About
We are a small team of enthusiasts who share a love for Whitby and the North Yorkshire Coast.
History
The Whitby Guide began from an idea to share my love for a town I spent so much time in growing up; It’s a place I have always felt most at home. So, for over a decade, we have been writing about Whitby. Throughout that time, my team and I have had the pleasure of visiting, researching, and writing about my favourite seaside town. Whether that be the best places to get fish and chips or listing fabulous events we want to share with the world, we now have over 500,000 words to inform, delight and encourage others to visit a place so special to us.
Whilst visiting, I am often asked about my connections to the town, usually by locals who recognise my surname. Whitby is not just a holiday destination but also a tight-knit community, and I enjoy sharing my ties with the town.
Paylor’s of Whitby
I was born in Stoke-on-Trent and grew up captivated by a town almost 200 miles away on the northeast coast of North Yorkshire. I inherited my connection to the area from my dad, Kevan Paylor. He was born in Whitby in 1949 and brought up in the town, as well as my Grandad, Laurence, who was born in Whitby in 1916 but known locally as ‘Bill’. Laurence, or ‘Bill’, was one of several children of Thomas (his father) and Jane Walker (his mother). Bill’s siblings were Thomas (b 1914), Laurence (b 1916), Arthur (b 1919), Louis (b 1921), Wilfred (b 1923), Jean (b 1922), and Jonathan (b 1924).
Between them, with the added help of Wiltshire-born Grandmother Thelma, I was given a much-valued insight into Whitby’s life’ through the years and the history of many of the Whitby Paylor families. It was fascinating, and I never tired of visiting and listening to their stories.
Over the years, members of my large family involved themselves in various employment activities such as wholesale fruit and veg, retail fruit and veg outlets, scrap metal, ‘pleasure arcades’ (amusements), jet jewellery making and retail outlets.
To this day, many people remember my Dad or Grandad and will have a story or two to tell me, usually whilst in one of Whitby’s many pubs!
Today
Today, Whitby Paylor’s legacy lives on through this website.
To maintain a solid connection to my family history, in 2009, The Whitby Guide was born. Since then, it has developed from a passion project to a fully-fledged business that welcomes over 1 million website views annually. Our online shop continues to grow, and we have an audience of over 100,000 people across our social media channels.
I’m so proud of this website and eternally grateful to the hundreds of thousands of people who use our platform monthly.
Thank you to everyone who has helped turn my little idea into something big.
For Bill and Thelma.
