[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
My visit to Whitby was rather short, but sufficiently interesting for me to want to come back. I thought that the pubs were particularly impressive, but there are numerous museums that I’d have liked to have visited as well. And some more pubs…..
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
There’s a storm gate on Whitby pier to prevent people from going out fishing (or indeed anything else….) in dangerous conditions, and it’s a particularly impressive gate. It was designed by James Godbold who runs a blacksmiths in Egton, located just outside of Whitby. It’s made of galvanised steel and there’s an old ship portrayed on one side, and a more recent one on the other.
The plaque, dated 2005, which is located next to the storm gate, as “a tribute to the fisherman, merchantmen, whalers, explorers and all seafarers of Whitby past and present”.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
West Pier Lighthouse stands over 20 metres high and is located on one side of the harbour’s entrance. I didn’t realise until afterwards that following some restoration work that visitors are allowed to climb up the tower which seems an interesting little expedition.
The lighthouse was erected in 1831 and the engineer in charge was Francis Pickernell. Princess Victoria visited the lighthouse in 1834 and there’s another on the other side of the harbour, which is brilliantly named the East Pier Lighthouse… The lighthouse remained in use until 1912 and it was then replaced by more sophisticated methods of alerting shipping to the dangers of crashing into the harbour wall.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
I rather like the name of these former public facilities, they were known as the Old Khyber Pass toilets and had a location near to the harbour. Unfortunately, the council has decided to close them and replace them with facilities where visitors to the town have to pay to get in. Which will have the result of inconveniencing visitors, excuse the pun, and seeing more people sneak into Wetherspoons and similar businesses to use their toilets.
The council are selling the premises with the potential for A1, A3 or A5 consent to be granted. This means that there is still scope for good news, as this would allow Greggs to take over the site and open an outlet in a town where they currently don’t have a shop.
[I originally posted this in August 2018 but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
The lighting when I visited wasn’t very good unfortunately, but this statue of Captain James Cook looks out onto Whitby Harbour. Admiral Lord Charles Beresford unveiled this statue, designed by John Tweed, in September 1912. The monument was funded by Sir Gervase Beckett, a banker who was also the MP for the area.
I also discovered, whilst busy on Wikipedia, that there’s a statue of Cook near Admiralty Arch in London. I’ve walked by that many times without realising who it was….
This plaque was added to the monument in 1968 to mark the 200th anniversary since the first European exploration of Australia.
“Around the world, nothing left unturned”.
There’s a plaque which gives some information about Cook’s life, but what particularly caught my eye was the 80-mile Captain Cook tour. Unfortunately, it lost my interest when I saw it was a tour for cars and not for long distance walkers….
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]
This interesting little park seemed rather out of place when I walked by it, hemmed in by a Poundland on one side and a car park to the rear. It has though transpired (to me at least) that this patch of land had rather fallen into disrepair and become a location for anti-social behaviour, so it was decided by the council to improve it.
Coming from Norwich, the council here tends to define improving something as knocking it down and building a car park on top of it. Then they can cheer that they’ve managed to encourage even more cars to come into the city centre, whilst not actually managing to ever properly fund public transport. But, in Whitby, money was found to theme this little park around Alice, one of the creations of Lewis Carroll.
Carroll has some connections to Whitby as he came here on holiday on at least six occasions, and it was the Whitby Gazette who published his first poem in 1854.
There are three themed benches in the park, all related to works by Carroll. Given that the park is now of interest to visitors and is a little bit of a talking point, I thought this was rather an charming idea by local residents and politicians, and there is apparently more work planned for the site.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
The last stop of my visits to pubs in Whitby mentioned in the Good Beer Guide was to the Station Inn. It’s an interesting pub with a main bar area and two smaller rooms located off of it. There was a vibrant feel to the pub, but it remained friendly and welcoming.
I was a little confused as to why the pub seemed relatively modern and didn’t seem to be of a contemporary date to the railway station opposite, but it appears that it was reconstructed in the 1930s. It was also known as the Cutty Sark until the 1980s, although the current name seems more appropriate.
Is this real? I’m veering on the side of thinking that it’s not.
There are numerous historic signs relating to the railway industry on the walls of the pub.
The real ales are listed on a blackboard and there were around seven available during my visit. I went for the Whitby Jet Black which is from the local Whitby Brewery and it had a pleasant taste with a chocolate flavour.
This was another Whitby pub where locals burst into song, all adding positively to the friendly ambience. The staff in the pub were personable and welcoming despite how busy they were, with no seats available during my visit.
