Whitby

The Whitby Jet Heritage Centre is located at the end of Church Street, one of Whiby's oldest, and still cobbled, streets. Church Street boasts a variety of shops, galleries, pubs and restaurants, and terminates at the foot of the famous 199 steps which lead up to Whitby Abbey.

The abbey was founded in 657 AD and under the charge of St Hilda it hosted the Synod of Whitby in 664 when it was decided to uphold the Roman rather than Celtic Christian customs of worship thus profoundly influencing British political and religious history ever since. The abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt on a number of occasions and the present ruins date from the Benedictine Abbey of 1220.

Also at the top of these steps is St Marys church and the churchyard in which the ill fated Lucy and her friend Mina from Bram Stoker's gothic novel Dracula would sit looking over the harbour and talking to Mr Swales.

Looking back across the Esk in the opposite direction from his vantage point on the top of the west cliff stands a monument to Whiby's most famous resident Captain James Cook (1728-1779). Cook came to here to be apprenticed to Captain John Walker and learnt his seaman's skills, sailing out of Whitby on Walker's ships. His own ships the 'Endeavour', 'Resolution', 'Adventure' and 'Discovery' which he used for his famous Voyages of Discovery were all built in Whitby.

These are only a few of the attractions and famous characters of Whitby. Other pages on this site give details of Whitby's jet industry, past and present, which is of course our own particular field of expertise and below we have provided a few links to other sites which we feel may be of interest to those wanting to explore further.

		The Whitby Jet Heritage Centre features prominently in The Night of The Red Devil, a delightful childrens book by our friend Theresa Tomlinson. Click the image to visit her site.
The Sutcliffe Gallery		See Whitby through the lens of pioneer Victorian photographer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe (1853-1941) including a picture (Subject # 53) of a Jet Workshop like the one on our premises.
The Black Horse		When the work is done, a pint in The Black Horse provides the ideal lubricant for a dusty throat.
The Seacliffe Hotel		The Seacliffe Hotel and Candlelight Restaurant offers first-rate ensuite accommodation and fresh seafood.
Bobbins		Wool, Crafts and Antiques situated at the old Wesley Hall on Chuch Street.
Jewellery shop 2		Jewellery shop 2 produces unique bespoke pieces for discerning clients.
Tourist Information		Area maps, events calendars, pictures and pretty much everything else you might want.