Piers of Whitby

The piers of Whitby are four structures along the River Esk estuary in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. Whilst all the piers can be accessed by the general public, the piers were not built as seaside attractions – so-called pleasure piers like Redcar, Saltburn or Withernsea – but rather serving a civil purpose, such as ship loading and protecting the harbour. The main West and East piers in the town were built to provide shelter from the currents and storms of the North Sea, and in the 18th and 19th centuries, any ships seeking refuge in the harbour were charged a levy for use of Whitby's safe haven. These levies were used to pay for the maintenance and improvement of the piers.

It has been recognised that Whitby Harbour has been an important maritime centre that dates back possibly to Roman times. Fishing has always been an important and dominant industry, though this lessened in the 20th century. Historically the export of alum, the importing of coal, and then the shipbuilding industries, have been crucial to the development of the town. The River Esk harbour in Whitby is the only natural harbour between the Tees and the Humber.

Both piers were extended in the early 20th century in an effort to control low water flow and a whirlpool at the harbour entrance. The two pier extensions have been described as "... reach[ing] out to sea like the mandibles of some great insect."

Of note is that the Eskdale Anticline divides both piers, despite being only yards apart; the West Pier is built on oolitic sandstone, whereas the East Pier is on alum shale.