Keeping Whitby's stories afloat
A small, independent charity safeguarding the town's maritime and craft heritage since 2008.
Who we are
Run by Whitby folk, for everyone who loves the place
Harbour Lights Trust began with a handful of volunteers and a tape recorder, determined to capture the voices of a town shaped by whaling, herring and the dark glint of jet. Today we run heritage walking tours through the old streets, a free maritime museum on Church Street, and a schools programme for local primaries.
We're member-funded and proudly independent. Everything we do — from recording oral histories to opening the museum doors — is paid for by our members and kept free for visitors. Whitby's story belongs to all of us, and we mean to keep it that way.
What makes us us
A few things we hold to, year in and year out.
Voices first
We've recorded more than 400 oral history interviews since 2008, preserving Whitby's lived memory before it slips away.
Free to all
Our Church Street museum and its whaling and jet collections are free to visit — heritage shouldn't carry a turnstile.
Rooted in the town
Every tour, talk and school session is led by local volunteers who know these streets and the families who walked them.
Passing it on
Our schools programme brings Whitby's maritime past to local primary children, so the next generation carries it forward.