Developing world
Published at 15:40, Wednesday, 07 July 2010
WHITEHAVEN has some of the best views in the country – and some of the best photographers to capture them!
Two years ago, The Whitehaven News launched an online photographic group, The Whitehaven Snappers. There are 280 members and nearly 20,000 photos. So if you’re looking for nice pictures of the area, just visit www.flickr.com/groups/whitehavensnappers.
In the meantime, we’ve chosen a few of our favourite Snappers’ snaps to show off the best of West Cumbria.
It is hardly surprising that the area has a number of flourishing photographic groups – there’s just so much beautiful scenery to photograph around here.
The harbour area is the big draw. In the daytime there’s always plenty going on and in the evening there’s usually a super sunset as a backdrop.
Around the outer harbour, there’s the lighthouse and huge harbour wall to photograph. To the south of the harbour wall, you’ll find remnants of Whitehaven’s mining past – a pit wheel, memorials and the big white house on top is part of the old Wellington Pit.
On the south side you’ll also find Jonathan Swift house. It’s privately owned but a public path passes close by. Legend tells that Jonathan Swift stayed here when he was a child – or rather was held prisoner, having been ‘kidnapped’ by an over-fond nurse! Some believe that it was looking down on Whitehaven’s harbour that gave him the inspiration for Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travels.
A short walk along from the cliff top on the south side of the harbour is Haig Mining Museum – an impressive building to photograph but also full of the area’s mining history.
On the north side, you’ll find the working fishing boats unloading their catches.
In the winter the harbour has been known to freeze over – leading at least one national newspaper headline declaring the weather in Britain was so cold that the sea had frozen over. But we’ll let you into a little secret – a stream of fresh water flows into the harbour from the town and as fresh water lies on top of salt water it’s actually this that freezes rather than the sea. But don’t let on!
You’ll find a statue of John Paul Jones spiking the cannons. The ‘founder of the American navy’ invaded Whitehaven in 1778 but the attack floundered.
You’ll find plenty of other statues and artworks around to photograph, not least the tall Crow’s Nest at the end of Lime Tongue. The Wave artwork leads up to it. Both are lit some nights but with the long summer evenings they may remain unlit at this time of year. Close by you’ll also find some unusual metallic fish! These too are lit at night. And they’re not just ornamental artworks – they are actually bicycle stands.
The large metallic sign showing ‘C2C’ that is erected just into the harbour marks one end of a sea-to-sea route. Many cyclists (walkers start from nearby St Bees) begin or end their trek across the width of Britain here. So don’t be surprised to see cyclists dipping their wheels into the harbour – they will do the same at Whitley Bay on England’s east coast.
On the southside of the harbour you’ll find our local museum and art gallery: The Beacon. There’s a giftshop and cafe there as well. Call in to learn even more about the area.
Wander into the town itself and you’ll immediately be struck by the wonderful Georgian architecture. The town is often described as a ‘Georgian gem’ and the homeowners seem to enjoy choosing every more daring colours for their houses. Keep an eye out for the hidden alleyways and tiny gardens that are a colourful characteristic.
Unusually for England, the streets are laid out in a grid format, which will be familiar to many American visitors. Indeed some historians believe that Whitehaven was the ‘blueprint’ for New York’s street layout. The layout of the town was tightly controlled by the Lowther family and Lowther Street is the long street heading east from the Crow’s Nest up their former home, Whitehaven Castle. The impressive building is now private flats.
Also on Lowther Street you will find The Rum Story which tells of Whitehaven’s historic links to the spirit of rum – and also Whitehaven’s links to the slave trade. The Rum Story is also haunted. Now most English buildings more than 50 years old claim to be haunted but there is some serious scientific evidence for The Rum Story’s ghost: a number of scientific investigations have been carried out into this most famous haunting. If you manage to photograph the ghost, do let us know!
The Rum Story is open seven days a week and has a cafe selling food and drinks. You’ll certainly want to photograph the amazing clock in the courtyard which tells the story of rum as well as telling the time.
Also in the town you’ll find a number of parks and seated areas. St Nicholas Gardens is the most central one, being on the site of a church which burned down in 1971. The chapel still exists but the rest of the ruins and churchyard have been made into public gardens. It’s here you’ll find the plaque commemorating another American link. Mildred Warner Gale, grandmother of George Washington, is buried here although the exact site of her grave is not known.
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk
