1991

1991

During this year, the town's station & Dock End were changing. In January, the Station, which until 1947 had a girdered roof, had the shops on the front demolished. In February, the Tourist Information Centre was started on the newly formed Langborne Road, which opened in June. A sign on New Quay Road, warning motorists of the new roundabout, had to be adjusted. It had 2 supports, but as the pavement was wide, one of the supports was in the middle of the pavement, so it was altered to have one support with an arm near the top. In the first part of this year, plans were approved to convert 3 cottages into 1 house at Ewe Cote at the top end of Castle Road. Plans also included the addition of a garage to the Northern side. Extra moorings for yachts were installed opposite the Middle Earth Tavern. Access to the new pontoon was by Middle Earth landings. This year also saw the opening of Laughton's nightclub above the Big A in New Quay Road. The new nightclub was a former snooker centre.

Pontoon at Middle Earth Landings

Work on the marina was also started, which included a new toilet block & substation. Also in this area, Coates Marine boatyard was started up, from a newly built warehouse, which blocked the footpath between Bog Hall & the Gasworks, causing much up-roar. This was eventually sorted out, and the path re-instated next to Coates Marine. In April, Samson's Gym opened in Cholmley Way on the industrial estate. Also in this month, the whale bones were put back in place after restoration work was carried out on them. In June, work started on the Co-op in Wellington Road, where the Co-op had purchased the department store next door & by knocking a few internal walls down, they were able to extend, & add a more practical staircase for customers to access the first floor. After the extension, all stock was moved from their other store on Baxtergate into this one.

The toilets, which were built in 1991 & pictured here before being knocked down in 2009 & Coates Marine, also built in 1991, which was in the middle of a row over the path from Bog Hall to the Gas Works, which had been blocked off

A dog ban on Whitby Beach was introduced in this year, which meant that from May to September, dogs were not allowed on the section of beach between the Battery Parade & the old Beach Cafe, near the Cliff Lift. In July, the Job Centre & Benefit Office moved into their newly-built home in Sarana House, Bobbies Bank. Roger Steel acquired the site in 1983. He built a retaining wall and re-routed the Bobbies Bank footpath. He was waiting to find out the planning of the Dock End, Railway Station & Co-op developments before he decided on this development. The Job Centre was previously in Baxtergate & Benefit Office in Brunswick Street, which had been separate businesses since 1974, when the Job Centre moved out of Brunswick Street. Inner Space Stations were first to get their foot in, that shop being Bargain Booze now. On 9th July, the new Co-op Superstore opened, with its 194 space car park and creating 120 new jobs. Their staff car park was on the site of the former confectionary warehouse and goods shed. Also in July, scaffolding was erected around the North Transept of Whitby Abbey in a 3 year long major survey of the fabric, which seemed to be found to be in good condition. After the summer season, the swing bridge colour scheme was changed from a drab grey to red. At about this time, a 40ft nautical mast was erected in Dock End, by BT, using a lorry to transport it from Scarborough which they would normally use to transport telegraph poles. In August, the railway station was officially opened, which saw the shops to the station frontage demolished, reverting the frontage back to its former glory, as it appeared before the shops were added in 1927, with the former waiting rooms to the side of the station turned into 6 shops. Also in August, the removal and tidying up Hawsker Bridge was completed, which was ahead of schedule. The soil from here was used to tidy up Mickleby Tip.

Hawsker Road Bridge then & now

For more photos of Hawsker Bridge, please click here

In September, Dock End Car Park was opened, providing a 52 space car park to be used by the public. This was owned by British Rail, although the council did want ownership. Also in this month, the Fairmead changed from being a social club to a public house.

For more photos of the Town Centre from 1990/91, please click here

The photo on the left below shows the rubble after the various huts had been demolished at Dock End to make way for Langborne Road & the Co-op supermarket. Below right is the Co-op store from Windsor Terrace.

Notice the Tourist Information Centre hasn't yet been started in the first 2 photos in this sequence of photos showing the Co-operative Supermarket at various stages during construction,

In the series of photographs below, we are looking at Bobbies Bank, Windsor Terrace & the railway station. In the left hand photo in the first row, the empty space to the left is where Sarana House is about to be built & one can notice the road markings at the road junction for a roundabout, as it still existed at this time; The next 2 photos show the building developments of Sarana House.

Clockwise from above left, we can see the railway station front without the shops the previously occupied the site. On the two photos, Sarana House is nearly complete & we have a good view of the old roundabout, to be taken away in the coming year for good, and Windsor Terrace made a 'T' junction. Finally, on the last photo, we can see the railway station development complete.

For more photos of the Town Centre from this era, please click here

Whitby Town F.C. got their own clubhouse. The clubhouse previously belonged to Whitby Town Supporters Club. Also in this year, permission was granted to build 26 houses on the former market garden at Low Stakesby, which was to become 'Dundas Gardens', built for the North Housing Association. Maximum Security company at Boghall, sited a 40ft tower with a radio mast to monitor security in town. The Larpool Old People's Home got a new garden from a barren land piece. Sleights School got a field off the council, which had an access from Four Acre Drive. The school didn't use it as their school field at that time, and left the access from Four Acre Drive in place so the community could also use it. Rayners pickle factory on Fairfield Way closed, after being open since 1975. The company announced in November that it intended to close by the end of March, but if it got the contents cleared sooner, it would pay it's employees until 31st March. The County Old People's Home, 19 Royal Crescent, closed towards the end of 1991. This year also saw the Royal Hotel bought by Shearing's Holidays, which saw a major increase in residency in the coming years. Also, the town's library had its garage extended to fit a new mobile library van in it. 1991 also saw the building of a dwelling on land near Eskdale Stores, to become 9B Mount Farm Close and Harrisons car sales move out of their home in Crescent Avenue. In this year, Dave Bradley took over the reins of Eskdale School, as he became the new head teacher. Also in this year, plans were passed for a house to be built to become 14 Selstone Crescent, Sleights and also sometime in the near future, a house was built on the same street, to become number 4. Another house was added to the same street in 1999 at number 27. The cut-through, which leads to Coach Road from Selstone Crescent had its bottom two steps removed and tactile paving added to either side of Selstone Crescent sometime around 2005.

Above left: The old unemployment office in Brunswick Street; Centre: The old County Old People's Home at 19 Royal Crescent; Right: 9B Mount Farm Close, built in 1991

Left: 14 Selstone Crescent, built 1991; Right: 4 Selstone Crescent, built sometime later in the same decade