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Withernsea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Withernsea, population around 6000, is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England which forms the focal point for a wider community of small villages in Holderness. Its most famous landmark is the white inland lighthouse, rising around 38 metres above Hull Road. The lighthouse — no longer active — now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall who was born in the town.
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Like many seaside resorts, Withernsea has a wide promenade which reaches north and south from Pier Towers, the historic entrance to a 364 metre (nearly 1200 feet) long pier, built in 1877 at a cost of £12,000. The pier was gradually reduced in length through consecutive impacts by local seacraft, starting with the Saffron in 1880 before being collided into by an unnamed ship in 1888, again by a Grimsby fishing boat and again by the Henry Parr in 1903, leaving the once grand pier with a mere 15 metres (about 50 feet) of damaged wood and steel. Town planners decided to remove the final section during construction of coastal defences in the 1930s. The Pier Towers have been refurbished .
During the mid 19th century a railway was constructed that connected the nearby city of Kingston upon Hull with Withernsea (via Keyingham and Patrington) providing a cheap and convenient holiday for Victorian workers and their families, as well as boosting Withernsea's economy. It closed during the 1960s and all that remains of it is an overgrown footpath where the track used to be.
Withernsea, like many British resorts, has suffered from a decline in the number of visiting holidaymakers (known affectionately by the locals as diggers) over the last few decades, most likely due to the decrease in price of travel to resorts in Mediterranean countries. However, the town still sees a significant increase in tourists between the months of June and August.
Some of the town's more well known tourist attractions and landmarks include:
- The lighthouse situated on Hull Road with a dedicated museum to the actress Kay Kendall.
- The Pier Towers leading onto a Blue Flag beach.
- Valley Gardens with a large square and outside stage for local events and celebrations.
- Various amusement arcades (informally known as 'muggies') that line the road opposite the Valley Gardens.
- An RNLI lifeboat museum.
The local Gazette runs its main press office on Seaside Road and publishes its newspaper weekly.
The local radio station is Seaside Radio, which broadcasts a wide range of music genres and talk topics.
Withernsea is home to a small but significant rock and metal scene, the best known of which are the thrash metal bands Sworn Amongst and Pitiful Reign.
Withernsea has its own hospital and ambulance station and its own police force. The hospital has recently come under service cuts, angering many local residents.
Withernsea has a large and well-established education sector, with an infant, junior and high school which serves many of the surrounding area's pre-16 pupils.
Along Queen Street (high street) are many retail stores including Woolworths, Cooplands and Proudfoot. Towards the outer part of town is a large Tesco store.
There is also a nine-hole golf course and leisure centre complex (with a gym and indoor pool).
A variety of pubs and restaurants are situated around the centre of the town.
Today Withernsea's economy is mostly focused around the retail of goods and supplies to local residents, but during the summer months more attention is placed on selling souvenirs and beach items to tourists. The amusement arcades also see the most profits during this time.
The weather in Withernsea greatly depends on the time of year: In spring there is significant rainfall. In summer between late June and early July the weather is mostly dry and warm. Autumns are quite mellow but with rain. Winters are characteristically cold and windy.
The two main problems Withernsea currently faces are coastal erosion and drug and alcohol related crimes. The former has seen significant improvements to costal defence with recent upgrades of tidal retardants and the latter is closely observed and controlled by the local police.
House prices in the area have increased considerably since 2002, which has sparked a modest revival in the population. A new development is taking place in Carr's Meadows, off Hull Road, where modern homes are being built by Persimmons, this will increase the population by about 600.
As of January 2006, Withernsea Town Council decided the town was in need of an update to its image and suggested a local mascot should be created. New link http://www.freewebs.com/withernseatimes a local information sheet
