Famous people and Whitby: Lewis Carroll

Whitby is famous for?

Whitby (St Hilda's) Abbey, Dracula, Bram Stoker, Captain Cook, Whitby Goths, Whitby Regatta, Whitby Whaling, Fishing, St Mary's Church, Whitby Jet, Whitby Witches, Whitby Town, The Whitby Seagull, 199 Steps, Harbour, Whitby Piers, Shipping Trades, Alum Production, B&Bs, The East Cliff, Captain William Scoresby, Fisherman's Cottages, Whitby's Yards, Steps and cobbled streets, Fish and Chips, The Endeavour, Ghost Walks, Sea Food, Seaside, The West Cliff, Whitby Folk Festival, Caedmon, Frank Sutcliffe, Whitby Kippers, Lobster, Crabs and Scampi, Synod of A.D. 664, Australian 'First Fleet' supply vessels,

Do you know any other things Whitby is famous for? Let us know and we'll add it to the list, see here!

Discover Whitby's street names and their history here

Break the ice, Jury, Binge drinking, Incredible Hulk, Down the hatch, ...discover these and many more well known phrases from our maritime past here

Find out about the building styles and architecture found in the buildings of Whitby here.

Whitby in times gone by, ads from the past here

Old Whitby Ad

Lewis Carroll, author of "Alice in Wonderland" (pub in 1865) and Through the Looking Glass (pub 1871), was supposedly inspired to write his poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by his walks along Whitby beach. Lewis Carroll often stayed at what used to be called Barnard's Hotel between 1854 and 1871, now called La Rosa, No 5 East Terrace. A Plaque from the Whitby Civic Society can be found there commemorating his stay. The plaque unveiled by the Mayor of Whitby in 1998. Lewis Carroll wrote his first poem "The Lady of the ladle", which was set in whitby and appeared in the Whitby Gazette at the time.

La Rosa Hotel - Lewis Carroll