Whitby

In Living Memory

2015

We started the new year with the demolition of Sandsend Surgery, which was started in the last month of 2014 with the main demolition work occurring around 22nd January of this year, after plans were passed earlier in 2014 to replace the building with a more modern, 2-storey structure, featuring living accommodation above, the home of Dr. Suckling. Patients were dealt with at Churchfield Surgery, Sleights in the meantime, with a prescription delivery service offered to Sandsend residents. The demolition didn't take very long at all and work was soon started on digging out the foundations for the new building, that stage having been completed by mid-April. Steel pilings were also put in place to support the small bank behind the surgery & frame work for the new building was started by August. The installation of the pilings was unexpected and so work fell behind schedule as the new building was meant to welcome its first patients by December. Rendering work was started in June 2016 & the building wasn't fully complete until early 2017. Also in the healthcare sector, sometime about the turn of the year, a muscle injury clinic - run by Cath Harland - was to move from its former home at St. Hilda's Business Park into 3 Byland Road, the former home of The Flowerpot. This business closed in early 2020 and the Foot Hub opened in the premises. Over the winter months, re-surfacing work was carried out at the lower part of West Cliff car park with centre markings & double yellow lines painted on the small section up towards the registry office. Near there, coach parking spaces were painted in place of car parking.

Above left: Cath's Muscle Injury Clinic at Byland Road; Centre: Foot Hub opened in 2020; Right: The coach spaces also showing the top of the road down to smaller section of car park, near to Royal Crescent

Left: Sandsend Surgery from the main road approaching Sandsend; Centre: The North-facing rear of the building; Right: The surgery days before the main demolition work took place

Surgery demolished around 22nd January - seen from various angles

Preparing the foundations for the new surgery

Left: A general view in early April of the site with the foundations now dug out; Left centre: The deep foundations;
Right centre: Two weeks later & the foundations are dug with drains in place; Right: Meshing for the new building was in place by May

Above left:  Base in place by Mid-May; Right: The frame work for the building in place by August

Above left & Centre: Skeleton frame work in place & breeze blocks in place; Right: Three weeks later - more breeze blocks in place

Above left: Looking towards Sandsend, brickwork almost complete; Centre: From the main road; Right: The steps leading down to the entrance

Left: Slow progress being made on Sandsend Surgery; Centre & Right: Rendering started by June 2016

Left & Left centre: The building at the beginning of July 2016; Right centre & Right: The building in mid-August - most scaffolding taken down

Finishing touches were taking place to the interior of the surgery in October but were still going on in November, progress seemed very slow. The surgery wasn't properly complete until into the new year of 2017 with the official name being 'Sea Level'.

Left & Left centre - 13/10/2016: Finishing touches to the interior; Right & Right centre - 13/11/2016: Slow progress being made

Above from left: Sandsend Surgery complete as seen when approaching from Whitby; The front of the surgery facing the sea; The entrance to the rear of the building; The entrance with name plate of 'Sea Level'

Controversial 'luxury' beach chalets were erected on a raised section of ground next to the beach management centre, causing a bit of a stir amongst locals who said that the money should be spent on saving the town's piers instead. The chalets were bigger than the town's traditional chalets, also boasting cooking facilities, power & water. The chalets were painted red, blue & Yellow & were complete by March - in plenty of time for the new season - & were each named by Finley Cuthbertson, who won a school competition to come up with the best names, which he chose based on parts of a ship & other related items. The names of the chalets, starting from the Whitby end were as follows. Starboard, Capstan, Banks' Cabin, Forecastle, Galley, Bowsprit, Mizzen Mast, Cook's Cabin, Foremast & Port. The front of both the end chalets however were left with a dangerous overhanging piece of wood about 5' 6" from the floor, which were definitely asking wailing for their first unsuspecting victim!

Above from left: Controversial 'luxury' beach chalets under construction; Chalets complete, just painting to be done

From left: The chalets from above; The rear of the chalets from the Whitby end; The front of the chalets; The plaque commemorating the naming of the chalets

Also at the turn of the year, work was started on the building of a new bungalow on an empty plot of land at 2 St. Andrews Road. The area was cordoned off & the grass dug over in 2012 but the owner of the land was unable to win the backing of the local council on two occasions in 2013. His third attempt later in the same year was more successful however, and despite many objections from neighbours due to the bungalows close proximity to the bungalow behind, permission was granted for a slightly smaller dwelling. So the fencing went back up & work was started on this new bungalow. The bungalow was built at quite a pace, & was complete by late July, including turf & driveway laid & fence erected.

Above: A series of photos showing the building of the construction of the bungalow at St. Andrews Road

Above left & Left centre: Roof complete by early June; Right & Right centre: About 3 weeks later, doors & windows have been added

Left: The front of the bungalow in its completed state with turf laid & fence erected; Right: The rear of the house with driveway in place

Work was started towards the end of 2014 on the construction of a house at 23 Rosemount Road.

Left: The foundations for the house at 23 Rosemount Road viewed from the path along Stakesby Vale; Centre: 10 months later - slow progress being made; Right: The house as seen from the front now compelte

In mid-January, Cooplands bakery of Baxtergate closed for a few days while the shop underwent a refurbishment, which saw it receive new display counters.

Above: Cooplands of Baxtergate during its refurb

In other news, a side extension was added to 2A Love Lane, to allow the property to be converted to a bed & breakfast establishment, to be named "Baye View". The work was started around the beginning of the year. The main house at 2A was constructed around 1991.

 Top left & Centre: Side extension built at 2A Love Lane seen around 6 weeks apart; Top right: Almost 4 weeks later, the top part of the scaffolding is down;
Bottom left & centre: The extension complete as seen from the front & rear respectively; Bottom right: Signs erected on 'Baye View'

In the early part of this year, what was the Shambles bar - opened in 2002 in the former Burberry's premises - was closed for a major refurbishment, before the bar re-opened as Abbey Wharf bar & restaurant. The building was ripped apart and a mezzanine floor installed with work starting around the end of January. The mezzanine would house a smaller bar to allow for private hire functions etc. The balcony was also extended around the corner to the North of the building. In the past, the bar was in the centre of the large open room with rooms around 2 edges of that. The toilet area was through a door to the southern end of the building. Work was complete by the end of June - three months behind schedule of the intended re-opening.

Left & Left centre: Shambles Bar as it was from the outside before the changes; Right centre: Work on balcony gets underway during March; Right: Glass roof made larger

Shambles becomes Abbey Wharf

At the beginning of February, redundant garages were demolished at The Parade, Sandsend to make way for 3 houses built by the Mulgrave Estate. Planning permission was granted in 2010 for the site to be re-developed as 9 flats. The houses would be 3 storey's high with the ground floors each housing a garage with an entrance stairway & toilet. Preparatory work on the site & bank to the rear was underway by the beginning of September with actual building work underway by around February 2016. The houses were partly pre-fabricated & were surrounded by scaffolding & mesh until June 2016. The houses were complete by the end of July.

Above left: The space created where the redundant garage stood next to the Pyman Institute, Sandsend; Left centre: Preparatory work underway;
Right centre: Slow progress being made; Right: The site at the end of November looking a bit tidier

Left: The new building soon put up once work was started; Centre: Rendering work being carried out behind the mesh; Right: Scaffolding removed

From left: The row of houses looking towards Lythe Bank; The houses towards East Row; The rear of the houses towards Lythe Bank; A close-up of the rear of the houses towards Lythe Bank

There was more progress at the housing development off Eskdale Park at the start of this year, with half of Wagtail Crescent basically complete. Work was also started further down the site to the right of Nightingale Drive, with plots 115-120 almost complete by April 2015.

