Once the seventh busiest port

The town’s history as an important sea port dates back to 1336.

In later years the town earned a reputation for the strength and quality of the vessels built locally for the coasting trade.

There was a period when Whitby was famed as a whaling port, which reached its height in 1814 when eight ships took 172 whales.

From 1753 they hunted the Greenland Right Whale which was 60 feet long and harmless to man but the rewards were high.

When there were none available to catch the whalers would bring home seals, polar bears, arctic foxes and walruses.

In 1837 whalers made their last voyage to Greenland.

They were beaten by competition from gas and mineral oil, and increasing scarcity of whales.

The only reminder of the whaling days is a pair of whalebones on West Cliff overlooking the harbour.

By 1828 Whitby ranked as the seventh port in the whole of England as far as tonnage was concerned.

In 1702 Whitby was recognised as being a useful harbour of refuge for the many small coasting vessels and Parliament provided for the maintenance of the piers.

Between then and 1861 while the Act was still in force, the West pier was repeatedly enlarged and repaired.

Small piers were constructed within the harbour to break the force of the waves.

The fluted Doric column for the west pier lighthouse was built 23 years before its counterpart was erected on the stone extension of the East pier in 1854.

The final extensions to the piers were made in 1912, not entirely successfully as they slowed down the water so much that it became necessary to dredge the harbour.

The red-painted capstans on both piers date back to the days of sail.

Today, trawlers and the smaller cobles still unload their catches on the fish quay for sale at the market which used to spill over into Pier Road in the more abundant days of fishing.

Today it is all under one roof — but the attraction of eating fish is still the same.