Whitehaven Harbour

Whitehaven Harbour, the centre of one of the greatest ports in England in the early 1700's and visited by William Wordsworth and Benjamin Franklin almost hid itself away for nearly 200 years but now, has once more raised it head as a place to visit. The 16 million pound re-vamp to the town has concentrated largely on re-juvenating the harbour, with much success. The new marina combined with historical interest and the maritime festival are all bringing new visitors to this town with a fascinating history.

New paving and street furniture along with many artistic touches have made the waterfront very attractive. An outdoor performance venue, the hub, has been created with a pavement of tessellated cray fish mirroring the similar roundel of dolphins at the Duke St. end. Fish inlaid into the pavement lead to sculptured gates of fish caught in nets outside the new fish handling plant. Seats sculptured like the tailfins of whales contain inscriptions reflecting the towns illustrious history. New figure sculptures remember the characters from the past.

The harbour has also become the starting point of the C2C route - a cycleway across the country from Whitehaven to Sunderland - and a stopping off point for the 3 peaks race.

Attractive seating and lighting effects along the piers that keep the place alive even at night have brought a return to people promenading, and gathering for a  chat. The art works also have clues to aid completion of the Quest, a series of themed town trails, such as nautical sayings on the engraved glass tables along the Sugar Tongue.