Whitby#frank1993

Whitby was known in the Anglo-Saxon period as Streoneshalh, meaning "Streon's nook of land". The modern name, which first appears in the Domesday Book, means "Hvíta's farmstead", from Old Norse Hvítabýr.{{cite book|last=Smith|first=A. H.|title=The Place-Names of the North Riding of Yorkshire|year=1928|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=13, 126|url=https://archive.org/details/placenamesofnort0005ahsm/page/126}}

A monastery was founded at Streoneshalh in 657 AD by King Oswiu or Oswy of Northumbria, as an act of thanksgiving, after defeating Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. At its foundation, the abbey was an Anglo-Saxon "double monastery" for men and women. Its first abbess, the royal princess Hild, was later venerated as a saint.{{cite book |last=Bede |title=The Ecclesiastical History of the English People |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1994 |editor-last=McClure |editor-first=J. |pages=150–151 |author-link=Bede |editor-last2=Collins |editor-first2=R.}} The abbey became a centre of learning, and here Cædmon the cowherd was "miraculously" transformed into an inspired poet whose poetry is an example of Anglo-Saxon literature. The abbey became 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.{{cite book |title=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Blackwell |year=1999 |editor-last=Lapidge |editor-first=Michael |pages=155, 472 |display-editors=etal}}

The monastery was destroyed between 867 and 870 in a series of raids by Vikings from Denmark under their leaders Ingwar and Ubba. Its site remained desolate for more than 200 years until after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.{{cite book |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/north/vol2/pp506-528 |title=A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 – Parishes: Whitby |publisher=British History Online |year=1923 |editor-last=Page |editor-first=William |series=Victoria County History |pages=506–528 |access-date=5 September 2010 |archive-date=20 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020010035/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64701 |url-status=live }} After the Conquest, the area was granted to William de Percy who, in 1078 donated land to found a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Peter and St Hilda.{{cite web |last=Hinson |first=Colin |title=GENUKI: Whitby History |url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/WhitbyHistory.html |access-date=4 October 2011 |archive-date=4 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604182147/http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/WhitbyHistory.html |url-status=live }} William de Percy's gift included land for the monastery, the town and port of Whitby and St Mary's Church and dependent chapels at Fyling, Hawsker, Sneaton, Ugglebarnby, Dunsley, and Aislaby, five mills including Ruswarp, Hackness with two mills and two churches.{{cite web |last=Dugdale |first=William |date=1817–1830 |title=Dugdale's Monasticon Volume 1 |url=http://monasticmatrix.usc.edu/MatrixBooks/Dugdale/Volume1/Dugdale-Monasticon%20%28Vol.%201%20Part%2013%20Whitby%29.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911182534/http://monasticmatrix.usc.edu/MatrixBooks/Dugdale/Volume1/Dugdale-Monasticon%20%28Vol.%201%20Part%2013%20Whitby%29.pdf |archive-date=11 September 2011 |access-date=12 August 2011 |website=Monasticon Anglicanum: a History of the Abbies and other Monasteries, Hospitals, Frieries, and Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, with their Dependencies, in England and Wales}}

When the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, Whitby was recorded being partially waste and a small settlement lying within the Langbaurgh Wapentake of Yorkshire.{{OpenDomesday|NZ9011|whitby|Whitby}} Further details reveal the state of Whitby's economic and agricultural decline (when compared with its pre-Conquest state under Earl Siward) which were due to the depredations of William the Conqueror's army during the Harrying of the North in 1069–70.{{cite book |last=White |first=Andrew |date=2019 |title=A History of Whitby |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=myVnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |location= |publisher=Phillimore & Company Limited |isbn=9780750990370 |access-date=28 May 2023 |archive-date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321141749/https://books.google.com/books?id=myVnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |url-status=live }}

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. Market rights were granted to the abbey and descended with the liberty.

File:Whitby Abbey 1.jpg are reflected in the abbey pond]]

Whitby Abbey surrendered in December 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. By 1540 the town had between 20 and 30 houses and a population of about 200.{{cite web |title=A Brief History – Whitby |url=http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/abriefhistory.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023143239/http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/abriefhistory.html |archive-date=23 October 2009 |access-date=2 August 2009 |publisher=Whitby Sights}}

The burgesses, who had little independence under the abbey, tried to obtain self-government after the dissolution of the monasteries. The king ordered Letters Patent to be drawn up granting their requests, but it was not implemented. In 1550 the Liberty of Whitby Strand, except for Hackness, was granted to the Earl of Warwick who in 1551 conveyed it to Sir John York and his wife Anne who sold the lease to the Cholmleys.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 – The liberty of Whitby Strand |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64700 |pages=502–505 |year=1923 |editor-last=Page |editor-first=William |series=Victoria County History |publisher=British History Online |access-date=5 September 2010 |archive-date=26 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026121000/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64700 |url-status=live }} 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 the {{visible anchor|Whitby (Yorkshire) Improvement Act 1837}} (7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. x) entrusted government of the town to a board of improvement commissioners, elected by the ratepayers.

At the end of the 16th century Thomas Chaloner visited alum works in the Papal States,{{cite web |last=Balston |first=John |title=The Whatmans and Wove Paper – In Defence of Alum – 2. England |url=http://www.wovepaper.co.uk/alumessay2.html |access-date=2 August 2009 |publisher=John Balston |archive-date=15 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515140918/http://www.wovepaper.co.uk/alumessay2.html |url-status=live }} where he observed that the rock being processed was similar to that under his Guisborough estate. At that time alum was important for medicinal uses, in curing leather and for fixing dyed cloths and the Papal States and Spain maintained monopolies on its production and sale. Chaloner secretly brought workmen to develop the industry in Yorkshire, and alum was produced near Sandsend Ness {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} from Whitby in the reign of James I.{{cite DNB|wstitle= Chaloner, Thomas (1561-1615) |volume= 09 |last= Gibson |first= J. W.|author-link= |pages= 458-459 |year= |short=1}} Once the industry was established, imports were banned and although the methods in its production were laborious, England became self-sufficient.{{cite web |date=21 July 2005 |title=Coast – Point 7 – Alum |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2005/07/21/coast05walks_stageseven.shtml |access-date=2 August 2009 |website=Where I Live – North Yorkshire |publisher=BBC |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921194637/http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2005/07/21/coast05walks_stageseven.shtml |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Chris |date=26 July 2008 |title=Taking the waters |work=The Northern Echo |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/chrislloyd/3549153.Taking_the_waters/ |url-status=dead |access-date=30 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823034244/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/chrislloyd/3549153.Taking_the_waters/ |archive-date=23 August 2009}}

Whitby grew significantly as a port as a result of the alum trade and by importing coal from the Durham coalfield to process it.{{cite web |title=Alum Quarrying, The effect of extractive industry on the Yorkshire Coastal Landscape |url=http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/25/alum.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716030245/http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/25/alum.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=30 July 2011 |publisher=East Yorkshire Coast – Geology and Geomorphology}}

Whitby grew in size and wealth, extending its activities to include shipbuilding using local oak timber. In 1790–91 Whitby built 11,754 tons of shipping, making it the third largest shipbuilder in England, after London and Newcastle.{{cite book |last=White |first=Andrew |title=A History of Whitby |publisher=Phillimore & co |year=1993 |isbn=0-85033-842-5 |location=Chichester |page=69}} Taxes on imports entering the port raised money 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 and by 1795 Whitby had become a major whaling port. The most successful year was 1814 when eight ships caught 172 whales, and the whaler, the Resolution's catch produced 230 tons of oil. The carcases yielded 42 tons of whale bone used for 'stays' which were used in the corsetry trade until changes in fashion made them redundant.{{cite book |last=Young |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4BHAAAAIAAJ&q=whitby++1814&pg=PA199 |title=A picture of Whitby and its environs |publisher=R. Rogers |year=1824 |location=Whitby |page=199}} Blubber was boiled to produce oil for use in lamps in four oil houses on the harbourside. Oil was used for street lighting until the spread of gas lighting reduced demand and the Whitby Whale Oil and Gas Company changed into the Whitby Coal and Gas Company. As the market for whale products fell, catches became too small to be economic and by 1831 only one whaling ship, the Phoenix, remained.{{cite web |title=Whitby Whalers |url=http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbywhalers.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328014952/http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbywhalers.html |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Whitby Sights}}

File:Captain James Cook Memorial Monument, Whitby (geograph 7256328).jpg

Whitby benefited from trade between the Newcastle coalfield and London, both by shipbuilding and supplying transport. In his youth the explorer James Cook learned his trade on colliers, shipping coal from the port.{{cite web |last=Simpson |first=David |year=2009 |title=Coal Mining in North East England |url=http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/CoalMiningandRailways.html |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=England's North East |archive-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727095132/http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/CoalMiningandRailways.html |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite encyclopedia |year=1966 |title=Ships, Famous |encyclopedia=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage/Te Manatū Taonga, Government of New Zealand |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/S/ShipsFamous/Endeavour/en |editor-last=McLintock |editor-first=A. H. |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=1 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801100025/http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/S/ShipsFamous/Endeavour/en |url-status=live }}

Whitby developed as a spa town in Georgian times when three chalybeate springs were in demand for their medicinal and tonic qualities. Visitors were attracted to the town leading to the building of "lodging-houses" and hotels, particularly on the West Cliff.