Left: Looking into Wagtail Crescent from the side nearest Kingfisher Drive; Right: Plots 121 & 106-108 complete

At this time, major renovation work was being carried out to three cottages on Brunswick Street after being bought by the same person as a renovation project. The renovation works were complete on the two cottages nearest the top of the hill first, with them 2 cottages selling rather quickly. The final cottage was being worked on in February 2016. Also in the area, scaffolding was erected for the 2nd time in three years around the perimeter of St. John's Church in Baxtergate most of which was in place until around 20th May, when all but the section nearest the Brunswick Centre was taken down.

Above: St. John's Church, Baxtergate as seen from the rear surrounded in scaffolding

Left: Cottages on Brunswick Street all bought & revamped; Left centre: Two of the cottages complete & up for sale;
Right centre: Two of the cottages sold, with the end one still being worked on; Right: The final cottage to be renovated

Changes were announced in February concerning the park & ride. More buses would operated on the route with an additional route - named P2 - to run direct to the town centre, while P1 would run the original route via the west cliff. In addition, a 70-seater double decker bus would be introduced & an extra vehicle would be ussed during school holidays, with an increased 10-minute service also running between 19th July - 6th September, with the usual 15-minute service in place for the rest of the time.

The former home of Whitby Vintage of 27 Skinner Street which closed in the July previous re-opened on 12th February as yet another cafe - Cranberry Swamp.

Also during this time, gas works were on-going throughout the town centre by Northern Gas Networks. The cobbled upper area of Church Street was being worked on which meant Whitby Stone Restoration was involved in making sure the cobbles were put back correctly. The works meant that at certain times vehicle access to Henrietta Street would not be possible. From 22nd February, works were being carried out at the junction of Spring Hill & Bagdale, meaning temporary 2-way access was necessary from the foot of Spring Hill Terrace to reach the hospital & police station etc. For 2 periods, lasting a few days each time, temporary 3-way traffic lights were required at the junction of Brunswick Street & Bagdale, at the same time as Spring Hill being closed. After the works on Spring Hill were complete, the team moved onto other parts of the railway estate which saw Albion Terrace closed for around a week & Gray Street made one-way in the direction towards North Road. This section of work was complete by the end of March before further gas works affected the 'Railway' area with the top of Waterstead Lane being closed around the beginning of June, just below Airy Hill School.

Left: Cranberry Swamp cafe opens in former Whitby Vintage clothing shop at 27 Skinner street; Right: An area of Church Street near the top of Bridge Street being worked on; Right: The works at Spring Hill

Four members of the Gateway team started maintenance work to the cinder track in February, firstly concentrating on the section near to Mayfield Road. A tipper truck was hired to them by Jewsons & cinders were laid down on the boggiest parts of the pathway.

In other news, around one year on after plans were submitted by the owner of Kam Thai for the building of 2 new houses behind 59-61 Church Street, the work was only recently starting to take shape. The buildings were next to Primitive Chapel Yard & very close to the landslip of 2012.

Left: 2 houses under construction next to Primitive Chapel Yard; Centre: A view from above with tiling of the roof underway; Right: End of April - house almost complete

Left: The house appears complete at first glance; Centre: A small section of work to be carried out to the side wall of the house; Right: House complete by the beginning of July

The unveiling of the newly opened Platform 2 at Whitby railway station took place on 8th March to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the beaching axe, in which 2 of the 3 lines out of Whitby at the time were closed for good - one of which re-opened around a decade later as a heritage line.

A blue plaque was put on display at Whitby Pavilion in honour of Sir George Elliot, the mastermind behind the building. The plaque installed by Whitby Civic Society, was unveiled in the building - opened in 1878 as Whitby Saloon - to coincide with his birthday on 18th March. Sir George was also behind the construction of some of the West Cliff estate after George Hudson had run out of money. The cornerstone of St. Hilda's Church was also laid by him in the 1888.

Bobbins selling antiques, traditional gifts & glassware, as well as woolens & crafts based in the old Wesley Hall on upper Church Street was to be re-located to the former Scarborough Borough Council offices at 10 Skinner Street. They chose to relocate the business after the founder Dick Hoyle & his wife were set to retire after running the business from the premises for the last 32 years. The building was starting to look tired & Son, Sam was set to take the ropes with his wife Alex. The shop would be spread over 3 floors & in addition the business would offer knitting & crochet workshops with the upper floors of the building available to rent out as workshops, offices or space for artists. Bobbins had its first day trading in its new premises on 21st March with a celebratory cake being donated by Becketts cafe. The old chapel was owned by Dick at the time & was going to be a long going restoration project for him. He originally set the business up in Robin Hood's Bay in 1977 & also had a shop in York too for a short time. Sometimes during the year, Whitby Treasure Trove moved into the vacant premises.

Across the harbour, Tuby's amusement arcades were in the process of removing their fish & chip shop. The fish shop was only relatively recently changed so it was adjoining the amusements with seating in the amusement part from its former layout of being completely separate from the amusements. This most recent alteration of removing the fish shop all together allowed more space to be utilised for the arcades.
Whitby's RNLI lifeboat George & Mary Webb went away for 3-months in early March for a facelift.

Above left & Left centre: Bobbins shop with the various signs on the door informing customers of their move;
Right centre: Bobbins open in former Scarborough Borough Council Office; Right: The former home of Bobbins becomes Whitby Treasure Trove

Left: Tuby's fish & chip shop with the windows blocked out; Right: The completed look

The end of January saw the former Arbut's Cafe of Haggersagte close for a short time after being bought by an outsider to the town. The cafe re-opened on 27th March as 'Skippers Cafe'.

Sometime around March, interior work began on transforming the former Number 4 cafe & restaurant at The Parade into Day Lewis Pharmacy, after the cafe's owners Hugh Rayner & Maureen Imray took a well-deserved retirement. The couple had run the business since opening in the Summer of 2006 after converting the premises from the former Jigsaw Restaurant after the couple had a successful spell managing the White House Hotel for about the previous 3 years. The fascia of the premises was changed by the beginning of April but the etching on the door still displayed 'Number 4' at this time. The home Whitby branch of Day Lewis Pharmacy was previously at 61 Baxtergate which was to become Grape Tree health food shop, which would open in April 2016.

Above left: Around the time of closure; Right: Interior building works on-going;

Above from left: Fascia changed to Day Lewis Pharmacy; Shutters added by the last week in April; Day Lewis' former Baxtergate premises; Grape Tree opens in former Baxtergate premises

Holmrigg at East Row, Sandsend was demolished during March to be replaced with another house. Planning permission was passed over 2 years earlier, which allowed for the replacement with a more modern house. The site was cleared following this which was complete by early May & the area seemed quiet until around October when materials started appearing on the site. Building work was certainly underway in the new year of 2017 with work continuing through the year & into 2018, finally arriving at completion in the Summer of 2018, with the main work for 2018 being the exterior landscaping.

Left: Holmrigg in the centre of the photo after plans were passed for its demolition; Left centre: Demolition almost complete; Right centre: House gone & tree surgeon on site; Right: The site cleared by the start of May

Above left: Materials started appearing on the site in October 2016; Left centre: Work well and truly underway - February 2017; Right centre: Work progressing - March 2017; Right: Almost 3 weeks later

Above left: More progress made - roof nearing completion; Left centre: Not much progress in the last 2 months; Right centre 3 months later & building is almost complete, now rendered: Right: All landscaping done

Also in the area, work began on the cliff stabilisation project at both sides of the A174 road between Raithwaite & Sandsend, which would allow an extra lay-by to be added upon completion. Concrete revetment was to be replaced below the road level towards the sea & re-grading of the slope above the road level was to take place. A large re-grading & drainage scheme was carried out on the upper slope in the 1960's & that section has seen little movement but other sections of the 1km-long stretch have seen various landslips over the years. £100,000 had been spent on repairing the slope in the previous 3 years. The rough car parking area to the South of the area was closed off to the public in May for the storage of materials & temporary offices sleeping facilities were erected in a field at the corner of Cliff Lane & the A174 for the duration of the works.

