Keeping Whitby's Stories Alive
A whaling town, a fishing fleet, a jet trade — the people who lived it, remembered out loud.
Support our workOur mission
The town's memory, kept by the people who hold it
Whitby's history doesn't live only in books. It lives in the voices of fishing families, jet workers and harbour folk — and those voices fade if no one writes them down.
We are an independent, member-funded charity working to record, protect and share that heritage. We run walking tours and a free maritime museum on Church Street, we record oral histories, and we bring local schoolchildren face to face with their own town's past.
From the archive
Stories, findings and curiosities drawn from our collections and our community.
Oral history project: what we've learned after 400 interviews
We've been recording Whitby residents since 2008. What have those conversations taught us about the town, about memory, about loss?
15 June 2026
Whitby jet: from funeral jewellery to high fashion and back again
The jet trade made Whitby prosperous for forty years. Here's the full story of the industry that shaped the Old Town.
14 June 2026
Ten things most Whitby visitors never find
The abbey is spectacular. But there are ten other things in this town that are just as worth your time and almost nobody finds them.
13 June 2026
Ways to help
Every membership, hour and visit keeps the work going.
Become a member
Member subscriptions fund the museum, the recordings and the schools programme — and keep us independent.
Volunteer your time
Lead a tour, steward the museum or help transcribe interviews from our growing oral history archive.
Share your story
If your family worked the boats, the jet or the harbour, we'd love to record your memories before they're lost.
Help us record the next 400 stories
We've captured over 400 oral histories since 2008. Your gift pays for recording, transcription and the free museum that keeps them within reach of everyone in Whitby.