In 1839, the Whitby and Pickering Railway connecting Whitby to Pickering and eventually to York was built, and played a part in the town's development as a tourism destination. George Hudson, who promoted the link to York, was responsible for the development of the Royal Crescent which was partly completed.{{cite web |date=29 September 2006 |title=Coast – Point 9 – Royal Crescent |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2005/07/21/coast05walks_stagenine.shtml |access-date=4 November 2008 |website=Where I Live – North Yorkshire |publisher=BBC |archive-date=11 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211060221/http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2005/07/21/coast05walks_stagenine.shtml |url-status=live }} 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 promoted by Hudson as a fellow protectionist.{{cite web |last=Seatrobe |first=J. B. |date=29 October 2010 |title=They were also MPs: Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) |url=http://www.totalpolitics.com/history/5553/they-were-also-mps-robert-stephenson-18031859.thtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004152237/http://www.totalpolitics.com/history/5553/they-were-also-mps-robert-stephenson-18031859.thtml |archive-date=4 October 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=Total Politics}}

File:Schwarzer Trauerschmuck2.jpg mourning jewellery became popular in late Victorian England]]

The black mineraloid jet, the compressed remains of ancestors of the monkey-puzzle tree, is found in the cliffs and on the moors and has been used since the Bronze Age to make beads. The Romans are known to have mined it in the area.{{cite web |title=Superstitions |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Research/Your-Research/Londinium/analysis/religiouslife/rites/18+super.htm |access-date=4 October 2011 |archive-date=1 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110801145627/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Research/Your-Research/Londinium/analysis/religiouslife/rites/18+super.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Durham Mining Museum – Mine & Quarry Engineering |url=http://www.dmm-gallery.org.uk/minequar/4302-01.htm |access-date=4 October 2011 |archive-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203183412/http://www.dmm-gallery.org.uk/minequar/4302-01.htm |url-status=live }} In Victorian times jet was brought to Whitby by pack pony to be made into decorative items. 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.{{cite web |date=6 April 2011 |title=Jet Jewellery |url=http://www.whitbymuseum.org.uk/hpmimages/index7.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722230212/http://www.whitbymuseum.org.uk/hpmimages/index7.htm |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=2 August 2011 |publisher=Whitby Museum}}

File:DV307 no.138 Whitby from Abbey Terrace Oct 3 1861.png

The advent of iron ships in the late 19th century and the development of port facilities on the River Tees led to the decline of smaller Yorkshire harbours. The Monks-haven launched in 1871 was the last wooden ship built in Whitby, and a year later the harbour was silted up.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Records of the Smales Brothers, shipowners and shipbuilders |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=1224-0063&cid=0 |access-date=4 October 2011 |website=Access to Archives |publisher=The National Archives |archive-date=17 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617135248/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=1224-0063&cid=0 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby Port – Whitby Sights |url=http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbyport.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328014937/http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbyport.html |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=13 August 2011}}

File:Whitby Old Town (NBY 440718).jpg, Whitby Old Town, 1903]]

On 30 October 1914, the hospital ship Rohilla was sunk, hitting the rocks within sight of shore just off Whitby at Saltwick Bay. Of the 220 people on board, 74 died in the disaster.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=The RNLI rescue of The Rohilla, 1914 at Saltwick Bay – Whitby |url=http://www.scarboroughsmaritimeheritage.org.uk/arohilla.php |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-date=7 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007165412/http://www.scarboroughsmaritimeheritage.org.uk/arohilla.php |url-status=live }}

In a raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in December 1914, the town was shelled by the German battlecruisers Von der Tann and Derfflinger. In the final assault on the Yorkshire coast, 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. The German squadron responsible for the strike escaped despite attempts made by the Royal Navy.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby WWI Raids |url=http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/whitby_history_ww1_raids.html |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-date=7 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207121735/http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/whitby_history_ww1_raids.html |url-status=live }}

File:William Scott Hodgson - The Bombardment of Whitby, 16 December 1914 NY PPA 116.jpg

During the early 20th century the fishing fleet kept the harbour busy, and few cargo boats used the port. It was revitalised as a result of a strike at Hull docks in 1955, when six ships were diverted and unloaded their cargoes on the fish quay. Endeavour Wharf, near the railway station, was opened in 1964 by the local council. The number of vessels using the port in 1972 was 291, increased from 64 in 1964. Timber, paper and chemicals are imported, while exports include steel, furnace-bricks and doors.{{cite web |title=Whitby Port |url=http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbyport.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328014937/http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/whitbyport.html |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Whitby Sights}} The port is owned and managed by Scarborough Borough Council since the Harbour Commissioners relinquished responsibility in 1905.

A marina was started in 1979 by dredging the upper harbour and laying pontoons. Light industry and car parks occupy the adjacent land. More pontoons were completed in 1991 and 1995.{{cite web |title=Whitby – History |url=http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/history.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830040603/http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/history.aspx |archive-date=30 August 2011 |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=Yorkshire Ports |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}} The Whitby Marina Facilities Centre was opened in June 2010.{{cite web |title=Whitby Marina Facility |url=http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/media-centre/our-success-stories/whitby-marina-facility |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825185942/http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/media-centre/our-success-stories/whitby-marina-facility |archive-date=25 August 2010 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Yorkshire Forward}}

{{update|section|date=June 2023|reason=May 2023 election}}

{{Infobox legislature

| name = Whitby Town Council

| coa_pic =

| coa_caption =

| coa_res =

| coa_alt =

| logo_res =

| logo_alt =

| foundation =

| house_type = Town Council

| leader1_type = Mayor

| leader1 = Robert Dalrymple{{cite web|url=https://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/mayor-of-whitby.html|title=Mayor of Whitby|date=5 June 2024|publisher=Whitby Town Council|accessdate=12 July 2024|archive-date=12 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712214859/https://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/mayor-of-whitby|url-status=live}}

| leader2_type = Town clerk

| leader2 = Michael King

| members = 19 Councillors {{cite web|url=https://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/councillors.html|access-date=12 July 2024|title=Your Town Councillors|date=27 June 2024|publisher=Whitby Town Council|archive-date=12 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712220014/https://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/councillors|url-status=live}}

| structure1 =

| structure1_res =

| structure1_alt =

| last_election1 = 2 May 2023

| next_election1 = 7 May 2027

| website = {{URL|https://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk}}

| footnotes =

| meeting_place = Whitby Museum

| session_room = Whitby museum.JPG

}}

File:The Old Town Hall at Whitby (geograph 7266230).jpg, a grade II* listed building no longer in municipal use]]

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 Whitby Urban District Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1894. The townships of Whitby, Ruswarp and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre were formed into a Parliamentary borough under the Reform Act 1832 returning one member until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

From 1974 to 2023 Whitby was administered as part of a two tier council system by Scarborough Borough Council, one of the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.{{cite web |title=Local Development Framework and Local Plan Proposals Map |url=http://planaccess.scarborough.gov.uk/planaccessGui216/LDF-Proposals-Maps.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728122426/http://planaccess.scarborough.gov.uk/planaccessGui216/LDF-Proposals-Maps.html |archive-date=28 July 2011 |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Scarborough. Borough Council}} For borough council purposes the town comprised three wards: Mayfield, Streonshalh and Whitby West Cliff. The borough council was a non-metropolitan district, responsible for housing, planning, leisure and recreation, waste collection, environmental health and revenue collection.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Scarborough Borough Council Homepage – Whitby {{pipe}} Scarborough {{pipe}} Filey |url=http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810093557/http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/%2fdefault.aspx |archive-date=10 August 2011 |access-date=13 August 2011}} Above the Borough council was North Yorkshire County Council, which was a non-metropolitan county providing education, transport, highways, fire, waste disposal, social and library services.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Home : North Yorkshire County Council |url=http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3112 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807153029/http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3112 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |access-date=13 August 2011}}

In April 2023 both councils were replaced by North Yorkshire Council along with all district councils in North Yorkshire.{{cite news |date=1 April 2023 |title=North Yorkshire Council: New local authority begins work |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-65140906 |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=29 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429032254/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-65140906 |url-status=live }} The unitary authority now provides all the services previously provided separately by the two councils.

At the lowest level of governance Whitby has a town council which, for election and administrative purposes, is divided into six electoral wards represented by 19 councillors responsible for burial grounds, allotments, play areas and street lighting. Elections to the town council are held every four years.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Councillors and Clerks |url=http://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/councillors+and+clerks |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327212921/http://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/councillors+and+clerks |archive-date=27 March 2012 |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Whitby Town Council}}

In the UK Parliament, the town is represented by Alison Hume of the Labour Party, who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Scarborough and Whitby constituency in 2024.{{cite news |title=Scarborough and Whitby – General election results 2024 |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001461 |access-date=12 July 2024 |archive-date=5 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705034020/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001461 |url-status=live }}

File:St. Mary's Church. - geograph.org.uk - 159153.jpg]]

In the three 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 19 Muslims, 17 Buddhists, 12 Jews, 3 Sikhs and 499 people had no religious affiliations.{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Topics – Religion (KS07): Area: Mayfield (Ward) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180613&c=Mayfield&d=14&e=14&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620317328&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |access-date=6 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090924/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180613&c=Mayfield&d=14&e=14&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620317328&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Topics – Religion (KS07): Area: Whitby West Cliff (Ward) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180624&c=Whitby+West+Cliff&d=14&e=14&g=477003&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620464375&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |access-date=6 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063921/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180624&c=Whitby+West+Cliff&d=14&e=14&g=477003&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620464375&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Topics – Religion (KS07): Area: Streonshalh (Ward) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180622&c=Streonshalh&d=14&e=14&g=476974&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620562406&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |access-date=6 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912184532/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6180622&c=Streonshalh&d=14&e=14&g=476974&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312620562406&enc=1&dsFamilyId=17 |url-status=live }}

St Mary's Church is an ancient foundation, St Ninian's opened in Baxtergate in 1778 and St John's, also on Baxtergate, was consecrated in 1850. St Michael's 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. There are places of worship for nonconformists including a United Reformed Church; two Methodist chapels are no longer used.{{cite web |title=The Ancient Parish of Whitby |url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/ |publisher=GenUKI |access-date=20 July 2011 |archive-date=8 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808004330/http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Whitby/ |url-status=live }} The Mission to Seafarers maintains a Christian ministry and has a chapel, reading room and recreational facilities.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Charity overview |url=http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1022837&SubsidiaryNumber=0 |access-date=21 July 2011 |website=charitycommission.gov.uk |archive-date=22 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110922175111/http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1022837&SubsidiaryNumber=0 |url-status=live }}

The Bishop of Whitby is a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of York, in the Province of York.{{cite book |title=Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 |date=December 2007 |publisher=Church House Publishing |isbn=978-0-7151-1030-0 |edition=100th}} The town lies within the Central Vicariate of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Parishes |url=http://middlesbrough-diocese.org.uk/parishes |access-date=21 July 2011 |website=middlesbrough-diocese.org.uk |archive-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524214840/http://middlesbrough-diocese.org.uk/parishes |url-status=live }}

