Whitehaven

For other places with the same name, see Whitehaven (disambiguation).

Whitehaven is a town on the coast of Cumbria, in the North West region of England.

Get in

The town has two train stations: Whitehaven and Corkickle. Both of these stations are on the Barrow to Carlisle line, with a travel time of 1 hr 10 min to Carlisle. Access by road is by the A595 trunk road. Whilst the town was once a major port for England, the lack of a tributary to the harbour prevents modern vessels from docking. Occasionally historic tramp steamers will make calls to Whitehaven.

Get around

The town has two train stations Whitehaven and Corckickle, and is served by Stagecoach local services by far the easiest method of seeing the local attractions is by car.

See

Whitehaven was attacked by John Paul Jones - founder of the US Navy - during the American revolutionary wars. Many of the cannon which were in the fort at the time are still in the harbour area. However, they were reused in the 1950s as road bollards and are now implanted in the pavements to separate it from the road. The town is also the first in the UK to be laid out in a grid format, and was later used as a template for major cities.

The town's cemetery is also home to the grandmother of George Washington, the first president of the USA.

The church at the centre of town is worth a visit. The original church was burned down, and due to funding issues rather than rebuild, the saved part was bricked off from the remaining destroyed part and now forms the church.

One day should be sufficient to see all the town has to offer. 1 The Beacon Museum, West Strand, ☏ +44 1946 592302. Art exhibitions and local history, including the Sellafield Story (updated Jan 2017)

Do

• Rugby League (13-a-side): Whitehaven were relegated in 2024 and play in League One, the third tier. Their home ground is Coach Road, half a mile south of town centre. The playing season is Mar-Oct.
• The Edge is an outdoor sports facility due to open in summer 2024.

Drink

1 The Bransty Arch, Bransty Row, CA28 7XE, ☏ +44 1946 517 640. 8AM-midnight. JD Wetherspoon (updated Jan 2023)

2 The Vagabond, 9 Marlborough St, CA28 7LL, ☏ +44 1946 66653. (updated Jan 2023)

Sleep

1 The Georgian House Hotel, 9-11 Church St, ☏ +44 1946 696611. 

2 Premier Inn Whitehaven, Howgate, CA28 6PL, ☏ +44 871 527 9160. 

Go next

• North to Workington on the A595 7.9 mi (12.7 km)
• South to Seascale on the A595 14.7 mi (23.7 km)