as silently as they had approached.

    One of the dead was coastguard Fredrick Randall, a married man who lived in one of the admiralty cottages. He had just stepped outside his house when a shell burst close to one of the outbuildings and blew his head clean off.

    The Bombardment Garden includes a replica of Fredrick's cottage as it would have looked after the incident. The memorial was unveiled on 16th December 2014, a century after the bombardment that shocked the whole town.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Captain James Cook Memorial and Signpost

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My next stop was at Captain Cook's statue in Crescent Gardens overlooking Whitby Harbour. This 7' 6" high bronze statue, sculptured by John Tweed, stands on a freestone pedestal which has a carving of Cook's posthumous coat of arms on the front and one of his ship 'Resolution' on the back.

    The statue was first unveiled on 2nd October 1912. During World War II, it was removed to a place of safety when the plinth was damaged in an air attack. It was replaced on 16th August 1947.

    Around the base of the plinth, there are four plaques. The first commemorates the men who built and sailed in the ships used by Captain Cook. The others were presented to Whitby by the people of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada respectively.

    Further along West Cliff, there is a signpost honouring Captain Cook. All the distances shown are in nautical miles from Whitby around Cape Horn.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Battery Parade

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My walk continued to Battery Parade, named after the battery of cannon that was sited here in 1740 to protect the harbour both from the French, and also during the time of the American War of Independence, when John Paul Jones fired on the town from the ship, Bonhomme Richard. It is said that the firing of the battery at this time contributed to the great landslide which destroyed part of Henrietta Street on Christmas Eve, 1787.

    The batteries are closely connected with the piers which were built at around the same time to prevent the accumulation of sand at the harbour mouth. West pier ends with two cylindrical towers which were used for storing gunpowder.

    I carried on past the Coffee House Steps, named because of their proximity to the Marine Hotel. This was one of the first coffee houses in Whitby, a place to do business. Many of Whitby's ship owners would meet here to discuss future voyages and shake on lucrative deals.

    I then walked across the swing bridge to continue my explorations on the other side of the Esk estuary.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Grape Lane and Church Street

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My stroll continued along some of Whitby's oldest streets. There are so many beautiful buildings in the town. It really is a photographer's dream!

    A highlight is the Seaman's Hospital Houses which were founded in 1670 by ship owners for distressed seamen and their dependants. They provided homes which were paid for by a levy from ships passing the port. The front was rebuilt in 1842 by Gilbert Scott, and the whole building was refurbished in 1996. Now, the individual houses and flats in the building are privately owned.Read more

  • Working in Whitby
    Day 13

    Captain James Cook Memorial Museum

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    I visited the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

    This fascinating museum is housed in the property on Grape Lane which was owned by Captain John Walker and which was where James Cook lived during his seven-year apprenticeship as a merchant seaman.

    The house is a good example of an eighteenth-century Whitby shipowner's dwelling. It was both a home and the headquarters of the family shipping business. It was comfortably if plainly, furnished with good-quality Quaker furniture which was designed to last.

    Today, the house is considered to be nationally important and is Grade 1 listed.

    The museum has rich collections of original material relating to Captain James Cook's life in Whitby, as well as to his voyages. Ship plans and documents provide fascinating insights into life on board ship, including problems of accommodation and personality clashes between crew members. Sketches, watercolours, prints, and paintings give graphic illustrations of lush tropical islands and the seemingly idyllic lives of the inhabitants of the South Seas. The letters Cook wrote to John Walker include descriptions of the voyages in his own words and show his enduring affection for his old master.

    The highlight of the museum for me is the attic where the young James Cook slept with the other apprentices John Walker wanted to retain when ashore. As I mentioned above, James was keen to study navigation, maths, and astronomy, the subjects which would advance him in his chosen profession. He was a favourite of the housekeeper, Mary Proud. She would give him extra pieces of candle so that he could read on dark evenings.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English