Left: A year before the work began; Right: Work now begun, fencing erected

Left: Showing part of the cliff below the road which was to be worked on; Left centre: The slope above the road marked out with green fencing which was to be worked on;
Right centre: The temporary site office & accommodation facilities next to the road from Newholm; Right: Off-road rough ground taken over by contractors

Above left: The area being worked on at Raithwaite Ravine below the road; Left centre: Looking South here is the newly-created access track down the cliff, also showing both abutments of the former Raithwaite viaduct, which carried the Whitby, Redcar & Middlesbrough Union Railway, until its closure in 1958;
Right centre: Looking towards Whitby on the A174 with 2 lanes closed to traffic; Right: Looking up towards Whitby through the road works

Above left & centre: Work progressing on the landward slope looking towards Whitby & Sandsend respectively; Right: The seaward cliff with the old cliff top iron fences partially removed

Above left: The landward slope above the road; Centre: Looking South towards Raithwaite; Right: The seaward slope looking much tidier

Above left: The landward side of the road; Centre: A excavator working on a ledge created above the cliff; Right: The large earthworks at Raithwaite ravine

Above left & right: Works on the beach towards Raithwaite from Sandsend & towards Sandsend from Raithwaite respectively

Above left: Raithwaite ravine towards Whitby; Centre: Looking into Raithwaite Ravine; Right: Machinery at work on the roadside embankment

By the beginning of October, a lot of earthworks were going on beneath the road at Raithwaite ravine, with various machinery in operation. By the end of November, the landward works had progressed slightly closer to Sandsend, with the first section of the slope just North of Raithwaite complete.

Above left: Looking down Sandsend Road - the first section of the landward side is now complete; Left centre: The next stage of the landward side to be worked on;
Right centre: A section of pavement taken away as part of works to stabilise the cliff below; Right: Progress on the 'ledge' at the seaward side seen here looking towards Sandsend

Above left: The bottom of Raithwaite Ravine; Left centre: Looking towards Whitby showing the 'ledge' created on the cliff;
Centre: Massive crane on-site; Right centre: A close-up of the crane; Right: The mass of machinery working on the project

Above from left: The southern side of Raithwaite Ravine; From the top of Raithwaite Ravine showing newly-completed drainage works in action after a period of heavy rain;
The southern end of works to the roadside slope looking North; The northern end of the competed works to the roadside slope looking South

Above left: The massive crane in position on the temporary 'pier'; Right: The cliff stabilisation works below the road seen here from the other side of East Row Beck

Work picked up pace into 2016 when work to lay the base of the lay-by was started before work stopped briefly for the Easter holiday period. Below are some pictures from 2nd February.

Above from top left to bottom right: Laying the base of the new lay-by; The long stretch of works looking North; Work on the landward slope; Work on the beach & the cliff defences; The crane with its operator on board; Works on the beach looking South showing some kind of equipment beneath the crane; The masses of machinery on the beach; Grinding concrete

Above from top left to bottom right: The landward slope looking North; The landward slope looking South showing the now even wider level area at the base; From East Row looking back at the mass of works; Looking North showing the seaward slope; Looking South showing the seaward slope

Work stopped for Easter 2016, all traffic lights were removed at this stage for the duration of the school holidays & the crane was removed for good.

Work stopped for an early Easter

Left: New fence erected from the car parking area over Raithwaite Ravine; Left centre: The area of the new car parking lay-by;
Right centre: Concrete sea defences in progress; Right: More work on the landward slopes further towards Sandsend

Above left: Raithwaite Ravine looking a lot more tidy; Centre: The lay-by being created at the landward side of the road just North of Raithwaite;
Right: Further towards Sandsend the landward slope still being worked on

By June the lay-by was almost complete with the top road surface laid & crossing islands started & the lower section of work at the seaward side was complete from Raithwaite to East Row. The lay-by & road re-surfacing works were complete by the end of June with central crossing islands installed at either end of the new lay-by, meaning a small section of the old lay-by was lost in the making of a crossing place.

Above from top left to bottom right: The landside work halfway between Raithwaite & East Row looking towards East Row; The landward slope a little further towards Sandsend; The lay-by looking towards Raithwaite; The end of the Lay-by at Raithwaite; Work above the beach near Raithwaite looking South; The seaward slope near East Row looking North; The seaward slope near East Row looking South

Left: From Raithwaite showing the start of the new lay-by & crossing island with new a road surface laid; Left centre: Looking back up towards Raithwaite;
Right centre: A new crossing place created losing a small section of the old lay-by; Right: Looking back from East Row at the works

The work was complete by the beginning of August which marked the end of works lasting over a year and costing £9.2M. The work was funded by the county council (£4.5M) & DEFRA (£4.7M). The project was officially unveiled by MP Robert Goodwill on 10th August. The work to the lower section of cliff below the road entailed installing 450 step units which were installed using a rail built into the defences to minimise disruption to road traffic above. The slope above the road was
re-graded along the 1km stretch and a 500m parking lay-by was added below at the most southerly section of the works. The project was undertaken by contractor Balfour Beatty. A new walkway at Raithwaite & steps to the beach from above nearer Sandsend were installed as part of the works. The national speed limit signs on the section of road that previously existed between the 40mph buffer zone before Whitby & the southern end of the lay-by near Sandsend were removed & it looked like the whole stretch of road was to become 40mph from Sandsend. The signs were re-instated in the coming weeks however, allowing motorists to reach the national speed limit on that stretch of road once again.

Above from top left to bottom right: Location of the site offices & temporary buildings, now removed; From Raithwaite towards the works; Raithwaite Ravine including a new walkway to the beach;
Towards Sandsend from the southern end of the works; Towards Sandsend from the mid-point of the works; From the mid-point towards Raithwaite

Below from left: From East Row towards Raithwaite; Looking along the sea defences with new steps visible; The project from Sandsend

Left: The national speed limit signs removed off their poles South of the lay-by; Centre: The location of the site offices at the junction to Newholm soon made to look like a field once again;
Right: National Speed Limit signs re-instated on the exit from the stretch of road improvements

Upon completion of the stabilisation project, work began on the pavement to the South of the works, that ran alongside the golf course. The old, decaying pavement was ripped up and the grass verge removed, & replaced with a smooth pavement with a tarmac finish. This pavement was carried on to meet the high-kerbed pavement at the other side of the junction to the ravine. The pavement from Links View junction to a point before the ravine was also replaced and the small grass verge removed, making the pavement wider. This work ran from late Summer 2016 and was complete in time for Christmas. The section of pavement without a grass verge South of the entrance to the golf course was left in place.

Above left: The new section of pavement to the South of the stabilisation works; Centre: Pavement progressing past the golf course; Right: From the entrance to the ravine towards Sandsend with the new pavement complete to this area;
Below left: The old pavement on the right near the junction with Love Lane; Right: The completed pavement from the Love Lane junction

Around about the month of March, The Bridge Bar & Brassiere opened its doors in the former Gatsby's cafe at St. Anne's Staith. Also in this area, a well-known local shop selling fashion accessories closed its doors for good. Rainbows of 50 Flowergate was replaced by Sacred's Lingerie, which opened its doors on 27th March after re-locating to the town from Middlesbrough, where the shop closed around a year earlier.

