Staithes

Coordinates: 54°33′23″N 0°47′44″W / 54.5564°N 0.79561°W / 54.5564; -0.79561
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Staithes
North Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°33′23″N 0°47′44″W / 54.5564°N 0.79561°W / 54.5564; -0.79561

Staithes is a village in

North York Moors National Park
.

History

The name Staithes derives from Old English and means 'landing-place'.[2] It has been suggested that it is so named after being the port for the nearby Seaton Hall and Hinderwell.[3] The spelling Steeas is sometimes used to indicate the traditional local dialect pronunciation /stɪəz/.[4]

At the turn of the 20th century, there were 80 full-time fishing boats putting out from Staithes. A hundred years later there are still a few part-time fisher men. There is a long tradition of using the coble (a traditional fishing vessel) in Staithes.[5][6]

Staithes

Staithes has numerous narrow streets and passageways; one of these, Dog Loup, with a width of just 18 inches (45.7 cm), is claimed to be the narrowest alley in the world.[7] It was reported in 1997 that the Royal Mail were encouraging the occupants of Staithes to number their houses instead of relying on names. Whilst the usual postperson had no difficulty with the narrow streets and cottages, the relief postal staff were getting confused. Royal Mail also claimed it would aid the efficiency of their postal machines which automatically read the addresses.[8]

Geography

The oldest and best-known part of the village is clustered around the sheltered

harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters.[9] The more modern upper village is located at the top of the hill, centred on the junction of the High Street and the A174 road.[10]

A mile to the west is Boulby Cliff where, for a brief period, alum was extracted from quarried shale and used as a mordant to improve the strength and permanency of colour when dying cloth. The mining operation ended when a cheaper chemical method was developed.[11] The ruined remnants of the mines can be seen from the cliff top when walking the Cleveland Way between Staithes and Skinningrove.[12]

  • Breakwater
    Breakwater
  • View of the harbour from above
    View of the harbour from above
  • A street in Staithes
    A street in Staithes
  • Staithes rooftops
    Staithes rooftops

Geology

Staithes is a destination for

ammonites and many visitors spend hours cracking open the shaly rocks on the shoreline in the hope of finding a perfect specimen.[14]

Churches

The parish church is St Peter, Staithes. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea was built in 1885.

Transport

Between 1883 and 1958, the village was served by Staithes railway station which was on the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway.[15] The southern end of the village is bisected by the A174 road between Thornaby-on-Tees and Whitby.[16]

Culture and events

The permanent population of Staithes has decreased since the 1970s, due to the decline of the fishing and mining industries and an increase in second homes and holiday cottages. Because of this, many of the village's traditions are no longer practiced.

Staithes

Second World War when fabric was being rationed, and the women would recycle their dresses into headgear. A black bonnet was worn during the deep mourning period, which was then swapped, after a period of 2-3 years, for a mauve or lavendar bonnet during half-mourning. There are a few women left in the village who still sew Staithes Bonnets.[17]

Men of Staithes are a fishermen's choir who perform sea shanties and hymns in the village.

The Roxby Run is a local pub crawl. It starts at The Fox and Hounds in the nearby village of Dalehouse then goes to Staithes Athletic Club, The Captain Cook Inn, The Black Lion (now closed) The Royal George before finishing at The Cod and Lobster on the harbour front.[18]

Staithes Museum is located in the disused primitive methodist chapel on Staithes High Street. The museum was set up by Reginald Firth in 1993 and houses a collection relating to the history of Staithes and Captain James Cook who lived in the village as a teenager. In 2019 the Museum was taken on by a charitable trust.

Staithes and Runswick RNLI Lifeboat Weekend takes place in August each year and features a nightgown parade. The event raises money for, and encourages participation with the Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station.[19]

Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage takes place in September each year. The first event was held in 2012.[13] Houses and other properties throughout the village open their doors to the public as pop-up galleries, creating a trail through the village. In addition, events celebrating the heritage of Staithes are held.[20]

Staithes in popular culture

Several episodes of The Fast Show feature sketches filmed in Staithes.

