Whitby
Shops and shopping in Whitby
Whitby shops like nowhere else on this coast: a cobbled old town lined with jet jewellers and working jetworks, bookshops and gothic curiosity shops in the yards behind them, and food to carry home from bakers and smokehouses that have been at it since the 1800s.
The old town below the abbey, Church Street and Sandgate are the heart of Whitby shopping.
Whitby jet
Whitby jet is fossilised monkey-puzzle wood from the local cliffs, and it became the mourning jewellery of Victorian England after the death of Prince Albert. The trade never entirely died: Church Street and Sandgate are still lined with jet jewellers, several of them working workshops where you can watch pieces being cut and polished.
W Hamond at 112 Church Street bills itself as the original Whitby jet shop. Ebor Jetworks and One O Five at 105 Church Street are the places to watch the jewellery actually being made, and The Black Pearl, Abbey Jet, Robinson's Jet on Sandgate and Simpsons Jet all sell it too. Real jet is warm and light in the hand, ask where a piece was made, and the working jetworks will tell you straight.
The story behind it is on our things to do in Whitby page, and the Museum of Whitby Jet is the place to see the Victorian pieces before you buy a modern one.
The old town shops
The cobbled Church Street, Sandgate and Grape Lane are the heart of Whitby shopping. Bookshops first: The Whitby Bookshop, with its spiral staircase, and the children's-focused Little Fox Bookshop.
Then the gothic and curiosity shops the town does so well, GutsyGingers on Brunswick Street, The Whitby Witch on Silver Street, The Whitby Shop for Dracula books and gifts, and The Little Shop of Wonderful Things on Flowergate, plus gift and craft shops scattered through the yards and passageways in between. They come into their own around the twice-yearly Whitby Goth Weekend.
Food to take home
Botham's of Whitby, family bakers since 1865, is the place for lemon buns eaten there and a box of plum bread to carry home. Fortune's on Henrietta Street will wrap a pair of kippers in paper for the journey, and the town's sweet shops do rock and fudge for the children. More on all of it in our where to eat in Whitby guide.
Where the shops are
The east (old town) side has Church Street, Sandgate and Grape Lane; the west side has Flowergate, Baxtergate, Skinner Street and Brunswick Street. The two are split by the swing bridge and the whole centre is short and walkable, park once, on the edge of town, and do both sides on foot. Parking advice is on the Whitby hub page.
Arriving by the steam train from Pickering lands you a couple of minutes from Baxtergate and the bridge, which is the least stressful way to shop here in August. For comparison inland, see shopping in Pickering, and for the rest of the coastline our coast guide.
Shopping in Whitby: FAQs
Where can you buy Whitby jet?
Church Street and Sandgate in the old town are lined with jet jewellers. W Hamond at 112 Church Street bills itself as the original Whitby jet shop; Ebor Jetworks and One O Five at 105 Church Street let you watch pieces being cut and polished; and The Black Pearl, Abbey Jet, Robinson's Jet on Sandgate and Simpsons Jet all sell it too.
Is Whitby jet real, and how can you tell?
Real jet is fossilised monkey-puzzle wood from the local cliffs, and it feels warm and surprisingly light in the hand. Unlike cold, heavy glass or dense black plastic imitations. Buy from an established jet shop or workshop, and simply ask where the piece was made; the working jetworks will tell you straight.
Are there good bookshops in Whitby?
Yes. The Whitby Bookshop in the old town is the main one, with a spiral staircase to the upper floor, and the Little Fox Bookshop specialises in children's books. Between them and the gothic and curiosity shops, browsing the old town easily fills an afternoon.
Where are the main shopping streets in Whitby?
On the east (old town) side: Church Street, Sandgate and Grape Lane, cobbled and largely pedestrianised. On the west side: Flowergate, Baxtergate, Skinner Street and Brunswick Street. The two halves are joined by the swing bridge and the whole centre is short and walkable.