Whitby is situated on the east coast of Yorkshire facing the North Sea in a deep valley at the mouth of the River Esk. It has been a bridging point since at least medieval times and several bridges have spanned the river. The current bridge, built in 1908, is a swing bridge with a {{convert|75|ft|m|adj=on}} span that separates the upper and lower harbours which have a total area of around {{convert|32.40|ha|acre|order=flip}}. The houses are built of brick or stone, often with red pantiled roofs, in narrow, steep streets, on both sides of the river.{{cite book |chapter=Whitby |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51398#s6 |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England |pages=543–551 |year=1848 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=Samuel |publisher=British History Online |access-date=5 September 2010 |archive-date=25 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425081208/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51398#s6 |url-status=live }}

The town is surrounded on its landward sides by the moorland of the North York Moors National Park and the North Sea abuts it on the seaward side. The coastal areas are designated part of the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Natural England – North Yorkshire and Cleveland |url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/heritagecoasts/northyorkscleveland.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318095515/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/heritagecoasts/northyorkscleveland.aspx |archive-date=18 March 2012 |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=naturalengland.org.uk}}

The harbour and the mouth of the River Esk are on a geological fault. On the east side the cliff is tall, {{convert|187|ft|m}}, and consists of alternating layers of shale, sandstone and clay.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Geology of Whitby, North Yorkshire |url=http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/geology_of_whitby_history_pg04.html |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-date=24 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024223626/http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/geology_of_whitby_history_pg04.html |url-status=dead }} On the west side the cliff is much lower and has a deep capping of boulder clay over a sandstone base making it less stable and liable to slippage. Both cliffs are being eroded quite rapidly.{{cite book |last=White |first=Andrew |title=A History of Whitby |publisher=Phillimore |year=1993 |isbn=0-85033-842-5 |page=1}}

File:Snakestone Whitby.jpg

The town is a coastal stretch known as the Dinosaur Coast or the Fossil Coast, the area is around {{convert|35|mi|km}} long and stretches from Staithes in the north and south to Flamborough. At Whitby dinosaur footprints are visible on the beach.{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Sir Peter |url=https://archive.org/details/britishregionalg0000kent/page/52 |title=British Regional Geology. Eastern England from the Tees to the Wash |publisher=HMSO |year=1980 |isbn=0-11-884121-1 |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/britishregionalg0000kent/page/52 52–60]}}{{cite news |last=Buhaenko |first=Helen |date=28 March 2009 |title=Coast watch: Tracing the footsteps of dinosaurs and Dracula in Whitby |work=The Independent |publisher=INM |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/coast-watch-tracing-the-footsteps-of-dinosaurs-and-dracula-in-whitby-1655861.html |access-date=22 July 2011 |issn=0951-9467 |oclc=185201487 |archive-date=11 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111191102/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/coast-watch-tracing-the-footsteps-of-dinosaurs-and-dracula-in-whitby-1655861.html |url-status=live }} 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 {{convert|15|ft|6|in|m}} in length, and {{convert|8|ft|5|in|m}} in breadth was discovered in 1841. The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough has a comprehensive collection of fossils from the area.

Smaller fossils include numerous species of ammonites, or "snake stones", from the Whitby Mudstone Formation (Alum Shale Member) and at Whitby Scar nautiloids in the lower beds of the lias strata. The town's folklore (similar to Keynsham's in Somerset) has it that fossils were once living serpents that were common in the area. This was until the 7th century AD when Anglo-Saxon Abbess St Hilda of Whitby (614–680), first had to rid the region of snakes. She did so by casting a spell that turned them to stone and then threw them from the cliff tops.

Local collectors and dealers in fossils often carved heads on ammonites to increase curiosity value and improve sales. Since 1935, the Whitby Coat of Arms incorporates three snakestones due to this folklore. The Hildoceras genus of ammonite is named in St Hilda's honour.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Hildoceras bifrons {{pipe}} Natural History Museum |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/evolution/hildoceras-bifrons/index.html |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-date=2 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802064551/http://www.nhm.ac.uk//nature-online//species-of-the-day//evolution//hildoceras-bifrons//index.html |url-status=live }}

File:Parkol Marine Engineering, Whitby.jpg

{{main|Yorkshire coast fishery}}

Tourism supported by fishing is the mainstay of Whitby's economy in an isolated community with poor transport infrastructure and restricted by building constraints in the surrounding North York Moors National Park.{{cite web |date=December 2010 |title=Report on Whitby and the North York Moors National Park |url=http://democracy.scarborough.gov.uk/%28S%2803enhqfbpvsrejrgnsr2haap%29%29/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=21727 |publisher=Whitby Town Council |access-date=20 October 2011 |archive-date=26 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526051913/http://democracy.scarborough.gov.uk/(S(03enhqfbpvsrejrgnsr2haap))/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=21727 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby Marina, North Yorkshire |url=http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/improving-places/rural-areas/market-towns/whitby/case-study-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929165612/http://www.yorkshire-forward.com/improving-places/rural-areas/market-towns/whitby/case-study-2 |archive-date=29 September 2011 |access-date=13 August 2011 |publisher=Yorkshire Forward}} The economy is governed by the changing fortunes of fishing, tourism and to some extent, manufacturing. Structural changes have led to concentrations of deprivation, unemployment and benefit dependence. A narrowing employment base and dependence on low wage and low skill sectors has resulted in younger age groups leaving the area. There are few business start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Older people who make increasing demands on the area's health and social care capacity have moved into the area. Demographic changes, Whitby's relative isolation from the region's main growth areas and decline in traditional employment sectors pose an economic challenge.{{cite web |year=2005 |title=The Yorkshire And Humber Plan – Draft For Public Consultation – December 2005 |url=http://www.lgyh.gov.uk/dnlds/YHPlan%20-%20Section%2011%20-%20Coast.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911182536/http://www.lgyh.gov.uk/dnlds/YHPlan%20-%20Section%2011%20-%20Coast.pdf |archive-date=11 September 2011 |access-date=19 July 2011}}

The town has a variety of self-catering accommodation, holiday cottages, caravans and campsites, and guest houses, inns, bed & breakfast establishments and hotels. The jet industry declined at the end of the 19th century, but eight shops sell jet jewellery, mainly as souvenirs to tourists.{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Sophie |date=17 February 2010 |title=Whitby: The return of the jet age |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists/sophie-campbell/7256114/Whitby-The-return-of-the-jet-age.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists/sophie-campbell/7256114/Whitby-The-return-of-the-jet-age.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=13 August 2011 |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006}}{{cbignore}} In 1996, Whitby West Cliff qualified for a 'Tidy Britain Group Seaside Award'. The town was awarded "Best Seaside Resort 2006", by Which? Holiday magazine.{{cite news |date=12 May 2006 |title=Whitby voted best seaside resort in UK |work=Whitby Gazette |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/whitby_voted_best_seaside_resort_in_uk_1_1868229 |access-date=18 July 2011 |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315000936/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/whitby_voted_best_seaside_resort_in_uk_1_1868229 |url-status=live }}

The harbour has a total area of about {{convert|80|acre|ha}} and is used by commercial, fishing and pleasure craft. Inshore fishing, particularly for crustaceans and line fish, takes place along the coast. Lobsters, brown and velvet crabs are important to the local fishery. From May to August, salmon is found in the Esk, and small open boats are licensed to net these off the harbour entrance. There are around 40 licensed angling party boats. The commercial catch is no longer herring but has been replaced by cod, haddock, and other fish caught within {{convert|12|mi|km}} of the coast.{{cite web |date=September 1997 |title=Shoreline Management Plan |url=http://www.northeastsmp2.org.uk/pdf/smp1/flambsalt/EXSUMM.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911182529/http://www.northeastsmp2.org.uk/pdf/smp1/flambsalt/EXSUMM.pdf |archive-date=11 September 2011 |access-date=4 August 2011 |publisher=Mouchel Consulting Limited}} A fish market on the quayside operates as need arises.{{cite web |title=Whitby Harbour Fishing |url=http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/fishing.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220074137/http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/fishing.aspx |archive-date=20 February 2012 |access-date=3 August 2011 |website=Yorkshire Ports |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}} 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.{{cite news |last=Richardson |first=Belinda |date=23 September 2006 |title=Are you ready to order? This week: The Magpie, Whitby, North Yorkshire |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml?xml=/wine/2006/09/23/edjan23.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028225758/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fwine%2F2006%2F09%2F23%2Fedjan23.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 October 2006 |access-date=4 August 2011 }}

File:Harbour from Church steps.JPG

The Whitby Marina project, jointly funded by Scarborough Borough Council, Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund, was developed to diversify the local economy.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby Marina : the business coast {{pipe}} Scarborough Whitby Filey business website |url=http://business.scarborough.gov.uk/renaissance-projects/whitby-marina.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328015840/http://business.scarborough.gov.uk/renaissance-projects/whitby-marina.aspx |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=13 August 2011}} The remaining shipbuilding firm, Parkol Marine, is a family-run business on the east side of the river.{{cite news |date=27 March 2008 |title=Parkol planning to expand shipbuilders' site |work=Whitby Gazette |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/parkol_planning_to_expand_shipbuilders_site_1_1875325 |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329194304/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/parkol_planning_to_expand_shipbuilders_site_1_1875325 |url-status=live }} Founded in 1988, the boatyard has two berths for new build and a dry dock for repairs.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby Harbour {{pipe}} Whitby UK {{pipe}}wonderfulwhitby.co.uk |url=http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/harbour.html |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604014707/http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/harbour.html |url-status=live }} St Hilda's Business Centre provides office space for a range of businesses. Whitby Business Park is a {{convert|20|ha|acre|order=flip|adj=on}} site located by the A171 road, {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} from the harbour on the southern outskirts of the town. Companies on the park include Supreme Plastics, Whitby Seafoods Ltd and Botham's of Whitby alongside major retailers, Homebase and Sainsbury's.{{cite web |title=Business Parks |url=http://business.scarborough.gov.uk/property-and-relocation/business-parks.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127043319/http://business.scarborough.gov.uk/property-and-relocation/business-parks.aspx |archive-date=27 November 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |website=The Business Coast |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}

