WHITBY is well known today as a seaside resort and a picturesque place
to visit, with its piers, boats, fine sands and, overlooking its tangle
of red-roofed houses, the ruins of its Abbey in one of the most splendid
settings in Britain for such romantic remains. But few of its many
visitors would guess the long history of the town or its significance,
from time to time, in national affairs.Its fine natural harbour, one of
the few on the east coast, gave it early importance as a place of refuge
and a fishing port. By the mid-7th century a royal monastery was
established on the east cliff. Ruled for many years by the famous Abbess
Hilda, it was destroyed by the Vikings, then rebuilt by the Norman,
Reinfrid. The Middle Ages saw quiet growth but the 17th century brought
great prosperity, with shipbuilding on a scale out of all proportion to
its size, serving the coal trade between the Tyne and the Thames, with
many of the sturdy 'colliers' built and owned here; and the rapid growth
of whaling, with similar implications. Indeed, Captain Cook's four
ships, used on his great voyages of exploration, were all built
here.Long isolated, except by sea, Whitby developed a very distinctive
set of traditions and folklore. Not until a horse-drawn railway was
built in the 1830s did Whitby's inland communications improve, bringing
visitors for whom hotels and boarding houses were built on the west
cliff. Queen Victoria made Whitby jet fashionable, while the town's
geology brought trade in alum and in superbly preserved fossils. Largely
derived from its unusual past, the town's unique character draws
thousands of visitors each year; and the first edition of this book, in
1993, was as much welcomed by them as by the locals. The only
comprehensive history of Whitby, it rapidly sold out and Dr White, its
author, of ancient Whitby stock, has now fully revised and updated his
book, with some new illustrations and interpretations. This new edition
will continue as the definitive work on the town, as well as a very
entertaining story.
