Whitby Harbour Lighthouses

The Whitby Harbour Lighthouses stand at the mouth of the River Esk. Whitby is the only deepwater anchorage on the North Yorkshire coast and became famous as a whaling port. While the whalers are long gone, the town still maintains an impressive fleet of trawlers.

Although located on the east coast, Whitby harbour faces due north, making entry difficult in certain conditions. A wooden pier was built at the end of the west side in 1632 and on the east side in 1702. At first, a mast with a lantern holding three candles was used to guide vessels, but this was soon found inadequate.

In 1831, Jonathan Pickernell constructed a new west breakwater. His son Francis, serving as harbour engineer, designed a 70-foot sandstone lighthouse in Grecian-Doric style, topped with a hexagonal lantern. The West Pier lighthouse showed a fixed green light two hours either side of high water, signalling that there was sufficient depth over the bar. The light was first exhibited in 1835.

A new east breakwater followed in 1855, complete with its own sandstone lighthouse. This lighthouse displayed both red and green fixed lights: the red warned vessels of Whitby Rock to the south, while the green guided them safely into harbour.

The west light’s range was originally five miles, later extended to ten when the east light was established. The east light had a range of eight miles.

In 1914, both breakwaters were extended, and new lights were added at their seaward ends: fixed green on the west pier and fixed red on the east. The original sandstone lighthouses continued to serve harbour entry, with the west pier light still indicating depth with its fixed green signal around high tide.

A fog signal was later introduced on the west pier, sounding a three-second blast every 30 seconds, though it was only used when ships were expected.

By the 1970s, neither of the old lighthouses was in active use, and both fell into neglect. They were later restored, and the West Pier lighthouse was opened to the public.

Alongside the harbour lighthouses, two further lights were built at Ling Hill near Hawsker: Whitby High and Low Lighthouses, designed to mark Whitby Rock.

Whitby’s Wider Heritage

Located in Pannett Park, Whitby Museum is worth a visit. Amongst its exhibits is a former paraffin vapour burner from Whitby High Lighthouse.

The town has many other claims to fame. In 1768, Captain James Cook set sail from here aboard the Endeavour on his voyage to the Pacific. A statue on the west cliff commemorates Cook’s achievements, and the Captain Cook Museum in Grape Lane tells more of the story. Near Cook’s statue stands a whalebone arch, symbolising the town’s links with the whaling trade.

Whitby is also renowned for its fossilised wood, known as Whitby Jet, and for its literary connections. Bram Stoker set scenes of his Gothic horror book Dracula on the 199 steps leading through the old town to St Mary’s Church and the abbey ruins. Today, Whitby hosts an annual Goth festival that attracts fans from across the world.