Left The Bridge Bar & Brasserie opens in former Gatsby's cafe premises; Right: The former Rainbow fashion accessory shop becomes Sacred's Lingerie

Sometime in March also, an old corrugated iron, privately-owned garage was demolished on Windsor Terrace, which stood next to the old engine shed and the area was paved to allow for uncovered parking which would house more vehicles for use by the owner's guest house. Also in this area, the old engine shed, owned by Terry Hodgkinson, was to become a covered car & motorcycle garaging area for use by locals as a secure parking area, which included an access point from Windsor Terrace to the first floor of the building through a newly-added roller door. The ground floor was opened up later on for extra parking with a vehicular lift between floors. The first floor was open in the Summer with the ground floor available later in the year. The first floor could house 11 cars with a further 16 spaces underneath, plus 3 motorcycle spaces on the ground floor. The building was covered by CCTV & automatic lighting & included a traffic light system at the narrow entry & exit point. A fire escape was added and a massive extraction fan. The pricing was to be from £162 a month with a deposit of £50 for a remote fob. In July, the speed hump on Windsor Terrace was made longer, to allow for a smoother entrance into the parking area & a traffic light system was installed & road markings were painted around the end of August. After les than a year another planning applictaion was submitted by Mr Hodgkinson, this time to convert the old engine shed into 8 apartments after the parking project proved to be a financial failure, failing to attract enough interest. The application for the apartments was thrown out by councillors in August 2016.

 Left & Centre: Location of the former garage in Windsor Terrace, just after demolition & after being paved around 2 weeks later; Right: A small office-style building erected next to the old engine shed below Windsor Terrace

Left: The access way concreted; Left centre: Roller door added to access the upper floor of the building, where a lift will take cars to the ground floor if required;
Right centre: The pedestrian access to the lower floor & new building; Right: The engine shed with new building to the left

Above left: Speed hump made longer on Windsor Terrace at the point of access; Centre: The traffic light system at the narrow entry/exit; Right: The roller door entrance

Left: Inside the first floor of the old engine shed looking North with the fire escape behind the breeze block wall; Centre: Looking South towards Bog Hall with the extraction fan at ceiling level;
Right: Entrance complete with traffic light system & markings

The end of March saw the Endeavour pub on Church Street re-open after a £110,000 refurbishment by new management Ian & Maria Taylor. The pub, owned by Punch Taverns, was closed for 3 weeks to allow the work to be carried out, which included adding an outside smoking area to the back of the pub as well as lay new floors and redecorate. The pub was officially re-opened on Good Friday the 3rd April.

Also at the end of March, the road markings in the centre of the prospect hill junction were re-painted, having been illegible for at least the previous year, causing waiting drivers to veer out of their lane without realising. The lines were altered slightly from their previous layout, with the right turn lane into Waterstead Lane made shorter, in theory allowing more room for long vehicles to turn right into Mayfield Road. Also around this time, the Co-operative removed some lighting due to the supports wearing out which was putting the lights at risk from falling off the poles. This wasn't rectified until September, when contractors removed other lights and replaced the part which attached to the pole.

Left: The junction of Mayfield Road & Prospect Hill towards New Bridge with the centre lanes altered slightly;
Right: The lighting at the Co-op - the pole to the left has had its lights removed, like many more around the car park. The pole to the right still has its lights in tact

As from 1st April of this year the distinctive yellow Sea King search & rescue helicopters - part of the Royal Navy - were to be seen no more after the contract lapsed & was awarded to The Bristow Group  by the Department for Transport. The start of a 10-year contract worth £3-billion after the aging Sea Kings were getting past their sell by date, at 40 years old. The new copters - Sikorsky S-92s - would have a higher top speed of 190mph but the nearest base to Whitby would now be at Humberside Airport, 20 miles further from the town than the previous Sea King base of RAF Leconfield. Locally,  people lost their jobs at Leconfield.

By the arrival of April, work on the first stage of a series of improvements at Whitby Harbour's Fish Quay were complete. The first stage of the work included adding 12 new steel piles to the fish quay & harbour fuelling facility to improve stability. The next stage of the work, which got underway soon after this had been completed, was to repair the upper sections of a number of timber piles that vessels used for berthing & where necessary to replace them with steel piles. The addition of improved ladders was also carried out with the whole project costing approximately £385,000, which was funded by Whitby Harbour Board & the Marine Management Organisation. When this work had been completed, attention switched to Endeavour Wharf, preparing that part of the harbour for the arrival of a new off-shore wind farm, planned to be installed 90-miles off the coast of Whitby at Dogger Bank by Dalby Offshore Services. Recent works at Church Street pontoon saw the deck completely renewed, also with new ladders installed & non-slip surfaces laid. The work there was carried out by harbour staff.

Sometime in April, an already established business Fluffy Cakes, opened in the former premises of Sleights Post Office on the village's Coach Road. The business didn't stay in the premises long however, moving out just 18 months later.

Fluffy Cakes in former Sleights Post Office premises

It was announced on 12th May that Whitby hospital would be privatised from 1st July. Most services in Whitby hospital would be taken care of by Virgin Healthcare in a 7-year contract worth £6M. Virgin were one of two bidders shortlisted in January following a tendering process. The outpatient, x-ray & mental health services would not be affected by the takeover.

Work started on 20th April on an £18M project by Northern Powergrid to transfer overhead power cables underground, thus removing 108 pylons from the North Yorkshire Moors. The first phase of work began North of the Thornton-le-Dale turn off on the A169. The project has a completion target of October 2016.

In mid-May re-surfacing work was undertaken at Stainsacre Lane on the A171 from around the area of East Whitby School to Sainsbury's & also on the A169 from the roundabout at Bannial Flats to the junction with Eskdaleside. Both were covered with loose chippings of bitumen. The A169 was only re-surfaced around 2 years previous & was not badly worn. The roundabout itself was re-surfaced with tarmac around 2 weeks earlier.

Work was started sometime around Easter on now on a new £38M polyhalite processing plant at Boulby Mine, allowing an annual production increase of polyhalite from 130,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes.

By the beginning of May, massive progress had been made on the housing developments for Barratt & David Wilson Homes at Larpool. Plots 109 & 110 were complete & the road from the northern end of Wagtail Crescent was in place, ready for the builders to build the houses alongside it.

Left: Plots 109 & 110 complete; Left centre: Building work well underway with plots 57 & 58;
Right centre: What will become the northern end of Wagtail Crescent which will see plots 59-66 built to the left of the road with plots 77-73 to the right;
Right: From the new northern junction with Wagtail Crescent looking in a northerly direction following the newly-laid road

The coming of May saw work start to a couple of new projects that are worth mentioning, including the former Whitby Gazette Office, which had scaffolding erected to allow for the replacement of roof tiles & 2 sky lights to be added, part of work as the building was being converted into a cocktail bar. The building was complete by the end of July but to the surprise of locals the new business was not a cocktail bar as advertised but instead a fashion shop. Much controversy arose during the renovation works when it was revealed that the mosaic-style tiled floor outside the old front door which displayed the name "Hornes" - the family name of the founder of the Whitby Gazette - was covered over. The other business being re-developed was the former Maison Stead hair salon at the top of Brunswick Street, which closed in early May with interior work starting immediately which also saw the fascia ripped off. The new hair & beauty salon 'Colour Me' opened on 13th May.

Left: Whitby Gazette office as it appeared at the time of closing; Centre: Work started at the former Gazette Office in Bridge Street with scaffolding erected;
Right: New roof complete

Above left: Pictured in October 2015 with the "Whitby Gazette" signage still in place; Centre & Right: All references to the building's history gone - all signage removed in June 2016; Right: Squid Rock Boutique open

Above left: Maison Stead hair salon on Brunswick Street before closing for good; Centre: The salon shortly after closing with work soon underway; Right: Colour Me opens 13th May after a quick lick of paint

Also at this time, a repair project was complete at a raised section of pathway at the bottom of Waterstead Lane at Bog Hall, linking Esk Terrace with Oswy Street. Flagstones were replaced where necessary and new steel railings were installed.