The east coast has limited conventional energy generation capacity, but Whitby is the closest port to a proposed development on Dogger Bank, ideally placed to provide the offshore wind power industry with support vessel operations and logistics.{{cite web |title=Offshore wind |url=http://www.whitbywind.org.uk/offshorewind.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116010132/http://www.whitbywind.org.uk/offshorewind.html |archive-date=16 November 2010 |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=Whitby and Scarborough Offshore Wind |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}{{cite news |last=Hayes |first=Julie |date=21 July 2010 |title=Windfarm project presents "massive" business opportunities |work=York Press |url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/business/news/8283612.Windfarm_project_presents__massive__business_opportunities/ |url-status=dead |access-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723234159/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/business/news/8283612.Windfarm_project_presents__massive__business_opportunities/ |archive-date=23 July 2010}} The Dogger Bank wind farm could include up to 2,600 giant {{convert|400|ft|m|adj=on}} turbines covering more than {{convert|3300|mi2|ha}}.{{cite web |last=Jeeves |first=Paul |date=26 May 2011 |title=UK firms becalmed in wind power race |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/uk_firms_becalmed_in_wind_power_race_1_3415754 |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=Yorkshire Post |archive-date=12 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012140438/http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/uk_firms_becalmed_in_wind_power_race_1_3415754 |url-status=live }}

file:Whitby harbour from new Quay - geograph.org.uk - 47082.jpg

Whitby's port is used for shipping to Europe, especially Scandinavia, and mainly handles grain, steel products, timber and potash. Vessels limited to 3,000 tonnes deadweight tonnage can dock at the wharf, which is able to load or unload two ships simultaneously. {{as of|2004}}, {{convert|54000|sqft|m2}} of dock space is used to store all-weather cargo, with a {{convert|17000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} warehouse.{{cite web |title=Whitby Harbour – Cargo – Berthing |url=http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/cargo/cargo_berthing.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126141859/http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/cargo/cargo_berthing.aspx |archive-date=26 January 2007 |access-date=22 July 2011 |website=Yorkshire Ports |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}{{cite web |title=About Whitby |url=http://www.aboutwhitby.co.uk/about.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330194046/http://www.aboutwhitby.co.uk/about.html |archive-date=30 March 2012 |access-date=15 August 2011}}

File:Whitby railway station.jpg

Whitby railway station is a terminus of the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough, operated by Northern.

It was formerly the northern terminus of the Whitby, Pickering and York Line. In 2007, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway began a summer service on that line between Pickering and Whitby operated by steam locomotives, as an extension of their long-standing Pickering-Grosmont service.{{cite magazine |last1=Pickering |first1=Graeme |title=Fuelling the changes on Teesside rails |magazine=Rail Magazine |date=2 January 2020 |issue=895 |pages=58–60 |publisher=Bauer Media |location=Peterborough|issn=0953-4563}}

The Scarborough and Whitby Railway followed a coastal route and was built in 1885. It required construction of the red brick Larpool Viaduct across the Esk Valley into Whitby.{{cite web |title=Hawsker |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/hawsker/index.shtml |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Disused Stations |archive-date=3 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903103622/http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/hawsker/index.shtml |url-status=live }} The line closed as a result of the Beeching cuts in 1965; the trackbed is now used as a footpath, bridleway and by cyclists.{{cite web |title=The Cycle Route |url=http://www.moortoseacycle.net/htmlmap.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723212153/http://www.moortoseacycle.net/htmlmap.php |archive-date=23 July 2011 |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Moor to Sea Cycle}}

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.{{cite web |title=Whitby West Cliff |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/whitby_west_cliff/index.shtml |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Disused Stations |archive-date=3 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903093118/http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/whitby_west_cliff/index.shtml |url-status=live }}

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 bridge and ease congestion in the town centre. The A174 accesses coastal towns to the north and the A169 crosses the North Yorkshire Moors to Pickering.{{cite news |title=North Yorkshire road closure as drivers warned of snow and ice |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-67564667 |access-date=30 May 2025 |work=BBC News |date=29 November 2023}}

File:Whitby03LB.jpg

Whitby is on the Yorkshire Coastliner bus route to Leeds, Tadcaster, York, Scarborough, Bridlington, Pickering and Malton.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Coastliner bus services – Summary |url=http://getdown.org.uk/bus/search/coastliner.shtml |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=getdown.org.uk |archive-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722071142/http://getdown.org.uk/bus/search/coastliner.shtml |url-status=live }}

Arriva North East runs bus services connecting Whitby to Scarborough and Middlesbrough.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

File:(Whitby, Glaisdale, Beggars' Bridge, Yorkshire, England) (LOC) (16776947166).jpg

The coastal section of the {{convert|110|mi|km|adj=on}} Cleveland Way National Trail passes through Whitby.{{cite web |title=Home – Cleveland Way |url=http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/clevelandway/ |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=National Trails |publisher=Natural England |archive-date=31 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731024711/http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ClevelandWay/ |url-status=live }}

File:Whitby Lifeboat Station - geograph.org.uk - 76631.jpg before it was replaced in 2007]]

Whitby Community Hospital was formerly run by the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust, and more recently by the Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Overview – Whitby Community Hospital – NHS Choices |url=http://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=542 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=nhs.uk |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070222/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/Pages/ProfileHiddenError.aspx |url-status=dead }} In February 2018 it was decided to redevelop the hospital site at a cost of £12 million into a "health and wellbeing hub" with an urgent care centre and 19 inpatient beds.{{cite news |date=22 February 2018 |title=Trust secures vital capital for hospital rebuild |publisher=Health Service Journal |url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/humber-nhs-foundation-trust/trust-secures-vital-capital-for-hospital-rebuild/7021739.article? |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-date=3 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403051702/https://www.hsj.co.uk/humber-nhs-foundation-trust/trust-secures-vital-capital-for-hospital-rebuild/7021739.article |url-status=live }}

Five general practitioners and five dentists serve the Whitby area.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=GP practices/doctors surgeries in and around Whitby |url=http://www.nhs.uk/Scorecard/Pages/Results.aspx?OrgType=1&Coords=5108%2c4896&TreatmentID=0&PageNumber=1&PageSize=0&TabId=0&SortType=1&LookupType=1&LocationType=2&SearchTerm=Whitby&DistanceFrom=5&SortByMetric=0&TrustCode=&TrustName=&DisambiguatedSearchTerm=Whitby%2c+North+Yorkshire%2c+YO21+1&LookupTypeWasSwitched=False&MatchedOrganisationPostcode=&MatchedOrganisationCoords=&ServiceIDs=&ScorecardTypeCode=&NoneEnglishCountry=&HasMultipleNames=False&OriginalLookupType=1&ServiceLaunchFrom=&TopLevelFilters= |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=nhs.uk |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070219/https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Dentists in and around Whitby |url=http://www.nhs.uk/Scorecard/Pages/Results.aspx?OrgType=2&Coords=5108%2c4896&TreatmentID=0&PageNumber=1&PageSize=0&TabId=30&SortType=1&LookupType=1&LocationType=2&SearchTerm=Whitby&DistanceFrom=5&SortByMetric=0&TrustCode=&TrustName=&DisambiguatedSearchTerm=Whitby%2c+North+Yorkshire%2c+YO21+1&LookupTypeWasSwitched=False&MatchedOrganisationPostcode=&MatchedOrganisationCoords=&ServiceIDs=&ScorecardTypeCode=&NoneEnglishCountry=&HasMultipleNames=False&OriginalLookupType=1&ServiceLaunchFrom=&Filters=&TopLevelFilters= |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=nhs.uk |archive-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009130952/http://www.nhs.uk/Scorecard/Pages/Results.aspx?OrgType=2&Coords=5108,4896&TreatmentID=0&PageNumber=1&PageSize=0&TabId=30&SortType=1&LookupType=1&LocationType=2&SearchTerm=Whitby&DistanceFrom=5&SortByMetric=0&TrustCode=&TrustName=&DisambiguatedSearchTerm=Whitby,+North+Yorkshire,+YO21+1&LookupTypeWasSwitched=False&MatchedOrganisationPostcode=&MatchedOrganisationCoords=&ServiceIDs=&ScorecardTypeCode=&NoneEnglishCountry=&HasMultipleNames=False&OriginalLookupType=1&ServiceLaunchFrom=&Filters=&TopLevelFilters= |url-status=dead }}

Yorkshire Ambulance Service provides transport throughout Yorkshire.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=About Us – Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust |url=http://www.yas.nhs.uk/AboutUs/aboutus.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518120423/http://www.yas.nhs.uk/AboutUs/aboutus.html |archive-date=18 May 2009 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=yas.nhs.uk}}

Whitby fire station is manned by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service between 8 am and 6 pm.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Station Contact Details : Contact Us : North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service |url=http://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/contact_us/station_contact_details/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717112930/http://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/contact_us/station_contact_details/index.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=northyorksfire.gov.uk}}

The town's two police stations are provided by North Yorkshire Police Authority.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=New police office for Whitby – North Yorkshire Police |url=http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6563 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928063558/http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6563 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=northyorkshire.police.uk}}

lifeboat station built in 2007, on the east bank, is operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Crew members are unpaid volunteers and the station has two lifeboats, an inshore D class lifeboat the Warter Priory which was donated to the station in 2017,{{cite news |date=8 July 2017 |title=Naming Ceremony for New Whitby Lifeboat |work=Yorkshire Coast Radio |url=https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2325059/naming-ceremony-for-new-whitby-lifeboat/ |access-date=27 February 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070241/https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2325059/naming-ceremony-for-new-whitby-lifeboat/ |url-status=live }} and an all-weather Shannon-class lifeboat, the Lois Ivan, launched in 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/whitbys-shannon-class-lifeboat-enters-service/ |title=Whitby's Shannon Class Lifeboat Enters Service |publisher=This is the Coast |date=11 September 2023 |access-date=22 October 2023}}

North Yorkshire County Council waste management services operate a household waste recycling centre at Whitby Industrial Estate, and a weekly collection alternating between recyclables and landfill waste.{{cite web |title=Whitby household waste recycling centre |url=http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3068&contactid=6975 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210071828/http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3068&contactid=6975 |archive-date=10 December 2010 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}{{cite web |title=Household waste – rubbish collections |url=http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=7851 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928030234/http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=7851 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}

