Whitehaven is a quiet and quaint seaside town on the north-west coast of England.
Near to the Lake District, some 24,000 people call it home.
The town’s prosperity was built on coal and largely driven by the wealthy Lowther family who planned its elegant Georgian layout.
Its stylish and graceful development led to Whitehaven being called the “gem town”, something that it is hoping to double down on in this year’s Britain in Bloom competition.
The gardening contest is held every year and only the prettiest and attentive towns reach the shortlist, of which Whitehaven is among the coastal finalists.
Forty-four community gardening groups have secured a [place in the finals, and these groups are now looking to impress judges across August.
Whitehaven is among the coastal finalists, which includes East Haven in Angus, Exmouth in Devon, Llandudno in Conwy County, and the Parish of St Brelade in Jersey.
Beautiful and rich in culture and heritage, until the early 17th century, Whitehaven was a simple coastal settlement that lived on fishing, farming, and salt-making.
Things changed when the Lowther family began to capitalise on the rich stores of coal in the area.
Soon, pits were dug and the black gold was extracted from the ground, in some instances a distance of five miles beneath the Irish Sea.
Whitehaven shortly began exporting coal not only to Ireland but Europe, Africa, America, and the West Indies.
All of this transformed the town into a centre of commerce. The town’s merchants tried their hands at various trades, including tobacco and shop building.
Coal was still a mainstay of Whitehaven until the 1930s when it became a victim of deindustrialisation in Britain.
Today, the town is still a keen destination for both tourists and those wanting to live near the sea.
There’s no surprise either: according to Rightmove, the average house price in Whitehaven is £160,000 — with most semi-detached houses going for around £150,000.
This is compared to a country-wide average of £286,000 — so the town is a relative bargain.
There is a lot to do in Whitehaven, the beach in itself a pull for many.
With such a rich history, Whitehaven has many museums that tell the town’s story, like The Beacon Museum and The Rum Story, and a selection of restaurants and pubs for revellers to enjoy.
