Whitehaven was just a fishing village on the Cumbrian coast until the
port was developed by the Lowther family in the seventeenth century to
export coal from the Cumberland coalfield. In the next century it
benefitted from the trade in tobacco, sugar and other products with the
West Indies to become the second busiest port in the country. The wealth
brought to the area was demonstrated by a new town, the most complete
example of a Georgian planned town in Britain. Built on a grid system,
the town has over 170 listed buildings. Alongside the Old Fort and
Whitehaven Castle, which later became the hospital, are historic houses,
shops, churches, civic buildings, hotels, public houses and banks as
well as reminders of Whitehaven's industrial heritage around the
harbour, the colliery and the railway. Although the port has declined in
recent years and mining ceased in the area, the harbour has been
regenerated with a marina and the old colliery buildings preserved and
turned into a museum. Whitehaven in 50 Buildings explores the history of
this fascinating Cumbrian town through a selection of its most
interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have
taken place in Whitehaven over the years. The book will appeal to all
those who live in Whitehaven or who have an interest in the town.