Mains water supply, predominantly from the River Esk, is treated at Ruswarp Water Treatment Works by Yorkshire Water who also deal with the town's sewerage.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Message board |url=http://www.yorkshirewater.com/policy-source/message-board.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814052017/http://www.yorkshirewater.com/policy-source/message-board.aspx |archive-date=14 August 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=Yorkshire Water}}

CE Electric UK is responsible for delivering electricity and Northern Gas Networks supply piped gas.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Homepage |url=http://www.ce-electricuk.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708130451/http://www.ce-electricuk.com/ |archive-date=8 July 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=ce-electricuk.com}}{{cite web |year=2011 |title=£125k gas upgrade for Whitby |url=http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/cms/798.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323064144/http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/cms/798.html |archive-date=23 March 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=northerngasnetworks.co.uk}}

{{clear |left}}

Whitby has a three-tier school system, primary, middle (11–14) and Caedmon College (11–19), the latter formed in 2014 from the merger of Caedmon School (11–14) and Whitby Community College (14–19).{{cite news |date=27 May 2014 |title=UPDATE: Whitby School Merger to Go Ahead |work=Yorkshire Coast Radio |url=https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/1294800/update-whitby-school-merger-to-go-ahead/ |access-date=27 February 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070214/https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/1294800/update-whitby-school-merger-to-go-ahead/ |url-status=live }} Eskdale School continues to operate as a middle school, but is currently{{when|date=November 2024}} consulting on raising its age range to 16. In February 2018 Caedmon College and Eskdale School agreed to federate and plan to provide a joint sixth form in the town.{{cite web |date=8 February 2019 |title=Whitby Secondary Schools Agree to Federate |url=https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2802007/whitby-secondary-schools-agree-to-federate/ |access-date=11 February 2019 |website=Yorkshire Coast Radio |archive-date=28 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428051426/https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/2802007/whitby-secondary-schools-agree-to-federate/ |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=North Yorkshire County Council : Online mapping |url=http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=Schools |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=maps.northyorks.gov.uk |archive-date=18 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718165437/http://maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/?mapcfg=Schools |url-status=live }}

The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School offers training for new entrants to the fishing industry, and experienced fishermen.{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Whitby & District Fishing Industry Training School – Apprenticeships in North Yorkshire UK |url=http://www.whitbyfishingschool.co.uk/ |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=whitbyfishingschool.co.uk |archive-date=29 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129153808/http://www.whitbyfishingschool.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}

File:Swing bridge over the River Esk (geograph 7150984).jpg

The swing bridge spanning the Esk divides the upper and lower harbours and joins the east and west sides of the town. Whitby developed as an important bridging point of the River Esk and in 1351 permission was granted for tolls to be taken on the 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. This bridge was replaced between 1908 and 1909 by the current electric swing bridge.{{cite web |title=Whitby Bridge |url=http://yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/bridge.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124072938/http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/bridge.aspx |archive-date=24 January 2007 |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=Yorkshire Ports |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}

The bridge 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. St Mary's Church is a grade I listed building on the site of a Saxon church. The church's ancient foundation dates from the 12th century. Over time it has been extensively altered and enlarged but retains several features including box pews. The East Cliff is quite a distance by road from the church, the alternative is to climb the 199 steps of the "Church Stairs" or use the footpath called "Caedmon's Trod".{{cite web |title=Background Information: Whitby Abbey |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.17365 |access-date=1 December 2009 |publisher=English Heritage |archive-date=5 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905122548/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.17365 |url-status=live }} The stone stairs, which replaced the original wooden steps, were built about 200 years ago and renovated between 2005 and 2006. There are landings originally assisting coffin bearers on their journey to the graveyard on the cliff top.{{cite web |title=199 Steps Church Stairs |url=http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/199stepschurchstairs.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117062109/http://www.whitbysights.co.uk/whitby-history/199stepschurchstairs.html |archive-date=17 January 2012 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Whitby Sights}}

{{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q26545458

| mapframe = no

| location = Whitby
North Yorkshire
England

| shape = cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern{{cite rowlett|engne|access-date=7 May 2016}}

| characteristic = occasionally F G

| fogsignal = 1 blast every 30s

| heritage = Grade II listed

| module = {{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q28465912 | embed = yes

| shape = cylindrical lantern on a four legs skeletal structure| managingagent = North Yorkshire Council}}

}}

{{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q26552565

| mapframe = no

| location = Whitby
North Yorkshire
England

| shape = cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern

| fogsignal = 1 blast every 30s

| heritage = Grade II listed

| module = {{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q28465913 | embed = yes

| shape = cylindrical lantern on a four legs skeletal structure

| managingagent = North Yorkshire Council}}

}}

The harbour is sheltered by the grade II listed east and west piers each with a lighthouse and beacon.{{NHLE|num=1253731|desc=West Pier Lighthouse|access-date=21 May 2021}}{{NHLE|num=1261631|desc=East Pier Lighthouse|access-date=21 May 2021}} The west lighthouse, of 1831, is the taller at {{convert|25.5|m|ft|order=flip}} and the east lighthouse, built in 1855, is {{convert|16.5|m|ft|order=flip}} high. On the west pier extension is a foghorn that sounds a blast every 30 seconds during fog.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Whitby – History |url=http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/history.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830040603/http://www.yorkshireports.co.uk/content/whitby/history.aspx |archive-date=30 August 2011 |access-date=21 August 2011}} New lights were fitted to both the lighthouse towers and the beacons in 2011.{{cite web |title=Whitby harbour operations and performance report Oct 2011 |url=http://democracy.scarborough.gov.uk/ |access-date=20 January 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Whitby Lighthouse, operated by Trinity House, is south-east of the town on Ling Hill.

On the West Cliff is a statue of Captain James Cook who served his apprenticeship in the town, and a whalebone arch, commemorates the whaling industry.{{cite web |title=Whitby's West Cliff |url=http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/westcliff.html |access-date=21 August 2011 |archive-date=25 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625105925/http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/westcliff.html |url-status=live }} It is the second such arch, the original is preserved in Whitby Archives Heritage Centre. By the inner harbour is a statue commemorating William Scoresby Sr. (father of William Scoresby Jr.), designer of the crow's nest.{{cite web |title=Whitby Harbour |url=http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/harbour.html |access-date=7 June 2020 |archive-date=4 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204151932/http://www.wonderfulwhitby.co.uk/harbour.html |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite web |title=James Wilson – Whitby and Sneaton Castle |url=http://www.open2.net/historyandthearts/history/map_james_wilson.html |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Open2 |archive-date=16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616054327/http://open2.net/historyandthearts/history/map_james_wilson.html |url-status=live }} Alongside it is St Hilda's Priory,{{cite web |title=Sneaton Castle |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-326805-st-hildas-priory-whitby |access-date=9 August 2011 |website=British Listed Buildings Online |archive-date=18 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418145036/https://c.disquscdn.com/get?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk%2Fimg%2Fprofile.png&key=dumte0ZHE7AE-f6VALgcpQ&h=200 |url-status=live }} 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.

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe left a photographic record of the town, harbour, fishing and residents in late-Victorian times. His most famous photograph entitled "Water Rats" was taken in 1886. He became famous internationally as a great exponent of pictorial photography. He exhibited his work in Tokyo, Vienna, France, the US and Great Britain winning over 60 gold, silver and bronze medals. He retired in 1922 and became curator of Whitby Museum.{{cite ODNB |last=Hiley |first=Michael |title=Sutcliffe, Francis Meadow [Frank] (1853–1941), photographer |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/38440 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/38440 |access-date=19 July 2011 |mode=cs1}}{{Subscription required}} The Royal Photographic Society made him an honorary member in 1935. Sutcliffe's photograph archive and collection are now at Whitby Museum.{{Cite web |title=Sutcliffe Photographs Acquisition - Whitby Museum |url=https://whitbymuseum.org.uk/sutcliffe-photographs-acquisition/ |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=whitbymuseum.org.uk}}

File:The Lily Pond in Pannett Park (geograph 5446235).jpg

Pannett Park was built on land purchased by a local philanthropist and politician Alderman Robert Pannett in 1902. After his death in 1928, the trust he set up created a public park and art gallery.{{cite web |title=Pannett Park, Whitby – Conservation Management Plan |url=http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/pdf/Pannett-Park-Conservation-Management-Plan-Part-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928030558/http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/pdf/Pannett-Park-Conservation-Management-Plan-Part-1.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=28 July 2011 |publisher=Friends of Pannett Park, Whitby Town Council, Scarborough Borough Council}} In 1931 Whitby Museum was built behind the gallery by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society. It holds a collection of the archaeological and social history of jet and has on display a "Hand of Glory".{{cite web|url=https://whitbymuseum.org.uk/hand-of-glory/|title=Hand of Glory|date=|publisher=Whitby Museum|accessdate=22 June 2022|archive-date=13 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813011052/https://whitbymuseum.org.uk/hand-of-glory/|url-status=live}} The Friends of Pannett Park, formed in 2005, successfully bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to refurbish the park.{{cite web |title=History of Pannett Park |url=http://www.pannettpark.co.uk/HistoryOfPannettPark.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322212726/http://www.pannettpark.co.uk/HistoryOfPannettPark.php |archive-date=22 March 2012 |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=Pannett Park}}

There has been a lifeboat in Whitby since 1802 and the old boathouse, built in 1895 and used until 1957, is a museum displaying the Robert and Ellen Robson lifeboat, built in 1919.{{cite web |title=The RNLI Whitby Museum |url=http://www.rnli.org.uk/who_we_are/the_heritage_trust/whitby |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826010316/http://www.rnli.org.uk/who_we_are/the_heritage_trust/whitby |archive-date=26 August 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=Royal National Lifeboat Institution}}

