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Port of Whitby
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Port of Whitby
The Port of Whitby is an ancient and historic seaport on the North Yorkshire coast of England. The port lies at the mouth of the River Esk, where it enters into the North Sea. A port has been in existence at Whitby since at least the 7th century, when it was used to bring in supplies for Whitby Abbey. The port is famous for being the port of origin for the sailings of Captain Cook, and some of the ships that he sailed on were also built in the harbour.
Commercial cargo ceased in the late 20th century, however, the port is still an important location for the landing of fish.
No records exist of actual dates when the port started, but fish were being landed at Whitby during the time that the first abbey had been built in 657. It is thought that the port was in what is now the upper harbour (south of the swing bridge, as coastal erosion had not yet subjected the lower harbour cliff walls to collapse, making that side of the estuary too steep to house piers). William de Percy granted the port to the abbey at Whitby, a grant which was confirmed by William II sometime before 1096. In 1122, a dispute was recorded in the collection of tithes from fishermen due to the abbot, which also noted that coal was imported into Whitby.
During the Middle Ages and into the 18th century, the ports of England were administered by the Exchequer, who divided the ports into the main ports, with lesser ports on the coast near to them being labelled as creco or creek ports. Whitby was a creek port of Newcastle with a reach to what is Spital Bridge in the town, but the authority of the port later reached upstream to the tidal limit of Ruswarp.
The port was never equal to other ports in the area such as Hull or Middlesbrough. This is due to the hinterland that surrounded the port, with Whitby being largely cut-off from overland travel until the 18th and 19th centuries, it had no great industries to export or import for, being surrounded on all sides of the river by moorland (except for the coast to the north). Trade through the port accelerated with the coming of the railways, but its main function was either as a shelter for ships from storms in the North Sea, or as a re-supply point. Between 1702 and 1704, the number of collier ships alone totalled 98, Bridlington, Hull and Scarborough only hosted 48, 28 and 54 respectively. The safe haven almost guaranteed at Whitby (and at Scarborough and Bridlington too), allowed the port to charge a levy towards the upkeep of the harbour and piers. The levy also applied to passing trade of coal from many north-eastern locations, with the levy not being rescinded until 1861.
During the era of timber shipbuilding (mid 16th–late 19th centuries), vessels would arrive from the St. Lawrence River carrying timber, masts and bowsprits. These vessels were too large to enter the harbour, and would unload their cargo onto smaller ships in the Whitby Roads. The smaller craft would then enter the harbour to unload the delivery on the dockside. Another method of offloading goods from the ship without actually entering Whitby harbour was to beach the vessel on the sand. This was a common practice for delivering coal to places such as Sandsend, and for which, the Whitby Cats (a flat-bottomed boat), was specifically designed for.
A survey in the 1950s determined that the port at Whitby was not as successful as other neighbouring cargo ports such as Hull, Teesside and West Hartlepool, on account of its lack of urban sprawl, and the absence of warehouses on the dock side with which to store goods in a safe manner before onward export, or inward transportation. It also suffered a loss of traffic due to the depth of the water in the harbour; as the sailing ships gave way to first paddle steamers, and then steel boats of even bigger sizes, the newer ships could not negotiate into the harbour.
Whitby's port was divided into two main sections; the upper harbour south of the swing bridge, and the lower harbour, north of the swing bridge. The lower harbour has been the location of the fish markets during the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1956, a new fish quay was built adjacent to Pier Road on the west bank of the River Esk. Dredging along the lower harbour had damaged the previous fish quay which had been built in 1914. The fish market in Whitby port increased after the railways arrived in the town as this allowed fresh fish to be dispatched across the country at a faster pace than delivered by boat.
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Port of Whitby
The Port of Whitby is an ancient and historic seaport on the North Yorkshire coast of England. The port lies at the mouth of the River Esk, where it enters into the North Sea. A port has been in existence at Whitby since at least the 7th century, when it was used to bring in supplies for Whitby Abbey. The port is famous for being the port of origin for the sailings of Captain Cook, and some of the ships that he sailed on were also built in the harbour.
Commercial cargo ceased in the late 20th century, however, the port is still an important location for the landing of fish.
No records exist of actual dates when the port started, but fish were being landed at Whitby during the time that the first abbey had been built in 657. It is thought that the port was in what is now the upper harbour (south of the swing bridge, as coastal erosion had not yet subjected the lower harbour cliff walls to collapse, making that side of the estuary too steep to house piers). William de Percy granted the port to the abbey at Whitby, a grant which was confirmed by William II sometime before 1096. In 1122, a dispute was recorded in the collection of tithes from fishermen due to the abbot, which also noted that coal was imported into Whitby.
During the Middle Ages and into the 18th century, the ports of England were administered by the Exchequer, who divided the ports into the main ports, with lesser ports on the coast near to them being labelled as creco or creek ports. Whitby was a creek port of Newcastle with a reach to what is Spital Bridge in the town, but the authority of the port later reached upstream to the tidal limit of Ruswarp.
The port was never equal to other ports in the area such as Hull or Middlesbrough. This is due to the hinterland that surrounded the port, with Whitby being largely cut-off from overland travel until the 18th and 19th centuries, it had no great industries to export or import for, being surrounded on all sides of the river by moorland (except for the coast to the north). Trade through the port accelerated with the coming of the railways, but its main function was either as a shelter for ships from storms in the North Sea, or as a re-supply point. Between 1702 and 1704, the number of collier ships alone totalled 98, Bridlington, Hull and Scarborough only hosted 48, 28 and 54 respectively. The safe haven almost guaranteed at Whitby (and at Scarborough and Bridlington too), allowed the port to charge a levy towards the upkeep of the harbour and piers. The levy also applied to passing trade of coal from many north-eastern locations, with the levy not being rescinded until 1861.
During the era of timber shipbuilding (mid 16th–late 19th centuries), vessels would arrive from the St. Lawrence River carrying timber, masts and bowsprits. These vessels were too large to enter the harbour, and would unload their cargo onto smaller ships in the Whitby Roads. The smaller craft would then enter the harbour to unload the delivery on the dockside. Another method of offloading goods from the ship without actually entering Whitby harbour was to beach the vessel on the sand. This was a common practice for delivering coal to places such as Sandsend, and for which, the Whitby Cats (a flat-bottomed boat), was specifically designed for.
A survey in the 1950s determined that the port at Whitby was not as successful as other neighbouring cargo ports such as Hull, Teesside and West Hartlepool, on account of its lack of urban sprawl, and the absence of warehouses on the dock side with which to store goods in a safe manner before onward export, or inward transportation. It also suffered a loss of traffic due to the depth of the water in the harbour; as the sailing ships gave way to first paddle steamers, and then steel boats of even bigger sizes, the newer ships could not negotiate into the harbour.
Whitby's port was divided into two main sections; the upper harbour south of the swing bridge, and the lower harbour, north of the swing bridge. The lower harbour has been the location of the fish markets during the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1956, a new fish quay was built adjacent to Pier Road on the west bank of the River Esk. Dredging along the lower harbour had damaged the previous fish quay which had been built in 1914. The fish market in Whitby port increased after the railways arrived in the town as this allowed fresh fish to be dispatched across the country at a faster pace than delivered by boat.
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