Work on the footpath at the end of Esk Terrace at Bog Hall showing the new railaings

Also at this time, Beez bar in Wellington Road was closed after having a change of owners. The bar was closed around mid-May before being bought by the local 'Ingram' family. The building was given a complete refurbishment & with the family being in the building trade, they no doubt saved on costs of hiring tradesmen. The name of the new establishment - "JK's Bar" - first appeared on its fascia in the last week of May. The fascia of the building was changed from black to red in its Beez days around 18-months earlier, around the same time as the door to the right of the photo below was added, which included an inner door, hoping to make the building more sound-proof to try & contain the loud music within the building. The new bar was open for business on 30th July 2015.

Left & Left centre: Beez Bar taken over & refurbishment work starts; Right centre: The new fascia boasting the JK's Bar logo; Right: JK's bar complete

Whitby Fishing School found itself a new home, moving to a new unit on Whitby Fish Quay after using the Seamen's Mission for classes. The fishing school was launched in October 2002.

Moving out of town for a moment, the last in a series of replacement bridges had just been completed between Esk Valley & Green End, crossing the Murk Esk. This brought a three-year-long project to a close which saw 'Missing Links' create or improve 6 bridleways around the area, all of which connect with public transport. Funding from the Department For Transport's Local Sustainable Transport Fund made the project possible.

At the very edge of Sleights, a small housing development was under construction at land off Eskdaleside adjacent to Hermitage Way. Planning permission was granted to Home Housing for the development in 2014 and work started in Spring of 2015. Subtle works seemed to have been on-going throughout the previous year, but by June 2015, ground works had begun and foundations for houses were being dug. Within the next month, block works were started & by November of 2015 the houses, four 2-bedroom & six 3-bedroom, were looking quite substantial. The development was complete by early Spring 2016 and was given the name Alum Drive.

Above - Left: Before work began in the field to the left, pictured in 2013; Centre: A information board erected at the site; Right: The field as it was in September 2014

Left: The view from Hermitage Way from the side of the new site; Centre: The view from the entrance to the site off Eskdaleside; Right: A month later, block work started

Left: The top of the site; Right: The bottom of the site nearest Eskdaleside

Left: Looking into the site from the rear; Centre: The middle of the site; Right: The bottom end of the site nearest Eskdaleside

Above left: From Hermitage Way towards Eskdaleside; Right: From the bottom of Hermitage Way

Above: Looking into the site from Eskdaleside

Above: The same viewpoint as the previous photos but almost 7 weeks later

Above - Development complete! From left: From Hermitage Way; Houses with car ports to the eastern side of the development; Bungalows with car ports to the western side of the development

1st June saw gas main works start at Four Lane Ends roundabout, bringing with it what was first advertised as 20 weeks of potential chaos. The schedule of the works was later brought forward and was to end by 19th July. The lengthy work began at the roundabout between Mayfield Road & 'The Switchbacks', with the next section to be dug up being between Ruswarp Lane & Mayfield Road. Four-way traffic lights were in use which also included temporary pedestrian crossings on each junction. The first section of work on the roundabout was complete by around the 15th June - much earlier than locals feared! The 4-way lights did return for a short while however, at the very start of the school summer holidays. The next section of work took place on Ruswarp Lane, so only 2-way traffic lights were required.

Left: The 4-way traffic lights at Four Lane Ends Roundabout with pedestrian crossings; Right: The area of work between the junctions of Mayfield Road & the 'Switchbacks'

Also around this time, new 'Welcome' signs were added on the 3 main entrances into the town. They replaced old stone-mounted signs at Stainsacre Lane, West of Four Lane Ends & on the entrance to town on the A174.

The old & new signs

Throughout the Spring & into Summer, work was taking place at Abbey Farm on what was to become Whitby's first microbrewery. Whitby Brewery Ltd also obtained permission to sell alcohol. The building at Abbey Farm was previously used to store farm machinery & hay. The building was being converted to be used for the brewing of alcohol & as an educational visitor centre & it was hoped the building would be ready for Christmas 2015. Whitby Brewery Ltd were hoping to continue to use their existing premises at Larpool Lane Industrial Estate as an off-site storage facility & delivery depot.

Sometime in the early part of Summer, Sainsbury's of Whitby offered 'Click & Collect' for the first time. This meant they had to change the layout of part of the car park to allow a van to park. The service only lasted until early in 2016 however.

Sainsbury's car park with the van space & a roadway past it;

Also by this time, work was being undertaken on replacing piling at Endeavour Wharf. This was followed by what looked like work to pump water - possibly out of the harbour wall. Two large pumps were seated at Kiddies Corner & pipes were laid along the pavement towards New Quay Road roundabout.

Left: Replacing piling at Endeavour Wharf; Centre: Two large pumps at Kiddies Corner; Right: The pipes along New Quay Road

The road surface on Landsdowne Road & Murrayfield Gardens was finally laid towards the end of June, a welcome sight for residents of the estate who had to doge exposed ironworks since the houses were complete almost 2 years ealier.

From left: Give way markings painted at the junction of Landsdowne Road & White Leys Road; Murrayfield Gardens from Landsdowne Road; Looking round the corner of Murrayfield Gardens; The top end of the estate

30th June marked the end of an era as the Parade branch of the Post Office at 5 The Parade, closed its doors for the last time. All was not lost however, as the Post Office moved into CostCutter, just 3 doors along which opened at 1pm. Sub Post Master Gary Hixon got the first day underway. The former Post Office building re-opened as a cafe at the end of July run by Gary's wife Carol Hixon. The cafe would become almost 'world famous' thanks to Carol running a Facebook group called 'Love Whitby', which grew to over 20,000 members. Carol sold the business in May 2018 when she went to work with her husband at The Edge restaurant at Bridge Street.

Left: The Parade Post Office after selling its last stamp; Right: The cafe in the same premises

The last days of June & into July, the council were busy with their paint. This involved changes to some road markings on Langdale Terrace & Church Square, so the roads could be included in the Controlled Parking Zone brought in over a year previous with the arrival of the Park & Ride. The single yellow line on the inside curve of Church Square was replaced with double yellows, similarly at the West Cliff School side of Langdale Terrace, meaning the former no parking 8am-5pm Monday-Friday was now no parking at all. The yellow zig-zags outside West Cliff School were replaced with a single yellow line and the sign accompanying was changed to read no parking 8am-7pm on any day by use of a sticker. The sign was tampered with on 2 occasions, once before the end of the 2016 season and again before the 2018 season, scratching off the sticker covering the Monday - Friday & 8am - 7pm, technically making it legal to park there at the times not now showing on the sign. A new sign was actually stuck on the wall in mid-April 2018 averting any further problem... unless someone pinches the sign! A parking bay was also marked around the top corner of Church Square near the railings bordering West Cliff car park, allowing for the echelon parking, which had always previously occurred here anyway. A very small, arguably pointless white keep clear line was marked on Langdale Terrace within the parking bay outside the yard gate of 1-2 Langdale Terrace. Finally, the 'Disc Zone Ends' & vice versa signs were removed from the entrances to this area on 16th July 2015, meaning the road was now officially in the Controlled Parking Zone.

Above: The No Parking signs on Church Square which had been tampered with twice before actually being replaced with a sign displaying the proper times

Above from left: Church Square now with its double yellow lines; Langdale Terrace with its double yellow lines & small keep clear to the left of the street; Church Square - single yellow line outside West Cliff School; Parking bays marked at the corner of Church Square

Left: 'Disc Zone Ends' signs removed; Centre: The 'modified' no-parking sign outside West Cliff School; Right: No parking restrictions outside West Cliff School changed again in April 2016

 At Argyle Road, a bus stop was erased & parking bays marked in its place. Incidentally, when the CPZs were being introduced over a year previous, the bus stop opposite was erased & quite quickly re-instated, one wonders if this was an error on the line markers part? Also around this time, the area of permitted parking at the nothern end of North Promenade was extended, beyond the Controlled Parking Zone with no parking restrictions imposed at all!