The ancient Penny Hedge ceremony is performed on the eve of Ascension Day commemorating a penance imposed by the abbot on miscreant hunters in the Middle Ages.{{cite web |date=30 April 2008 |title=Crowd gathers for ancient Whitby custom of Penny Hedge |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/crowd_gathers_for_ancient_whitby_custom_of_penny_hedge_1_1875912 |access-date=23 July 2011 |website=Whitby Gazette |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315001036/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/crowd_gathers_for_ancient_whitby_custom_of_penny_hedge_1_1875912 |url-status=live }} The hunters using a knife costing a penny had to cut wood in Eskdaleside and take it to Whitby harbour where it was made into a hedge that would survive three tides. This tradition is carried out annually on the east side of the upper harbour.{{cite web |title=The Penny Hedge |url=http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/funzone/myths/story.php?lid=9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007095703/http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/funzone/myths/story.php?lid=9 |archive-date=7 October 2011 |access-date=31 July 2011 |publisher=North York Moors National Park Authority}}

The Whitby Gazette was founded in 1854 by Ralph Horne, a local printer. The first issues were records of visitors and lodgings rather than a newspaper.{{cite web |title=Whitby Gazette – First Issue |url=http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/whitby_history_gazette.html |access-date=31 July 2011 |website=The Whitby Seagull |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070208/http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/whitby_history_gazette.html |url-status=dead }} The publication became a weekly newspaper in 1858, with a short spell of being published twice weekly between 2000 and 2012.{{cite web |title=Whitby Gazette |url=http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-yorks/whitby-gazette/ |access-date=19 July 2011 |publisher=British Newspapers |archive-date=9 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509180450/http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-yorks/whitby-gazette/ |url-status=live }} The local radio stations are BBC Radio Tees,{{cite web |date=11 August 2007 |title=BBC Tees was BBC Radio Cleveland! |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/articles/2007/07/25/radio_cleveland_name_change_feature.shtml |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=BBC Tees |publisher=BBC |archive-date=18 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032100/http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/articles/2007/07/25/radio_cleveland_name_change_feature.shtml |url-status=live }} This is The Coast and Coast & County Radio

The Pavilion Theatre built in the 1870s in West Cliff hosts a range of events during the summer months.{{cite web |title=Whitby Pavilion Theatre – Whitby Pavilion Complex |url=http://thedms.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13&feature=59&venue=1712480 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328015009/http://thedms.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13&feature=59&venue=1712480 |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=22 July 2011 |website=Discover Yorkshire Coast |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}} For over four decades the town has hosted the Whitby Folk Week, and since 1993 the bi-annual Whitby Goth Weekend for members of the Goth subculture. "Whitby Now" is an annual live music event featuring local bands in the Pavilion which has taken place since 1991.{{cite news |last=Scales |first=Jean |date=28 April 2008 |title=Organisers invite to town musical talent |work=Whitby Gazette |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/community/organisers_invite_to_town_musical_talent_1_1875905 |access-date=4 August 2011 |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315001133/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/community/organisers_invite_to_town_musical_talent_1_1875905 |url-status=live }} Since 2008, the Bram Stoker Film Festival has taken place in October.{{cite web |title=Bram Stoker Film Festival – Official Site |url=http://www.bramstokerfilmfestival.com/ |access-date=31 July 2011 |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407091549/http://www.bramstokerfilmfestival.com/ |url-status=live }}

The town has a strong literary tradition; it can even be said that the earliest English literature comes from Whitby as Cædmon, the first known Anglo Saxon poetThe twelve named Anglo-Saxon poets are Æduwen, Aldhelm, Alfred the Great, Anlaf, Baldulf, Bede, Cædmon, Cnut, Cynewulf, Dunstan, Hereward, and Wulfstan (or perhaps Wulfsige). Most of these are considered by modern scholars to be spurious—see O'Donnell 2005, Introduction 1.22. The three for whom biographical information and documented texts survive are Alfred, Bede, and Cædmon. Cædmon is the only Anglo-Saxon poet known primarily for his ability to compose vernacular verse, and no vernacular verse survives that is known to have been written by either Bede or Alfred. There are a number of verse texts known to have been composed by Cynewulf, but we know nothing of his biography. (No study appears to exist of the "named" Anglo-Saxon poets—the list here has been compiled from Frank 1993 [https://web.archive.org/web/20051120152035/http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/mancass/thetollerlecture/] Roberta Frank, Opland 1980, Sisam 1953 and Robinson 1990). was a monk at the order that used Whitby Abbey during the abbacy of St Hilda (657–680).{{cite journal |last1=Rabin |first1=Andrew |title=Bede, Dryhthelm, and the Witness to the Other World: Testimony and Conversion in the Historia ecclesiastica |journal=Modern Philology |date=February 2009 |volume=106 |issue=3 |page=392 |doi=10.1086/605070|s2cid=162345723 }} Part of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was set in Whitby, incorporating pieces of local folklore, including the beaching of the Russian ship Dmitry. Stoker discovered the name "Dracula" at the old public library. One scholar has suggested that Stoker chose Whitby as the site of Dracula's first appearance in England because of the Synod of Whitby, given the novel's preoccupation with timekeeping and calendar disputes."Killing Time: Dracula and Social Discoordination" in Economics of the Undead Eds. Glen Whitman and James Dow (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), chapter 23Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition by Robert Eighteen-Bisang & Elizabeth Miller (McFarland, 2008), pp. 244–46. Elizabeth Gaskell set her novel Sylvia's Lovers partly in the town which she visited in 1859{{cite news |date=7 December 2007 |title=Sylvia's Lovers, unpopular with Whitby folk – but a very good read |work=Darlington and Stockton Times |url=http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/columnists/countrymansdiary/1889748.sylvias_lovers_unpopular_withwhitby_folk_but_a_very_good_read/ |url-status=dead |access-date=30 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001040719/http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/columnists/countrymansdiary/1889748.sylvias_lovers_unpopular_withwhitby_folk_but_a_very_good_read/ |archive-date=1 October 2011}} and Lewis Carroll stayed at 5, East Terrace between July and September 1854: his first publications may have been published in the Whitby Gazette.{{cite web |date=25 November 2008 |title=Lewis Carroll plaque set to be unveiled in terrace |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/lewis_carroll_plaque_set_to_be_unveiled_in_terrace_1_1879377 |access-date=30 July 2011 |website=Whitby Gazette |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315001054/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/lewis_carroll_plaque_set_to_be_unveiled_in_terrace_1_1879377 |url-status=live }}

Charles Dickens is known to have visited Whitby, and in a letter of 1861 to his friend Wilkie Collins, who was at the time in Whitby, Dickens says:

In my time that curious railroad by the Whitby Moor was so much the more curious, that you were balanced against a counter-weight of water, and that you did it like Blondin. But in these remote days the one inn of Whitby was up a back-yard, and oyster-shell grottoes were the only view from the best private room.{{cite web |year=2009 |title=The Black Horse Inn: Black Horse People |url=http://www.the-black-horse.com/history/people.html |access-date=30 July 2011 |website=the-black-horse.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328091539/https://www.the-black-horse.com/history/people.html#collins |archive-date=28 March 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite book |last1=Dickens |first1=Charles |editor1-last=Hogarth |editor1-first=Georgina |editor2-last=Dickens |editor2-first=Mamie |title=The letters of Charles Dickens volume II |date=1880 |publisher=Chapman & Hall |location=London |page=84|oclc=258782}}

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.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=The Public Face of Wilkie Collins: The Collected Letters {{pipe}} The Wilkie Collins Journal |url=http://acc.wilkiecollinssociety.org/review/public-face-wilkie-collins-collected-letters |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328094306/http://acc.wilkiecollinssociety.org/review/public-face-wilkie-collins-collected-letters |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=31 July 2011 |website=acc.wilkiecollinssociety.org}}

Mary Linskill was born in a small house at Blackburn's Yard in 1840. She reached a wide readership when her second novel, Between the Heather and the Northern Sea, was published in 1884. Her last novel For Pity's Sake, was published posthumously in 1891.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Mary Linskill Orlando Project |url=http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=linsma |access-date=22 July 2011 |website=orlando.cambridge.org |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002095823/http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=linsma |url-status=live }} James Russell Lowell, the American writer, visited Whitby while ambassador in London 1880–85, staying at 3 Wellington Terrace, West Cliff.{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Henry James, James Russell Lowell, and George Du Maurier in Whitby |url=http://nq.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/3/411.extract |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016231632/http://nq.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/3/411.extract |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2015 |access-date=30 July 2011 |website=nq.oxfordjournals.org}}{{cite web |year=2001 |title=James Russell Lowell |url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/lisle/dial/lowell.html |access-date=31 July 2011 |website=xroads.virginia.edu |quote=Whitby |archive-date=5 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705084016/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/lisle/dial/lowell.html |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite book |last=Russell Lowell |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0YD54yT9EIC&q=James+Russell+Lowell+Whitby&pg=PA376 |title=Letters of James Russell Lowell Part Two – Google Books |year=2011 |isbn=9781419175114 |page=376 |publisher=Kessinger |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-date=18 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418145047/https://books.google.com/books?id=W0YD54yT9EIC&q=James+Russell+Lowell+Whitby&pg=PA376 |url-status=live }}

G. P. Taylor, a former Church of England curate in Whitby, is now a celebrated author. His best-selling book Shadowmancer was set in Whitby. Theresa Tomlinson, a writer of historical and other fiction for children and young adults, lives in the town.{{cite news |last1=Armstrong |first1=Julia |title=Sheffield's women of steel star in new children's book by Theresa Tomlinson |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/sheffields-women-of-steel-star-in-new-childrens-book-by-theresa-tomlinson-2532527 |access-date=30 March 2023 |work=Sheffield Star |date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330035015/https://www.thestar.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/sheffields-women-of-steel-star-in-new-childrens-book-by-theresa-tomlinson-2532527 |url-status=live }}

The novel Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt, set in the town, was adapted into a 2002 feature film called Possession starring Gwyneth Paltrow.{{cite web |year=1889 |title=Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt – Whitby Online |url=http://www.whitbyonline.co.uk/whitbyhistory/possession.php |access-date=22 July 2011 |website=whitbyonline.co.uk |archive-date=4 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004041509/http://www.whitbyonline.co.uk/whitbyhistory/possession.php |url-status=live }}

In the British Television drama series Heartbeat (1992–2010), set in the 1960s Yorkshire, the plot frequently takes place in Whitby over the seasons.{{cite web |last1=Graham |first1=Debbie |title=Where was Heartbeat filmed? A guide to the nostalgic police drama's filming locations |url=https://www.countryfile.com/tv/where-was-heartbeat-filmed-a-guide-to-the-nostalgic-police-dramas-filming-locations |website=BBC Coutryfile |date=11 June 2024 |access-date=11 November 2024 |archive-date=11 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111183721/https://www.countryfile.com/tv/where-was-heartbeat-filmed-a-guide-to-the-nostalgic-police-dramas-filming-locations |url-status=live }}

A crime novel series by James Whitworth is set in Whitby. The first two novels are Death's Disciple and The Eve of Murder. These were followed by Bidding to Die, Better the Devil You Know and Murder on the Record.

