Having explored Whitby Abbey's history and its buildings why not do the same for the town itself? This trail will let you discover more about the history of Whitby and its buildings.
Click PAUSE ll when a photo appears, then PLAY > when you've read the information and are ready to continue.
Pre-booked school groups can collect a 'paper' version of this trail along with activity sheets and resources to use as part of their visit to the Abbey.
If you look carefully you will notice that some of the steps are much wider than others. This was apparently for resting a coffin on, in the days when the deceased were carried by friends and family up to the church. The Church Steps have long been part of Whitby. The earliest recorded evidence of them is a painting of 1717, although they no doubt existed long before this. Today there are 199 steps.
This street was originally much longer with over 100 houses and called Haggerlythe. The cliff behind the houses was unstable and landslides in 1787 and 1871 destroyed many of the houses, leaving a much shorter street. If you now look along Henrietta Street you can see just how close to the cliff the houses are built. Notice that the extensions on the back butt right up to the rock face.
As you come down on to the pier you get more of a sense of Whitby's maritime heritage. This pier is on the site of the original East Pier, dating back to at least the 1600s. The pier was also known later as Burgess Pier. It was made its present length in c1765. It was where the lifeboat was kept from 1822-1863. This is where boats would have been tied to the pier and you can imagine boats coming and going, unloading their cargos.
Whitby's natural harbour was always a place of refuge for passing ships. From 1702, however, all ships stopping in the harbour had to pay a toll (tax). This money was used to extend and improve the harbour. It also helped the town to develop as a port and a centre for ship building, a trade which went on here for over 200 years.
This is how the pier looked in 1929. Take a few moments to compare this picture with what you can see today. Try to list all the things that have changed and all the things that have stayed the same. Why do you think some things have changed?
This is just one of many jet shops in Whitby. Jet is wood that is millions of years old and has been compressed into stone (fossilised). Jewellery made from Whitby jet became very popular in Victorian times because of Queen Victoria's fashion for wearing black mourning clothes. The conditions for jet workers were often bad. Hundreds of men and boys worked long hours in cramped and dusty conditions to make the jewellery.
This inn was built in the late 18th century. The first stage coach from Whitby to York ran from here in 1788. Its original name, the White Horse and Griffin, was an acknowledgement to the Cholmley family. They were the Lords of the Manor and had a griffin on their coat of arms. What clues do this sign give about how people got around in the past?
In the 1740s this house belonged to a Captain Walker. He took on apprentices to learn about sailing ships used in the coal trade. It was in the attics of this building, from 1746, that the future Captain Cook lived when he was apprenticed to Captain Walker. In 1755 Cook left to join the Navy, but remained good friends with Captain Walker.
Architecture Challenge - Look at the date plaque on the wall. Then look at your architecture cards. Do the dates match? Look all around the outside of the building - can you tell what has happened to this building?
This house is now a museum if you wish to visit it and discover more about Captain Cook.
The earliest reference to a bridge here is from 1327. It has been vital to Whitby's development as a town, not only for access but also for the ship building industry. The width of the bridge and the height it could open to limited the size of the ships that could be built in the ship yards further up the river.
Take a few moments to read more about the current bridge and then cross back to the other side of the river.
After crossing the bridge stop and look across at the buildings and streets ahead. This area was originally the Old Market Place and was an important meeting area. It was where the major streets of Baxtergate, Golden Lion Bank and St Ann's Staith all joined up. It is now a busy road and the area seems much more open than it would have done in the past.
Make your way back to the abbey via Sandgate. As you walk along look up above the shop fronts. Use your architecture cards to try and date some of the shops. Why not see if you can work out the type of brick bond used as well?
The town hall was built in 1788 by Jonathan Pickernell of Whitby. He was also an engineer who worked on the harbour and built the West Pier. The Hall was paid for by Nathaniel Cholmley (Lord of the Manor). The Cholmleys became an important family in Whitby after the Dissolution of the monasteries. It was a Richard Cholmley who bought the abbey in 1555. This Town Hall and Market Place replaced the old market place on the other side of the river.
As you continue to walk back keep looking up above the shops to see how many you can date using your architecture cards.
As you reach the bottom of the Church Steps glance to your right to find Kiln Yard. (If you are doing the Whitby Yards Worksheet - did you get them all?) Peer into the Yard today and then compare your view with this photo from the past. It shows workers' housing with a washing tub standing by the drain. Whitby had many similar yards (many of which you may have spotted). They were built behind the original houses which fronted the main streets. They provided small, cheap houses for people who moved to Whitby to find work. Some also acted as passages between the main streets.
And finally, if the weather is nice and dry why not walk back up to the abbey via the Donkey Road? This was the route used to take everything up to the abbey, either carried by hand or pulled up on donkey carts. Notice how there are raised rows of bricks. These were to help people and animals keep their grip when the path was wet - mind you don't trip on them though.
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