Staithes
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Staithes is a seaside village in North Yorkshire
, England
. Roxby Beck, a stream running through Staithes, is the border between the Borough of Scarborough
and Redcar and Cleveland
. Formerly one of the largest and most productive fishing centres in England, Staithes is now largely a tourist destination.
(a traditional locally made fishing vessel) in Staithes.
Staithes has a sheltered harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters
. A mile to the west, Boulby Cliff is the highest cliff in England. For a brief period Boulby Cliff was mined for alum
, a mineral used to improve the strength and permanency of colour when dying cloth. The mining operation was relatively short lived as a cheaper chemical method was developed. The ruined remnants of the mines can be seen from the cliff top when walking the Cleveland Way
between Staithes and Skinningrove
.
Staithes is a destination for geologists researching the ancient Jurassic
(Lias
), often fossiliferous strata in the cliffs surrounding the village. In the early 1990s a rare fossil
of a seagoing dinosaur
was discovered after a rockfall between Staithes and Port Mulgrave
to the south. This fossil has been the focus of an ongoing project to remove the ancient bones of the creature. Port Mulgrave remains one of the best places on the northern coast to find fossils of ammonite
s and many visitors spend hours cracking open the shaly rocks on the shoreline in the hope of finding a perfect specimen.
Besides its human residents, known to other nearby villages as "Ringers," it has a very large population of gull
s and other seabirds nesting on the cliffs. The permanent population of the village has dwindled due to more than half of the cottages being second homes owned by outsiders from cities such as Leeds
and York
and further afield. During the winter, when there are fewer visitors, it can seem like a ghost town. Though fewer than half of the cottages in the old village are occupied by Ringers, the traditions of the village have not yet died: many of the local women still wear Staithes bonnet
s (some can still be bought today in the Gift Shop in Staithes!) for the annual nightgown parade, and the Staithes Fisher Men's Choir is still going strong. There is active local participation in the local RNLI Lifeboat crew, with the Porritt Family providing many of the past and present crew members.
" or the "Northern Impressionists." The group contained renowned artists such as Edward E. Anderson, Joseph R. Bagshawe, Thomas Barrett and James W. Booth and was inspired by other impressionists such as Monet, Cezanne and Renoir
. Dame Laura Knight
became the most famous member of the Staithes Group; she and her husband and fellow painter Harold Knight kept a studio in the village.
(born in Marton
near Middlesbrough
), worked in Staithes as a grocer's apprentice where he first gained his passion for the sea. He moved to nearby Whitby
where he joined the Royal Navy
. William Sanderson's shop, where Cook worked, was destroyed by the sea, but parts were recovered and incorporated into "Captain Cook's Cottage". This has been the residency of a local Staithes family for several generations.
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Staithes is a seaside village in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Roxby Beck, a stream running through Staithes, is the border between the Borough of Scarborough
Scarborough (borough)
Scarborough is a non-metropolitan district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the town of Scarborough, it covers a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire, including Whitby and Filey....
and Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
. Formerly one of the largest and most productive fishing centres in England, Staithes is now largely a tourist destination.
History
At the turn of the 20th century, there were 80 full time fishing boats putting out from Staithes. A hundred years later there is only one, a family fishing operation worked by three generations of the Hanson family. There is a long tradition of using the cobleCoble
The coble is a type of open traditional fishing boat which developed on the North East coast of England. The southern-most examples occur around Hull The coble is a type of open traditional fishing boat which developed on the North East coast of England. The southern-most examples occur around Hull...
(a traditional locally made fishing vessel) in Staithes.
Features
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
. A mile to the west, Boulby Cliff is the highest cliff in England. For a brief period Boulby Cliff was mined for alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
, a mineral used to improve the strength and permanency of colour when dying cloth. The mining operation was relatively short lived as a cheaper chemical method was developed. The ruined remnants of the mines can be seen from the cliff top when walking the Cleveland Way
Cleveland Way
The Cleveland Way is a National Trail in ancient Cleveland in Northern England. It runs 110 miles from Helmsley to Filey, skirting the North York Moors National Park.-History:The trail was opened in 1969...
between Staithes and Skinningrove
Skinningrove
Skinningrove is a village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.This name is Viking influenced and is thought to mean Skinners grove or pit...
.
Staithes is a destination for geologists researching the ancient Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
(Lias
Lias
Lias may refer to:*In geology:**The Lias Group, a group in the stratigraphy of Great Britain, formed during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic epochs. It includes the Blue Lias and White Lias...
), often fossiliferous strata in the cliffs surrounding the village. In the early 1990s a rare fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
of a seagoing dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
was discovered after a rockfall between Staithes and Port Mulgrave
Hinderwell
Hinderwell is a village and civil parish in the Scarboroughdistrict of North Yorkshire, England.Hinderwell lies about a mile from the coast on the A174 road between the towns of Loftus and Whitby. It may also be visited by the Cleveland Way footpath...
to the south. This fossil has been the focus of an ongoing project to remove the ancient bones of the creature. Port Mulgrave remains one of the best places on the northern coast to find fossils of ammonite
Ammonite
Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...
s and many visitors spend hours cracking open the shaly rocks on the shoreline in the hope of finding a perfect specimen.
Besides its human residents, known to other nearby villages as "Ringers," it has a very large population of gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s and other seabirds nesting on the cliffs. The permanent population of the village has dwindled due to more than half of the cottages being second homes owned by outsiders from cities such as Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and further afield. During the winter, when there are fewer visitors, it can seem like a ghost town. Though fewer than half of the cottages in the old village are occupied by Ringers, the traditions of the village have not yet died: many of the local women still wear Staithes bonnet
Bonnet (headgear)
Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...
s (some can still be bought today in the Gift Shop in Staithes!) for the annual nightgown parade, and the Staithes Fisher Men's Choir is still going strong. There is active local participation in the local RNLI Lifeboat crew, with the Porritt Family providing many of the past and present crew members.
Art in Staithes
The village was home to a group of twenty to thirty artists known as the "Staithes groupStaithes group
The Staithes group or Staithes School was an art colony of 19th century painters based in the North Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes....
" or the "Northern Impressionists." The group contained renowned artists such as Edward E. Anderson, Joseph R. Bagshawe, Thomas Barrett and James W. Booth and was inspired by other impressionists such as Monet, Cezanne and Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
. Dame Laura Knight
Laura Knight
Dame Laura Knight, DBE was an English Impressionist painter known for painting the world of London's theatre, ballet and circus.-Early life and education:...
became the most famous member of the Staithes Group; she and her husband and fellow painter Harold Knight kept a studio in the village.
Links to Captain James Cook
In 1745-1746, Staithes's most famous resident, James CookJames Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
(born in Marton
Marton, Middlesbrough
Marton — officially Marton-in-Cleveland — was a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, which is now within the town boundaries of Middlesbrough, in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Originally, the parish of Marton extended down to the River...
near Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
), worked in Staithes as a grocer's apprentice where he first gained his passion for the sea. He moved to nearby Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
where he joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. William Sanderson's shop, where Cook worked, was destroyed by the sea, but parts were recovered and incorporated into "Captain Cook's Cottage". This has been the residency of a local Staithes family for several generations.