Whitby West Cliff Station

The traditional Yorkshire fishing town of Whitby was transformed by the development of the railways in the nineteenth century. Steam locomotion was crucial in attracting the Victorian holidaymakers who helped change the town’s fortunes. Ideally situated at the crossing point of two railway routes, Whitby offered clean sea air to those wishing to escape from Britain’s industrial towns and cities. As a counterpart to the principal station of Whitby Town, West Cliff station - established in 1883 as part of the Whitby, Redcar & Middlesbrough Union Railway - served as a busy interchange for travellers for almost eighty years. The West Cliff area of the town duly developed into a fashionable locale, catering to the summer’s many visitors. This book is a thorough exploration of this station’s history - its birth and its flourishing, its demise and its afterlife. It is awash with facts, detailing with affection and accuracy the services run, the engines involved, and the architecture and infrastructure created. Illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and diagrams, Whitby West Cliff Station records for posterity the character and career of this multifaceted establishment.