Walking through Whitby, you will notice plenty of passages. These are the yards of Whitby; here’s more about their history.
These Whitby yards, alleyways, and ‘ghauts,’ known locally, are the spaces between tiers of houses built back and back into the cliffs in Whitby to house fishing families.
In times past, Whitby’s yards were often overcrowded areas with as many as 30 or 40 families living in abject poverty. The small housing would have felt very crowded, and the yards would have become an extension of the family homes; families were large, and housing was small. Some were demolished during the 20th century.
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Whitby, a busy Whaling port then, would have been busy with fishermen and families. At a time when the Whaling industry was in full swing, life in the yards was brutal, unsanitary and very difficult. Here is further information about the Whitby Yards we see today.
Clarks Yard

This yard is located near the intersection of Church Street and Bridge Street on the east side of Church Street. It once featured dwellings along both sides. However, gardens now adorn one side, creating a delightful, open atmosphere.
Henry Freeman, the heroic sole survivor of the 1861 disaster and a prominent lifeboat figure, resided at number 6 in Clarks Yard for a period with his wife, Elizabeth.
Arguments Yard

This is probably one of the most well-known yards in Whitby. Lots of visitors like to have a photo under the Arguments Yard sign! At one time, there were two yards of the same name from the family name Argument. The yard off Church Street remains today. The other, off the Cragg, was demolished in 1956-60.
White Horse Yard

This yard is next to the old coaching inn The White Horse and Griffin, where Charles Dickens once stayed, built-in 1681 by Sir Hugh Cholmley. Today, it is a lovely hotel and restaurant.
This is also where the first stagecoach to York left in 1788.
Black Horse Yard

Onto Black Horse Yard, known for the excavations that took place in 1874. At the far end of the yard, relics were found from Whitby Abbey, including bone spoons and an ivory comb dating back to AD. 630. They can now be viewed in Whitby Museum.
Sanders Yard

One of the most famous yards in Whitby has to be Sanders Yard. It is named after a well-known banking family that founded a banking house on Church Street in 1779. J.Sanders can still be seen etched into the glass above the shop door, number 93 Church Street.
Sanders Yard now has a wonderful cafe/bistro and accommodation.
Borough Place

One of Whitby’s oldest houses, dating from 1618, is just inside this yard on the left. In 1786, a dispensary was established to support public subscriptions.
Blackburns Yard

One of the largest yards in Whitby. The Wash House Pottery can be found at the back. The Novelist Mary Linskill was born here in 1840. There is a plaque that marks her birthplace, and all of her novels were set in Whitby
Bakehouse Yard

This yard is located just off Haggersgate. At one point, there were nine of these in Whitby. In 1899, it was the home of famous Whitby lifeboat coxswain Henry Freeman, and a plaque on the wall commemorates this.
Whitby yards today
The yards of Whitby today have been completely transformed. Houses here are well kept; some have even transformed the space where some houses have been knocked down over the years into gardens. They are a beautiful reminder of Whitby’s history.
Some are secret shortcuts from one street to another and open to inquisitive visitors; others are privately owned and occupied. You can still respectfully glimpse what this small port must have been 200 or so years ago.
Here is a clip from the BBC TV program Secret Britain, which featured the famous “Yards of Whitby.” This behind-the-scenes look at some of Whitby’s oldest yards gives us an insight into what it was like to live in Whitby in years gone by.
Want to learn more about the Yards of Whitby?
Step back in time with Alan Whitworth as he dives deeper into these historic yards in his book Whitby Yards Through Time. You can purchase this book directly from Amazon here.
Have you seen any of these yards on your visits to Whitby? Or maybe you have overlooked these little cracks of history. We hope you enjoyed this article. Comment with your thoughts below.
Some images are taken from Whitby Yards Today: A Pictorial Record by Joyce Turner.
Hello
My name is Colin Jamieson when I was young my mother who was born in Whitby 1913 use to tell my brother and i many stories about Whitby when she was a young girl, my grandad Thomas Graham was a fisherman and used to work on the whaling boats..
One story was about giants who lived in Whitby my grandad and some other fisher men on a rowing boat where rowing back into the harbour when they saw the Giants on the Whitby Abby side of the cliffs shaking chains my mother said those in the fishing boat could not get home fast enough I .thought these were just ghost stories our mother was telling my brother and I i read recently on one of theses sites it mentioned Giant people who lived in Whitby could you please give me anymore information on this as i thought it was just a story ? My Mother was married in Whitby Abby My Father who was in the navy my mother said she had to stand up in that round turret in the Abby then walk down the 199 steps that were lined by all the navy ships crew. My Grandad Thomas Graham My Grandmother Hilda Mary Baptiste Born 1814
I still have a lot of relations in Whitby .I myself live on the Wirral Merseyside aged 74 in July 2020 Colin
Hello Colin, my name is Fred Rule my grandmother was born 1887 in redmans yard Whitby off Church St somewhere her name was Annie Elizabeth Puckrin she married David Frederick Rule 1909 at St Mary’s.
I am unable to find the whereabouts of Redmans yard, can you help?
Hi Colin I can not tell you how interesting all I learn about Whitby and you’ve just made my day with this information, I absolutely love visiting but have to rely on my son taking me we try to go twice a year and next time I visit I will be paying more attention to what you’ve written here many thanks although at age 73 myself I found the Abbey steps a challenge on my last visit
Can anyone tell me if Well Yard in Whitby is still there please?
hello. my father was born in taylors yard whitby. but carn’t seem to locate it.. maybe it as been changed name now as he was born 1915
I love whitby a beautiful place I used to go in one of the yards and watch craftsman making lovely tiles but I can’t remember the name of the yard