Left: What was the bus stop at Argyle Road, now filled with parking bays; Right: The unrestricted area of parking to the northern end of North Promenade

In similar news, the junction of South Terrace & Espanade was re-lined, changing the layout of the junction for traffic coming out of South Terrace from 3 lanes to 2. The council made yet another mistake however, marking the right lane for traffic going straight up Hudson Street, when in fact it should have been the left lane marked for this manoeuvre as using the right lane meant traffic would be cutting across the junction. This was corrected within a week however the arrows weren't very well altered, thus causing more confusion for motorists. It wasn't until 22nd March 2016 that the lines were completely wiped and re-painted. At the time of the introduction of the controlled parking zones, there was talk about making South Terrace one-way in the opposite direction, but this never materialised. On East Terrace, the temporary signs indicating the entry to a Pay & Display zone - which had been mounted in oil drums for more than a year - were finally set into the pavement, when the pavement was made wider for a small section to make a safer crossing area. The signs were initially set in the concrete-filled drums as it was feared that if they were set into the ground they may upset the cellars from the bordering properties. Hatchings were also added to the inside road edge at the corner of East & North Terrace, to lead cars out into the road around the parking bay, even though the highway code states to drive through empty parking bays. Some paint must have been left over!

Above left & centre: Before & after the incorrect road markings to the change to the new layout of South Terrace/Esplanade junction; Right: South Terrace with the corrected lane markings

The junction was left until the end of October when works got underway to make the junction at the exit from South Terrace narrower, to make it safer for pedestrians crossing the junction. This work was completed by late November.

Above left & Centre: Looking into South Terrace from Esplanade - new kerbs laid; Looking across the junction with the markings in place ready to alter the other kerbs;
Right: A week later, work started on the other side of the junction

Left: Looking out of South Terrace with the new kerbs at each side of the junction; Right: Looking along Belle Vue Terrace towards North Promenade with the modified junction with South Terrace to the right

Also around this time, a white line approximately 6 feet in length was painted on the bend of Kirkham Road near the electricity substation, indicating no parking. Around 4 weeks later however, this line was extended by around another 6 feet in the direction of Aukland Way, possibly an error in the first place by the line markers/planners?

Bottom left: East Terrace new safer crossing area with the zone entry signs in the ground; Bottom left centre: The hatchings round the corner of East Terrace & North Terrace to direct traffic away from the parking bay;
Bottom right centre: The small 'keep clear' line at Kirkham close showing the electricity sub-station to the far right; Bottom right: The Keep Clear line about doubled in length in the direction of Aukland Way

Moving out of town, the approach from Guisborough to the Cross Butts roundabout was made safer when a lane-guidance sign was added & a couple of days later road markings added. These markings could actually add to confusion however, as the sign clearly states to use the left-hand lane for P+R & B1460 whereas the markings indicate a left & straight-on arrow in the left lane, but also states "P+R" with "Whitby" as the right-hand lane. A section of the roundabout was also given lane separation markings, to make it more clear for traffic in the left lane to leave at the B1460 & traffic in the right lane to carry on round the roundabout. Whilst on the subject of parking, sometime over the summer months, large boulders were placed all the way down both sides of the track leading down the ravine through the golf course, leaving a gap just wide enough for a large van.

Left: The new sign at the Guisborough approach to Cross Butts roundabout; Centre: The lane markings; Right: The new lane markings on the roundabout   

At Beachcliff, 14 North Promenade, major works had been on-going for some months to convert the building from nun's accommodation into private living accommodation. The work was finished by March 2016.

Left: Former num's accommodation at 14 North Promenade; Centre: Work almost complete by February 2016; Right: Work complete, March 2016

In July work was undertaken a Eastside Community Centre to install new windows by the building's entrance and also install some raised flowerbeds.

Left: The entrance to Eastside Centre with its new windows & signage; RightL The raised flowerbeds

During the 2015 season, trampolines & pedal go-karts were re-opened on the same patch of land as they had previously occupied. They were removed about 3 years earlier from an area just to the East of the paddling pool on the West Cliff & the storage hut left shut up. The almost-circular concrete go-kart track left in place whilst the area that occupied the trampolines encompassed by the track was just left. At this time, the owner of the equipment pictured here and the little shop by the road side which sold ice creams and the likes sold the business. Long time owner Sally Bryant sold the business to Marcus Dring.

Left: The trampolines in the centre of the go-kart track; Centre; The go-kart track & storage building; Right: Marcus Dring's new shop on North Promenade after buying it off Sally Bryant

On 1st August a runaway Arriva bus ploughed into the frontage of Boyes after the brakes of the bus apparently failed whilst it was parked in the bus station. How no-one was stood in front of the store or cars waiting in traffic is nothing short of a miracle, especially as this happened around 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The window was boarded up until the insurances were sorted out and repair work, taking about 2 weeks began around 6 weeks later.

The boarded up frontage of Boyes

In early August work started on resurfacing some of Whitby's footpaths, included John Street, Royal Crescent, Crescent Avenue & Love Lane. Some rural roads around the area were also resurfaced. Also around this time, a new vehicular access was created from Spring Vale to allow access to a rear yard of a house at Chubb Hill through a garage door, replacing a ordinary door to the back yard.

The new garage-style door off Spring Vale

A couple of weeks into August saw a new mobile ice cream kiosk erected in the corner of the marina car park, in an area where Beacon Farm previously left a trailer on a daily basis throughout the Summer season. Also around this time, a new business opened at 2 Grape Lane. The former owner of My Local Canteen which existed for a few months at Fairfield Way, located in a portacabin-type building opened Burgsy's burger bar after calling it a day with My Local Canteen for good, after the owners decided to cut the service down to only open for breakfast & lunch sometime in May.

Left & Centre: Front & rear of the new ice cream kiosk; Right: Burgsy's burger bar, Grape Lane

The coming of September brought with it the closure of Larpool field, behind the houses of Larpool Crescent & Helredale Road after a long battle by locals was lost to preserve the popular field. The field was now to be replaced with houses. The garages at the top of the field were also cordoned off awaiting the demolition men, who soon arrived, firstly knocking the garages at the bottom of the field to the ground, & also the ones nearest Helredale Gardens. This work was the start of a 2-year long series of works, which would involve the construction of 105 houses, at 2 sites; firstly at Helredale Gardens & secondly at St. Peter's Road, which would see the existing flats dating from the 1930's demolished. The scheme was undertaken by building company Esh Property Services for Yorkshire Coast Homes, which would build 54 houses & 51 apartments. 91 of the properties would be made available for affordable rent with the remaining 14 available to buy outright. The scheme was made possible thanks to a £2.184M grant from the Homes & Communities Agency's Affordable Homes Programme. The first tennants got the keys to their brand new flats in late November, when the last tenants of St. Peter's Road flats were re-housed into the new flats, which would then allow demolition work to begin at St. Peter's Road. The new housing development at Helredale Gardens was to be called Rohilla Close with a post code of YO22 4BT.

Top left: The garages off Helredale Gardens as they were in 2012; Top centre, Right & Bottom left: The garages & former changing rooms shown in early 2015;
Bottom right: The massive field looking towards Helredale Gardens & Larpool Crescent

Security fencing in place before the demolition team move in.