A trilogy of young adult novels, The Whitby Witches, makes much of the town's setting and history, embellishing local traditions whilst incorporating them into the narrative. The author, Robin Jarvis, recalls "The first time I visited Whitby, I stepped off the train and knew I was somewhere very special. It was a grey, drizzling day but that only added to the haunting beauty and lonely atmosphere of the place. Listening to Carmina Burana on my headphones, I explored the ruined abbey on the clifftop. The place was a fantastic inspiration. In The Whitby Witches I have interwoven many of the existing local legends, such as the frightening Barguest, whilst inventing a few of my own, most notably the aufwaders."{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Robin Jarvis website |url=http://www.robinjarvis.com/whitbyhome.html |access-date=9 November 2014 |archive-date=21 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621002107/http://www.robinjarvis.com/whitbyhome.html |url-status=live }} Jarvis returned to Whitby for his 2016 novel, The Power of Dark, the first in The Witching Legacy series.

Other literary works making reference to Whitby include:

• Caedmon's Song by Peter Robinson{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Peter |title=Caedmon's Song |publisher=Viking Press |year=1990 |isbn=0-670-83304-5 |author-link=Peter Robinson (novelist)}}
• The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps by Michel Faber{{cite book |last=Faber |first=Michael |title=The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps |publisher=Canongate Books Ltd |year=2001 |isbn=1-84195-199-4}}
• The Resurrectionists by Kim Wilkins{{cite web |last=Meredith |year=2007 |title=Kim Wilkins: The Resurrectionists – an infinity plus review |url=http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/resurrectionists.htm |access-date=21 August 2011 |archive-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330074052/http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/resurrectionists.htm |url-status=live }}
• The Brenda & Effie Mysteries series by Paul Magrs (consisting of Never the Bride, Something Borrowed, Conjugal Rites, Hell's Belles).{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Painting the town red (From The Northern Echo) |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2010/10/25/Features/8473463.Painting_the_town_red/ |access-date=21 August 2011 |archive-date=10 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010212747/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2010/10/25/Features/8473463.Painting_the_town_red/ |url-status=live }}
• Death at the Seaside by Frances Brody{{cite web |title=Death at the Seaside: the eighth Kate Shackleton mystery by Frances Brody |url=http://frances-brody.com/novels/seaside.html |access-date=8 August 2020 |website=frances-brody.com |archive-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412065412/http://frances-brody.com/novels/seaside.html |url-status=live }}

Wind surfing, sailing and surfing take place off the beaches between Whitby and Sandsend{{cite web |year=2011 |title=FT.com / Pursuits – Off the beaten coast |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/79f16e18-a032-11df-81eb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1SfBahBhJ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210221208/https://www.ft.com/content/79f16e18-a032-11df-81eb-00144feabdc0#axzz1SfBahBhJ |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=ft.com |url-status=live }} and the area is visited by divers. Whitby's other sports facilities including cricket and football pitches, and tennis courts.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Whitby Regatta takes place annually over three days in August.{{cite web |title=History of the Regatta |url=http://www.whitbyregatta.co.uk/index.htm |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=Whitby Regatta 2011 |archive-date=2 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802024533/http://www.whitbyregatta.co.uk/index.htm |url-status=live }} The highlight is a rowing competition between Whitby Friendship, Whitby Fishermen's, and Scarborough amateur rowing clubs.

File:View over golf links to Whitby - geograph.org.uk - 186814.jpg

Whitby Golf Club formed in 1891 and has been at its 18-hole course on cliff tops to the northwest of the town since 1895.{{cite web |title=Whitby Golf Club |url=http://www.whitbygolfclub.co.uk/ |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Whitby Golf Club |archive-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829150539/http://www.whitbygolfclub.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}

File:2024-05-15 - Whitby FC.jpg

Whitby Town F.C., formed in 1892, is a semi-professional football club which plays in the Northern Premier League at its 3,200 capacity Turnbull Ground on Upgang Lane.{{cite web |title=Whitby Town FC |url=http://www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/football/northern-premier-league/whitby-town.php |publisher=napit.co |access-date=19 July 2011 |archive-date=27 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110627234318/http://napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/football/northern-premier-league/whitby-town.php |url-status=live }}

Whitby Cricket Club has been in existence since the 1920s and plays from the Turnbull Ground on West Cliff.{{cite web |url=https://www.activeyorkshirecoast.co.uk/organisations/whitby-cricket-club/ |title=Active Yorkshire Coast: Whitby CC |website=activeyorkshirecoast.co.uk |publisher=Active Yorkshire Coast |date= |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220510/https://www.activeyorkshirecoast.co.uk/organisations/whitby-cricket-club/ |url-status=live }} Two senior Saturday teams compete in the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League,{{cite web |url=https://nysdl.play-cricket.com/home |title=North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League |website=nysdl.play-cricket.com |publisher=NYSDCL |date= |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213708/https://nysdl.play-cricket.com/home |url-status=live }} and a junior section in the Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League.{{cite web |url=https://derwentvalleyjcl.play-cricket.com/ |title=Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League |website=derwentvalleyjcl.play-cricket.com |publisher=DVJCL |date= |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215555/https://derwentvalleyjcl.play-cricket.com/ |url-status=live }}

The area generally has warm summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. Its latitude means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds with depressions and their associated fronts, bringing 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 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 coast and moors.{{cite web |title=Regional Climates: North East England |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/ne/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105223816/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/ne/ |archive-date=5 November 2013 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=The Met Office}}

{{Weather box

|location = Whitby, elevation: {{convert|41|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present

|collapsed = y

|metric first = y

|single line = y

| Jan record high C = 14.8

| Feb record high C = 19.6

| Mar record high C = 20.0

| Apr record high C = 25.0

| May record high C = 25.6

| Jun record high C = 30.9

| Jul record high C = 29.9

| Aug record high C = 33.1

| Sep record high C = 27.9

| Oct record high C = 28.0

| Nov record high C = 17.8

| Dec record high C = 16.2

|Jan high C = 7.3

|Feb high C = 7.9

|Mar high C = 9.8

|Apr high C = 12.0

|May high C = 14.7

|Jun high C = 17.6

|Jul high C = 19.9

|Aug high C = 19.7

|Sep high C = 17.3

|Oct high C = 13.8

|Nov high C = 10.1

|Dec high C = 7.7

|year high C = 13.1

|Jan mean C = 4.7

|Feb mean C = 5.1

|Mar mean C = 6.5

|Apr mean C = 8.4

|May mean C = 11.0

|Jun mean C = 13.8

|Jul mean C = 16.1

|Aug mean C = 16.0

|Sep mean C = 13.8

|Oct mean C = 10.7

|Nov mean C = 7.4

|Dec mean C = 5.1

|year mean C = 9.9

|Jan low C = 2.2

|Feb low C = 2.3

|Mar low C = 3.2

|Apr low C = 4.8

|May low C = 7.3

|Jun low C = 10.1

|Jul low C = 12.2

|Aug low C = 12.2

|Sep low C = 10.3

|Oct low C = 7.7

|Nov low C = 4.7

|Dec low C = 2.4

|year low C = 6.6

| Jan record low C = -11.8

| Feb record low C = -10.5

| Mar record low C = -12.5

| Apr record low C = -7.0

| May record low C = -2.3

| Jun record low C = 0.3

| Jul record low C = 1.9

| Aug record low C = 3.0

| Sep record low C = 0.5

| Oct record low C = -3.0

| Nov record low C = -8.7

| Dec record low C = -19.6

|Jan precipitation mm = 57.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 46.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 39.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 44.4

|May precipitation mm = 38.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 57.6

|Jul precipitation mm = 49.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 61.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 53.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 58.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 71.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 66.7

|year precipitation mm = 644.1

|Jan sun = 60.9

|Feb sun = 87.7

|Mar sun = 129.8

|Apr sun = 167.5

|May sun = 211.4

|Jun sun = 194.0

|Jul sun = 202.5

|Aug sun = 188.2

|Sep sun = 145.7

|Oct sun = 108.2

|Nov sun = 70.3

|Dec sun = 55.7

|year sun = 1622.0

|source 1 = Met Office{{efn|Data was calculated from Met Office raw monthly long term data from 1991–2020.}}{{cite web |title=Whitby 1991–2020 averages |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/stationdata/whitbydata.txt |access-date=10 November 2016 |publisher=Met Office |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025170505/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/stationdata/whitbydata.txt |url-status=live }}

| source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather{{cite web|url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php|title=Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature|access-date=7 March 2023|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather|archive-date=1 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173843/http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmin_map.php|title=Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature|access-date=7 March 2023|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather|archive-date=1 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173844/http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmin_map.php|url-status=dead}}

}}

File:Whitby and the River Esk (2011.10.19).jpg

On 5 January 2016 the town was seriously affected by flash floods.{{cite news |date=5 January 2016 |title=UPDATE: Whitby Recovers From Flooding |work=Yorkshire Coast Radio |url=https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/1842539/update-whitby-recovers-from-flooding/ |access-date=11 September 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422070247/https://www.yorkshirecoastradio.com/news/local-news/1842539/update-whitby-recovers-from-flooding/ |url-status=live }} North Yorkshire Police cautioned motorists to drive with "extreme caution" and advised that the area be avoided "unless absolutely necessary".{{cite news |date=5 January 2015 |title=UK weather Whitby North Yorkshire cut off by flash floods |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/12081856/UK-weather-Whitby-north-Yorkshire-cut-off-by-flash-floods.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/12081856/UK-weather-Whitby-north-Yorkshire-cut-off-by-flash-floods.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=6 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}