The pub is located opposite the railway station and is also in an area that would attract tourists, but it still had the feel of an authentic locals’ pub which was welcoming to all. The Station Inn has also won numerous CAMRA awards, with a few real ciders to choose from in addition to all of the real ales.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
Located at the base of the steps up to Whitby Abbey this is an interesting and quirky pub. I was though unable to find out anything about its history either in the pub or on its web-site, although the Good Beer Guide mentions it’s been trading since at least the nineteenth century.
I tried both the Theakston XB and the Theakston Old Peculier and they were both excellent and tasted well-kept.
Seems reasonable….
If a pub has to have live music, then some singing (without microphones) or folk type music is my preferred style of performance… The locals in the pub were having a rather lovely time playing, and I thought they were doing an excellent job. As live music goes, this is good!
I didn’t eat at the pub, but the selection seemed fairly priced and interesting. There is a restaurant in the pub, which appears to be located downstairs and also at the rear of the main part of the pub, although there’s also plenty of space for those just wanting a drink.
The service in the pub was efficient, timely and friendly, with the bar staff being happy and willing to talk about the real ales. I particularly liked that despite being in a touristy location, the pub still felt that it was a pub for locals and visitors alike, with the prices being reasonable.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
The Little Angel is another pub which is mentioned in the Good Beer Guide and it is also thought that a castle might have been situated on this site at some point. I’m rather doubtful on that point for various reasons, but it has been trading since at least the eighteenth century and the building is older.
The name “Little Angel” initially feels modern, but it’s the original name of the pub and it’s to distinguish it from the “Big Angel” located nearer to the harbour, which is now the JD Wetherspoon Angel Hotel.
I liked the beer selection here, it was well balanced and the 1872 Porter from Elland Brewery was well-kept and at the appropriate temperature. It’s a slightly sweet porter and it has some strength, coming in with an ABV of 6.5%.
I’d already started on the beer selection, but the cider options were tempting and it’s nice to see a little display like this on the front bar.
Live music isn’t for me, but the pub has an excellent reputation for it. For me, and based only on that, this was the negative that meant I didn’t like this pub quite as much as the others I visited on the same evening. The music meant that customers weren’t engaging in the same way as in other pubs, but bearing in mind this is a self-described Goth pub which focuses on music, it’d be a little surprising if it was any other way.
As for the pub itself, it’s three rooms and has a fair amount of seating. It doesn’t serve food at the moment, but it’s spacious and the building itself is interesting because of its history. I liked the friendliness of the welcome and the bar staff seemed to be helpful and polite and the pub is doing well at winning local and national awards.
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
This pub is thought to be one of the oldest in Whitby and it is has been trading, perhaps, for as long as seven hundred years. These claims are nearly always fanciful, such as the debate over the oldest pub in Nottingham, but they’re interesting and add character.
The pub’s web-site also tells the interesting story that until 1828 the pub was called The White Horse and there was a scam going on with another pub of the same name which meant that advance payments were taken by the wrong pub, so the traveller turned up and had to pay again. A magistrate decided in 1828 that enough was enough, with this pub’s name being changed to the Black Horse.
The pub was nearly full when I entered, both the front and the back bar having no seats available. There were people signing shanty type songs in the front bar and the atmosphere was warm, welcoming and charming. The photo above is the nearest that I could get to the real ale pumps…..
The bar staff were attentive and helpful, being able to explain the real ales which were available. Unfortunately, the busy nature of the pub meant that I never quite worked out how many real ales they had, but it was at least four and probably more. There’s also a tapas menu available with local breads and cheeses, and it looked inventive and rather appealing.
The Good Beer Guide mentioned that the pub sold snuff in tins, an interesting item to sell in today’s smoke-free pub environments. There was a selection of different flavours, apparently with slightly cryptic names deliberately so that they didn’t look tempting to youngsters.
The pub’s web-site also mentions that the building has been used as a funeral directors, a spirit warehouse and a brothel. I also note from old newspapers that the pub was owned by John Collinson in the late nineteenth century, who operated a forge from the site and who also worked as a veterinary surgeon. The front bar itself is also relatively unchanged from when it was put in during the late nineteenth century.
A plaque outside of the front of the pub, indicating that Tetley consider it to be one of their more historic locations. The prices in the pub were very reasonable, the welcome was friendly and the beer was well-kept. Definitely a recommended first port of call for anyone visiting Whitby for the first time, although space is likely often at a premium.
