East Cleveland Image Archive

This view of the harbour entrance from the church steps (or the 199 Steps) dates from before 1912 when the pier extensions were built.

Image courtesy of Tina Dowey.

We know we are getting further away but couldn’t resist this photograph of the herring boats leaving Whitby late at night; which provoked some discussion regarding a date. Derick Pearson suggested: “The Herring / Fishing fleet leaving Whitby early in the morning around the turn of the century c1900.” Russ Pigott suggested: “It must be a bit later than 1900 as the picture shows the breakwaters which were added to the existing piers about 1914. Also ,though in no expert on boats. Are they not diesel boats as there are no sails or funnels fo steam boilers?” David Richardson agreed with: “The photograph looks very 1950’s to me.” Help arrived when Jim Hebden advised: ”The photograph of the herring fleet was taken on an evening in the 1950s and the boats going out were ring netters, thay work in pairs and shoot their nets around the school of herring in a ring, so surounding the herring. When this photograph was taken I would still been of school age; when I left school I became a fisherman and in the summer months we went herring fishing.” John White supported with: “I agree with Jimmy on that 1950’s, I was a 14 year old who went off drifting for herring on the OCEAN VENTURE a few times.” John Tweddle assisted with: “This image is very similar to one I recall as a child taken in the early 1900’s by Edmund Hall then the staff photographer of the Whitby Gazette. I believe it once appeared as the front page of a Whitby Tourist guide. His photograph was taken from up by the Abbey and had the reflection of the moon on the water over the departing herring fleet, very similar to the water colour by John Freeman. I have tried in vain to find the photograph. To declare my interest, Edmund Hall was my great grandfather. It was reported in the Whitby Gazette article on the occasion of a dinner to mark his 60 years at Horne Bros in 1931 that he was responsible for the greater part of the photographs that had appeared in the Gazette over the last 30 years i.e. from 1900 onwards.”

Image from a disc compiled by Derick Pearson, thanks to Jim Hebden for such definite information; also thanks to Russ Pigott, David Richardson, John White and John Tweddle for the updates.

An early view of Whitby from the harbour side station. The image is from ”Photographic View Album of Whitby” – photographed and printed by Valentine & Sons Ltd, Dundee.

This image from – “Photographic View Album of Whitby” – photographed and printed by Valentine & Sons Ltd., Dundee, is very reminiscent of other pictures by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe; particularly the inclusion of the eternal ‘urchins’ to create a point of interest in the image.

This image of Larpool, from – “Photographic View Album of Whitby” – photographed and printed by Valentine & Sons Ltd., Dundee, shows the River Esk without the now familiar road bridge crossing; so avoiding the congestion that often occurs at the swing bridge.