{{Main|Demographics of Tees Valley}}

According to the 2011 UK census, Whitby parish had a population of 13,213 living in 6,097 households.{{NOMIS2011 | id = 1170217370 | title = Whitby Parish | access-date = 21 March 2018}}

In the 2001 UK census of the total number of 5,973 homes 2,034 were rented and 3,939 were owner occupied.{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Parish Profile – Accommodation and Tenure: Area: Whitby CP (Parish) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=7&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312402317764&enc=1&dsFamilyId=787 |access-date=3 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=10 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910134042/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=7&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312402317764&enc=1&dsFamilyId=787 |url-status=live }}

Of the 5,506 economically active persons aged between 16 and 74, 420 were unemployed.{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Parish Profile – Work and Qualifications: Area: Whitby CP (Parish) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=9&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312402848092&enc=1&dsFamilyId=783 |access-date=3 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912184500/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=9&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312402848092&enc=1&dsFamilyId=783 |url-status=live }} The number of people working in the service industry was 4,113. Approximately 2,500 people were aged under 16, 8,400 were aged 16–64, and 2,700 aged 65 and over.{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Parish Profile – People: Area: Whitby CP (Parish) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=13&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312403134796&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781 |access-date=3 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912184506/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=13&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312403134796&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web |title=2001 Census: Parish Profile – Households: Area: Whitby CP (Parish) |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=14&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312403880624&enc=1&dsFamilyId=785 |access-date=3 August 2011 |website=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |archive-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912184513/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=798227&c=Whitby&d=16&e=14&g=476832&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1312403880624&enc=1&dsFamilyId=785 |url-status=live }}

Note: Between 1801 and 1925 Whitby comprised Whitby, Ruswarp and part of Hawsker civil parishes and (between 1894 and 1925) Helredale civil parish, all of which were merged on 1 April 1925 into the current Whitby area.{{cite web |title=MDFS::Docs.Whitby.Census |url=http://mdfs.net/Docs/Whitby/Census |access-date=8 August 2020 |website=mdfs.net |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126083107/http://mdfs.net/Docs/Whitby/Census/ |url-status=live }}

{{Clear}}

{{For|a complete list|:Category:People from Whitby}}

• Samuel Barnett (1980–), actor
• William Bateson (1861–1926), geneticist, was born in Whitby
• Arthur Brown (1942–), musician best known for being the frontman of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
• William Clarkson (1859–1934), co-founder of the Royal Australian Navy{{cite news |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/navy-hero-sir-william-s-civic-honour-1-1888372 |title=Navy hero Sir William's civic honour |author= |work=Whitby Gazette |pages= |publisher=Johnston Publishing Ltd |date=23 April 2010 |accessdate=28 September 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233326/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/navy-hero-sir-william-s-civic-honour-1-1888372 |archivedate=3 March 2016}}
• Hilda of Whitby (c. 614 – 680), a saint of the early Church in Britain.{{cite CE1913|first=Herbert|last=Thurston|author-link= Herbert Thurston|wstitle=St. Hilda|volume=7}}
• Adam Lyth (1987–), cricketer who was selected as England's opener for the 2015 Ashes series{{cite web |title=Lyth signs three-year Tykes deal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/yorkshire/7716391.stm |website=BBC Sport |access-date=1 October 2023 |date=7 November 2008}}
• Beth Mead (1995–), footballer was born in the town.{{cite news |title=Women's World Cup 2019: Mapping England's Lionesses squad |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48801235 |website=BBC Sport |accessdate=6 September 2019 |date=2 July 2019 |archive-date=2 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702013126/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48801235 |url-status=live }}
• David Mills (footballer) (1951–), former footballer who now works as a scout{{cite news |url=http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,1~1301046,00.html |title=Mills And McQueen Boost Recruitment Team |publisher=Middlesbrough F.C. |date=29 April 2008 |accessdate=29 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502131707/http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C1~1301046%2C00.html |archivedate=2 May 2008 }}
• Mark Richardson (1970–), drummer grew up in Whitby{{cite web |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/mark-richardson-always-insist-on-being-in-the-conversation-thats-a-tip-for-any-drummers |title=Mark Richardson: "Always insist on being in the conversation. That's a tip for any drummer" |publisher=Musicradar |date=12 June 2019}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom}}

Whitby's twin towns include several visited by Captain Cook in ships built in the town.

• Anchorage, Alaska, United States{{cite web |date=17 December 2001 |title=Mayor Maurice heading down under |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/mayor_maurice_heading_down_under_1_1880783 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104184642/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/mayor_maurice_heading_down_under_1_1880783 |archive-date=4 January 2016 |access-date=20 July 2011 |website=Whitby Gazette}}
• Porirua, New Zealand{{cite web |title=Twin City Whitby, England |url=http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Your-Council/International-Relations/Twin-City-Whitby--England |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802053648/http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Your-Council/International-Relations/Twin-City-Whitby--England |archive-date=2 August 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Porirua City Council}}
• Stanley, Falkland Islands{{cite web |date=6 February 2009 |title=Council hosts international visitor |url=http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14242 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928030439/http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=14242 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council}}
• Whitby, Canada{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Twinning can boost economy |url=http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Twinning-boost-economy/story-12780013-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913010133/http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Twinning-boost-economy/story-12780013-detail/story.html |archive-date=13 September 2012 |access-date=13 August 2011 |website=This is Nottingham}}
• Nuku{{Okina}}alofa, Tonga{{cite news |title=10 Things you need to know about The Volcano Lesley Vainikolo |work=Daily Mirror |publisher=Trinity Mirror |location=London |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/top-10s/2008/10/28/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-volcano-lesley-vainikolo-115875-20845262/ |access-date=13 August 2011 |issn=9975-9950 |oclc=223228477 |archive-date=20 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120213409/http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/top-10s/2008/10/28/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-volcano-lesley-vainikolo-115875-20845262/ |url-status=live }}
• Kauai County, Hawaii{{cite web |year=2016 |title=Things to Do in Whitby |url=http://thingstodowhitby.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825180856/http://thingstodowhitby.com/ |archive-date=25 August 2016 |access-date=22 August 2016 |website=thingstodowhitby.com}}
• Osterode, Germany{{cite news |date=4 June 2008 |title=Visit marks 20th anniversary |work=Whitby Gazette |url=http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/visit_marks_20th_anniversary_1_1876456 |url-status=dead |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055732/http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/visit_marks_20th_anniversary_1_1876456 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}

• Port of Whitby
• Ship and boat building in Whitby
• Whitby Rural District

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Barker |first=Malcolm |title=Essence of Whitby |year=2006 |publisher=Great Northern Books |isbn=1-905080-11-5}}
• {{cite book |last=Barker |first=Rosalin |title=The Book of Whitby |year=1990 |publisher=Barracuda |isbn=0-86023-462-2}}
• {{cite book |last=Platt |first=Colin |title=Whitby Abbey |year=1985 |publisher=English Heritage |isbn=1-85074-456-4}}
• {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=F. K. |title=A Glossary of Words used in the neighbourhood of Whitby |date=1875–1876 |publisher=N. Trübner |series=English Dialect Society [Publications]; Series C: Original Glossaries; !V. |location=London}} Francis Kildale Robinson was also the compiler of A Glossary of Yorkshire Words and Phrases Collected in Whitby and the Neighbourhood; by an Inhabitant; 1855.
• {{cite book |last=Stamp |first=Cordelia |title=Whitby Pictorial Memories |year=2006 |publisher=Francis Frith Collection |isbn=1-85937-491-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Waters |first=Colin |title=A History of Whitby's Pubs, Inns and Taverns |year=1992 |publisher=The Author |isbn=0-9519238-0-3}}
• {{cite book |last=Waters |first=Colin |title=Whitby, a Pictorial History |year=1992 |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=0-85033-848-4}}
• {{cite book |last=Waters |first=Colin |title=Whitby Then and Now |year=2004 |publisher=Tempus |isbn=0-7524-3301-6}}
• {{cite book |last=Waters |first=Colin |title=Whitby Then and Now IN COLOUR |year=2011 |publisher=Pitkin |isbn=978-0-7524-6315-5}}
• {{cite book |last=Waters |first=Colin |title=A History of Whitby & its Place Names |year=2011 |publisher=Amberley |isbn=978-1-4456-0429-9}}
• {{cite book |last=White |first=Andrew |title=A History of Whitby |year=2004 |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=1-86077-306-0}}
• {{cite book |last=Williams |first=Michael Aufrère |title=The Whitby-Loftus Line |year=2012 |publisher=Unknown Publisher |isbn=978-0-9567890-1-3}}

{{commons category|Whitby, North Yorkshire}}

{{Wikivoyage|Whitby}}

{{NSRW Poster|Whitby}}

• [http://www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk/ Whitby Town Council]
• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/ram/mappingthetown_20050914.ram Mapping the Town]: the history of Whitby, presented by Julian Richards (BBC Radio 4) (RealAudio format)

{{Geographic location

|Northwest = Sandsend

|North = North Sea

|Northeast =

|West = Newholm-cum-Dunsley

|Centre = Whitby

|East =

|Southwest = Sleights
Aislaby
Eskdaleside cum Ugglebarnby

|South = Ruswarp

|Southeast = Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre
Hawsker
Stainsacre}}

{{coastal settlements

|place = North Yorkshire

|settlement = Whitby

|anticlockwise = Sandsend

|clockwise = Robin Hood's Bay

}}

{{North Yorkshire}}

{{Lighthouses in England}}

{{Authority control | additional=Q26545458,Q28465912,Q26552565,Q28465913}}

{{Good article}}

Category:Civil parishes in North Yorkshire

Category:Fishing communities in England

Category:Populated coastal places in North Yorkshire

Category:Ports and harbours of Yorkshire

Category:Port cities and towns in Yorkshire and the Humber

Category:Seaside resorts in England

Category:Towns in North Yorkshire

Category:Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire

Category:Beaches of North Yorkshire

Category:Whaling in the United Kingdom