Above left & Left centre: The garages off Helredale Gardens showing the from & rear; Right centre & Right: The field cordoned off showing the garages & former changing rooms at the bottom of the field

Above left: Looking up the field from the back of Helredale Road; Centre: The garages demolished behind Larpool Crescent; Right: The demolition of the garages underway off Helredale Gardens

Garages at Helredale Gardens gone!

The field was dug over and a hardcore access road was laid from Helredale Gardens in mid-September. Below is two sets of photos, the first from mid-September & the second a month later.

Above - Ground works began viewed from the back of Larpool Crescent - From left: Towards the bottom of the field; Across to the back of Helredale Road;
Towards Helredale Gardens where a hardcore access road has been laid

Left & Centre: From the back of Larpool Crescent looking across the field & up the field towards Helredale Gardens respectively; Right: From Helredale Gardens looking into the site

Above left: A large amount of materials on-site including large concrete pipes, presumably for sewers; Right: A nice little 'lake' with the old changing room building behind still standing

The first bricks for the new housing development were laid in the first weeks of December.

Left: The site as viewed from Larpool Crescent looking towards Helredale; Centre: From Larpool Crescent looking up towards Helredale Gardens; Right: From the Helredale Gardens site entrance looking into the site

Left, Left centre & Right centre: From Larpool Crescent showing the recent brick-work which has been laid; Right: From Helredale Gardens looking down into the site

The former changing rooms were reduced to rubble sometime before the beginning of March.

Above left: Building work making slow progress as seen from Larpool Crescent; Right: The former changing rooms gone!

Above left: Where the changing rooms & garages once stood with what looks like more footings for houses in place; Right: The first phase of houses nearing completion

Building work at different areas of the site were started in April, with block work being laid near to the site of the former changing rooms & also to the other end of the site near Helredale Gardens.

Above left: Building work started near the site of the old changing rooms; Centre: The first part of the development to be built on; Right: Building work started near Helredale Gardens

Left: The bottom of the site from Larpool Crescent; Centre: The middle of the site with the most building activity; Right: From behind Larpool Crescent near Helredale Gardens - the top end of the site

Left: From Larpool Crescent, building work at the bottom of the site; Centre: The middle of the site; Right: The top of the site towards Helredale Gardens

Left: From the site entrance; Right: From the footpath at the corner of Larpool Cemetery behind Larpool Crescent

The houses behind Helredale Gardens were complete first, followed by the central block of flats by the end of Summer 2016.

Above from behind Larpool Crescent - from left: Towards Helredale Gardens with the houses nearest there complete; The central building housing the flats; The building nearest the bottom part of Helredale Road; Towards the rear of Helredale Road, more houses are going up

From Larpool Crescent; Left: The houses towards the bottom of the site; Centre: The flats in the centre of the site with houses behind them; Right: Houses up the side of the site near Larpool Crescent well underway

Above left: From path which used to connect Larpool Crescent to Helredale Road sowing the massive structure of the second block of flats; Centre: The houses towards Helredale Road taking shape in the distance

Below, the first chance of photos from within the development came in early December. One block of flats were already being let while the rest of the site remained a building site. The only accessible entrance was via Helredale Road, with the entrance into the top of the site via Helredale Gardens still closed. The following photos were taken on 4th December 2016 with the flats of St. Peter's Road being boarded up very quickly indeed, awaiting demolition.

Above from left: The entrance from Helredale Gardens as viewed over the security fence; The block of flats nearest the bottom of Helredale Road looking towards Larpool

Above from left: The completed block of flats from the front towards Larpool; The completed block of flats from the rear towards Helredale Road; The front of the flats towards Larpool Crescent

Above from left: The front of the houses nearest Helredale Road towards Helredale Gardens; The rear of the houses nearest Helredale Road towards Helredale Gardens

Above from left: The houses at the top of the site with Helredale Gardens behind with the entrance from there to the left of the houses; The Larpool end of the same row of houses

Above left to right: The entrance to the development from Helredale Gardens; The first houses sold are moved into, behind Helredale Gardens; The other end of the row of newly-completed houses nearer Larpool Crescent; The houses at the end not yet compete with Larpool Crescent behind;

Below left to right: The houses down the other side of the development externally complete; Another block in the centre of the development yet to be completed;
The bottom of the row of houses bordering Larpool Crescent

Above from left: The houses bordering Larpool Crescent towards the top of the development now complete; Looking down the row of houses bordering Larpool Crescent;
The block of flats nearest the lower part of Helredale Road almost complete

By early May 2017 the development was looking much more complete with most road surfaces down & all exterior building work complete with scaffold removed. The keys to the houses to rent through Yorkshire Coast homes nearest Larpool Crescent were handed out in late May - early June, with the houses nearest Helredale Gardens being the first tenants in of this row.

Building work at the site now complete - Above from left: The houses bordering Larpool Crescent; The second block of flats to be completed in the centre of the site; The houses bordering Helredale Road

Above from left: The bottom of the site still very much resembles a building site; The middle of the site towards Larpool Crescent: The top house of the row nearest Helredale Road yet to be completed

Below: The houses nearest Larpool Crescent - left: Looking down the road towards Helredale Road; Centre: Looking up the road towards Helredale Gardens;
Right: The rear gardens towards the bottom of the row - not yet complete

Above from top left to bottom right: The area between the lower block of flats & Helredale Road getting tidied up;
The road between the two blocks of flats now open leading to the houses for rent behind Larpool Crescent, the footpath to which has just been re-opened;
Looking back to the entrance to the site from the lower end of Helredale Road; Looking down the road in front of the houses to rent in front of Larpool Crescent;
The area of open space getting worked on looking across the top of the site towards Larpool Crescent

Above left & Left centre: Bin stores near Helredale Road bottom & Larpool Crescent nearing completion;
Right centre: The area between the bottom block of flats & Helredale Road; Right: The recreation area in the middle of the site is now grassed

After the residents were in, finishing touches to the development were still to be done. The pedestrian access to Larpool Crescent was re-opened around mid-June, the area in the centre of the site was grassed & a street name sign was added at the entrance to the development from Helredale Gardens. Two bin storage huts were constructed near the bottom of the site at either side to house bins for use by residents of the flats. These were completed by mid-September & the top tarmac surface of footpaths was being laid at the time. Tactile paving was also being laid where the footpaths had been surface dressed. The whole estate was basically complete by October 2017, which was marked by the installation of bollards at the bottom entrance to the site from Helredale Road, blocking that entrance off so as to only leave the one vehicular entrance from Helredale Gardens, presumably from a safety aspect due to the bottom entrance being too narrow. A bin & bike store was built at the Helredale Road end of flats & red paving was laid across the road near number 26 between the tactile paving.

Above from top left to bottom right: New street sign added; Area between Helredale Road & Rohilla Close tidied up; Footpaths finished off & tactile paving added;
Bin stores complete at Larpool Crescent & Helredale Road sides of the development respectively

Above from left: Supports for a structure of some sort at the side of the flats; The garden area to the rear of the flats; Bollard installed to block access from Helredale Road

Above from left: Large bin/bike store built near the flats; Red paving laid between the tactile paving

Residents in the area who fought long and hard to preserve Larpool field were annoyed further during the building works when the road surface of Helredale Road was continuously left in a muddy state by site vehicles. To add further to their anger, works were then undertaken on the eastern pavement of Helredale Road between Abbots Road & Helredale Gardens, resurfacing the footpath and filling in a small strip of rough ground near to the fencing along the stretch. This meant temporary traffic lights were required during the day but these were removed for the rush hour.

Pavement resurfacing on the eastern side of Helredale Road looking towards Abbots Road

September 4th marked the end of an era for The Gift Shop at Staithes, as the shop was locked up for the last time. Ann Lawson had been running the shop with help from her Son & various other people since her late husband, Terry, passed away in 2013. The Gift Shop first opened some 45 years ago but was shortly to become a sweet shop.