The series Old Jack's Boat, starring Bernard Cribbins, was set and filmed in Staithes,[21] with Old Jack's house located at 4 Cowbar Bank.[22]

The film Phantom Thread features scenes filmed in Staithes.[23]

The 2020 Christmas special of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing saw Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse was filmed in Staithes. A local tour guide noted that the village's appearance on the show had caused interest in the village to go "ballistic".[24]

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees. Television signals are received from the Bilsdale TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter.[25]

Local radio stations are

Coast and County Radio
.

Staithes is covered by these local newspapers, Whitby Gazette and TeessideLive.

Sport

Staithes Athletic Club Cricket Club ground is situated off Seaton Crescent, Staithes.[26] The club has two senior teams: a Saturday 1st XI that compete in the Scarborough Beckett Cricket League,[27] a Midweek Senior XI in the Esk Valley Evening League[28] and a junior section that compete in the Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League.[29]

Notable people

James Cook worked in Staithes as a shop keeper's apprentice between 1745 and 1746.[30] He was apprenticed to local merchant and banker William Sanderson. Sanderson's shop, where Cook lived and worked, was destroyed by the sea c.1850,[16] but parts were recovered and incorporated into Captain Cook's Cottage on Church Street.[31]

Artists

The village was home to a group of around 50 artists known as the Staithes Group, or Northern Impressionists. The group was made up of painters such as Edward E. Anderson, Joseph R. Bagshawe, Thomas Barrett and James W. Booth; with Dame Laura Knight and her husband Harold Knight working in the village for many years.[32] The group mainly painted en plein air in oils and water colours and were inspired by the French impressionists.[33]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780319242667
    .
  2. ISBN 0-19-869103-3
    .
  3. ^ "Staithes conservation area appraisal" (PDF). northyorkmoors.org.uk. North York Moors National Park Authority. January 2001. p. 3. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  4. ISBN 1-85825-016-1
  5. ^ "Ports.org.uk / Staithes". www.ports.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  6. ^ "From Captain Cook to CBeebies at the seaside". Yorkshire Evening Post. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  7. ^ "A Travel guide to the seaside town of Staithes, Yorkshire". Travel Earth. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ^ Burnham, Nigel (24 March 1997). "Number's up for Captain Cook's village". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Better moorings for Staithes harbour". Whitby Gazette. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Images of the Old Fishing Village". www.staithes-town.info. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Boulby Alum Quarries and works (1018336)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  12. ISBN 978-1849654128
    .
  13. ^ a b "Picture Post: Wave of visitors for Staithes, courtesy of children's TV show". The Yorkshire Post. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  14. ^ Appleby, John (11 August 2014). "Hanging by a thread: Whitby's jet and fossil hunters". The Guardian.
  15. ^ "Disused Stations: Staithes Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  16. ^
    ISBN 1-84353-249-2
    .
  17. ^ Jeffels, David (30 June 2010). "Keeping the fishing bonnets tradition alive in Staithes". Gazette & Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Staithes - The North Yorkshire Gallery". The North Yorkshire Gallery. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  19. ^ Robson, Dave (9 August 2018). "Staithes Lifeboat Weekend to go ahead despite rock fall tragedy". Gazette Live. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Staithes Festival". Staithes Festival of Art and Heritage. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  21. ^ "Staithes showcased in children's TV programme Old Jack's Boat". Whitby Gazette. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Staithes". www.yorkshireguides.com. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  23. North York Moors National Park
    . Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  24. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Freeview Light on the Staithes (Redcar and Cleveland, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Staithes Athletic Club CC website". staithesathletic.play-cricket.com. Staithes Athletic Club Cricket Club. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Scarborough Beckett Cricket League". scarboroughbeckettlge.play-cricket.com. SBCL. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  28. ^ "Esk Valley Evening League". eskvalleyeveninglge.play-cricket.com. EVEL. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Derwent Valley Junior Cricket League". derwentvalleyjcl.play-cricket.com. DVJCL. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  30. ISBN 0-8047-2009-6.
    - "Captain James Cook's early life at Staithes"
    . www.staithes-town.info. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  31. ^ "James Cook in the North East - Staithes and Whitby". www.captcook-ne.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Forgotten work by Staithes Group artist goes under the hammer". Yorkshire Post. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  33. ^ "Eminent Staithes Group artwork hidden away for a century". Whitby Gazette. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
    - "Hidden talents". The Northern Echo. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Staithes.
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