Whitby Museum
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Collections

The many collections of Whitby Museum are detailed within the nine sections below. Each section contains photos of things you can see in the museum, though not every artefact is held on permanent display.

The collections have been assembled over the past 200 years but if you think that you have an item that would enhance the inventory and that you would be happy to donate, then please get in touch. However, there isn’t a lot of space for storage so we can only accept objects that satisfy our accessions policy.

  • Local History

    Whitby’s history, from as early as the Middle Stone Age, is reflected in our museum. The collections include representation of...

  • Photography

    Whitby Museum has an extensive photographic collection based on some 17,000 glass-plate and film negatives dating back to the 1860s....

  • Maritime Heritage

    Whitby’s history is forever linked to the sea. It is the story of ships and the men who sailed in...

  • Social History

    The collections that reflect the social history of Whitby comprise bygones, toys and dolls, coins, clocks and watches, medals, and...

  • Fine Art

    The museum’s paintings collection consists of mainly 19th and early 20th century work (both oil and watercolours), either by local...

  • Natural History

    The natural history collection comprises specimens of animals, birds and insects which have been preserved and mounted, either individually or...

  • Geology and Fossils

    The spectacular displays and the extensive stores contain one of the finest collections of Jurassic fossils in Britain. The Whitby...

  • Jet and Jet Jewellery

    Whitby Jet is a black organic gemstone formed over 135 million years ago from the fossilised wood of the Araucaria...

  • Costume and Textiles

    Our fabulous costume collection, originating in 1823, has deep roots in Whitby’s history. The town’s geographical situation demanded self-sufficiency, thus...