Also in Sleights, work on a small development of houses was underway at land between Eskdaleside & Coach Road,
behind the Plough Inn. The houses were built in three phases, with building work on the last phase starting around February 2016, this taking a long time to complete with work coming to a halt it would seem around August. The road into the development was laid sometime between August & December 2016.

Left: From Coach Road, the Plough Inn is just off picture to the left; Centre: A month on and the first pair of houses is up; Right: Roof now on second block

Above left: The first & second block to be complete; Centre: Building work on the third block underway; Right: Roofing work on the third block underway

Left: Little progress made in the last 4 months; Right: Road in to the development laid in the last 4 months but no progression on the final house

Above from left: The development from across Coach Road; An advertisement board at the development; The entrance to the development

Below from left: From the bottom of the development looking up towards numbers 3 & 5 with the black doors; A space left between numbers 1 & 3 for a garage

Work was underway by mid-September on the conversion of Wasley Chapman Accountant's offices into residential accommodation after the business moved premises to the former Connections centre at the top of Bobbies Bank. Their old offices were converted into three town houses. The work on the office itself nearest the bus station wasn't started until a long time later, with the office still bearing its name until the new year of 2019. In the area of the new offices, railings were replaced at the top section of Bobbies Bank in the centre of the path. It wasn't until early 2019 that the signage for Wasley Chapman's former premises at Victoria Square was torn down and replaced with signage advertising Capello's Hair Salon, just round the corner. Also by mid-September 2015, a new information board had been unveiled at the Donkey Field, more properly known as the Jacky Field, depicted the history of the immediate area.

Above left: Wasley Chapman's Accountant's offices sees a change of use into residential accommodation; Left centre: Property for sale;
Centre right: Former offices converted into three houses; Right: Wasley Chapman's new home

Above: Wasley Chapaman's former home still bears its name; Advertising signage for Capello's on former Wasley Chapman's premises, Victoria Square

Above left: New railings at the top section of path at Bobbies Bank; Right: Information board at the Donkey Field (enlarge photo to read text - large file)

September saw the volunteer group Whitby's Friends of Pannett Park awarded a Yorkshire Gold Rose award in Yorkshire in Bloom's country houses, estates, parks & gardens category, for the forth consecutive year. Since the team of judges visited the park in 2014, two new carved sculptures were introduced to Pannett Park, including one of 2 owls on protruding branches with pears, leaves, squirrels & birds on the main trunk. The second carving features the green man, symbolising the cycle of rebirth each Spring. The carvings were done by Steve Iredale using a chain saw from old trees which had succumbed to age.

Above: The owl & Green Man carvings at Pannett Park

The Whitby branch of the Whitby, Scarborough & Ryedale Disability Action Group's mobility scooter hire service moved from the Tourist Information Centre to a new base at Whitby Library at the beginning of October after being based at the information centre for the past 5 years.

A new shop was opened in the Highsreet at Hinderwell by Andrew Emma Donoghue, following the success of their cafe, Runcible Spoon - which opened 2 years previous in the premises above. The shop, Piggy Wig Provisions, sold newspapers, sweets, milk, bread as well as other food stuffs & household provisions. The couple had the shop in mind when opening the cafe but wanted to establish the cafe first. The idea for the strange name came from The Owl & The Pussycat poem by Edward Lear.

Back in Whitby, in the retail sector, Zodiac Video was closing down around this time owing to a drop in trade through the controlled parking zones, the owner claimed. The Fuzzy Dog Bakery replaced the shop, selling canine treats and other delights.

Left: Zodiac Video advertising a closing down sale in the window; Right: The Fuzzy Dog Bakery

Also a new electricity pylon was erected near to Cross Butts Farm on Guisborough Road. In other news, a barn suddenly appeared in an empty field near to the pedestrian crossing at Hawsker. Work on this was complete by the end of March.

Left: The new electricity pylon near Cross Butts Farm; Centre: The barn at Low Hawsker during construction; Right: The barn now complete by the end of March

Whitby Boxing Club moved into new premises on 25th October which saw them move into St. Patricks Church on Church Street. The building had been unoccupied for a number of years and therefore required a lot of work doing to it before the club moved in. Former European middleweight champion Henry Wharton unveiled the facility.

31st October saw the closure of a small, local retail establishment at 10 Marine Parade. Giggles had been open for three years when the owners decided to call it a day. The shop to follow Giggles was the Proper Pasty Company, which opened on 28th December of this year. The shop would also provide seating for 20 patrons, serving tea, coffee and light meals including jacket potatoes & paninis.

Left: Giggles shop, 10 Marine Parade closed down for good after 3 years of trading; Right: Proper Pasty Company moves into former Giggles premises

By the end of the year, much progress had been made at the housing development at Eskdale Park - below are a few photos of the latest dwellings to be completed in November & December. The main road surface into the site was laid in mid-November & a road was named 'Swallow Crescent'.

November

Left: Road surface laid outside plots 54-58; Centre: Looking down the main road through the site towards a newly-rendered plot 35;
Right: Plots 31-34 under construction to the right with plots 28 & 27 just visible behind these. Plot 30 is complete to the right of the garages currently under construction in the centre

December

Above from left: The newly-laid road surface into the site; The terrace on the right comprises of plots 31-34; Garages behind plots 28 & 29 with plot 31 to the extreme right; Swallow Crescent with plots 51-54 on the left

Above left: The newest part of the site beyond plot 35 to the left & 44 to the right; Centre & Right: Over the fence behind Swallow Crescent looking towards Larpool Hall & Whitby respectively

November saw the closure of the Middle Chippy in Church Street, before the building would be converted to holiday accommodation. Planning permission for this was granted in 2013 when the fish & chip premises was changed from Moorings to its most recent name. Boarding was erected around the front of the building to allow for extensive interior works to take place.

Left: Middle Chippy after closing; Left centre: Fascia removed; Right centre: Boarding put up in front of the building to allow extensive interior works to take place; Right: Almost complete

Around November also, permanent metal fencing was erected on the concrete top of a building housing some kind of utility works at Happy Valley near Mulgrave Road. The building previously had a very easily accessible flat roof with around a 9-feet drop off the building.

Left & Right: The fenced-off area from above and behind respectively

Winter came with a bang overnight on 20th/21st November when the district was hit by some very strong northerly winds and wintry conditions, with the daytime temperature on the 21st struggling to rise above 3oc. On the night of the 20th however, when the winds were at their strongest, two of the three Georgian Grade II listed seating shelters on the West Cliff's North Promenade were blasted to smithereens in the gusts. A leaning chimney pot was removed by firemen from a building in Skinner Street. Foam was blowing up the slipway & along Pier Road & roads were closed because of the weather, with others being passable with care.

Above left & Top centre: The remains of the shelter the Wale Bones side of the cliff lift; Top right: Local building merchant clearing up the mess;
Below - Left, Centre & Right: Slightly more remains of the shelter the other side of the cliff lift

The council stepped in after an outcry to restore the iconic shelters on Whitby's North Promenade and work soon got underway restoring the Georgian shelters. The cost of replacement was estimated at around £80,000 and the structures were created off-site through the winter months at the end of 2016 by Whitby company Rose Engineering and were ready to be put in place by early April 2017. As much material as possible was salvaged from the original structures & stored and re-used in the new shelters such as cast iron rosettes, decorative brackets & timber seating. Special thanks went out to the late Derek Green, conservation specialist who passed away during 2016 after helping considerable with the specification for the new shelters.

Above left & centre: Preparatory work underway - March 2017; Right: Bases for the new structures in place by April

Above: The new shelters in place using as much material from the old ones as possible