Whitby's Herring Industry

Rarely can Whitby have looked so poetic as in this atmospheric film from the 1950s, with its harbour bulging with traditional fishing trawlers; one can almost smell the herring.

Back to a time when Whitby was known more for its fishing than its tourism, its bustling harbour would welcome fishing vessels from afar, including its European neighbours. Local Inspector of Schools Edward Roberts has skilfully caught the fishermen and

Durham County Education Committee chose one of its own, Edward Roberts, to make this film. Born in 1893, the son of a miner, Roberts was brought up in the Durham mining village of Mount Pleasant, near Spennymoor. His parents had to make severe sacrifice