Whitby : Whaling

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,

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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

Whaling in whitby was, during the middle of the 18th century a common and prosperous trade. It was William Scoresby who made whaling famous by catching 60 whales in one trip. Whitby has a plaque to William Scoresby at his former address 14 Badgale which can be visited today. Whaling came to an end in around 1840, many of the ships had been wrecked. Whaling was a hazardous job, many sailors were killed, and ships damaged or sunk. The killing of the whales was done by hand and harpoon, from small boats lowered from the main ship. The main use of whales was to make oil from the blubber. The last whaling ship to sail from whitby was the Camden.

William Scoresby

Discover the maritime history and origin of everyday sayings and words with The Whitby Seagull.