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Whitehaven

The first impression is of a handsome Georgian town, but Whitehaven was already well established in the 12th century as a harbour fr use by the monks of nearby St Bees Priory. After the Reformation, the land was acquired and developed by the Lowther family in order to expand the coal industry. By the mid-1700s, Whitehaven had become the third largest port in Britain, its trade based on coal and other cargo business, including importing tobacco from Virginia, exporting coal to Ireland, and transporting emigrants to the New World. When the large iron-steamships arrived however, the harbour's shallow draught halted expansion and the port declined in favour of Liverpool and Southampton. For that reason much of the attractive harbour area - now full of pleasure craft and fishing smacks - and older parts of the town remain largely unchanged.

The harbour and its environs have been declared a Conservation Area and located here is The Beacon (see panel opposite) where, through a series of innovative displays, the history of the town and its harbour are brought to life. The displays reflect the many aspects of this harbour borough with a collection that includes paintings, locally made pottery, ship models, navigational instruments, miners' lamps, and surveying equipment The Beilby 'Slavery' Goblet, part of the museum's collection, is one of the masterpieces of English glass-making and is probably the finest example of its kind in existence.

Also here are the Harbour Gallery, with an ongoing arts programme, and the Weather Zone, where visitors can monitor, forecast and broadcast the weather. They can also learn about the 'American Connection' and John Paul Jones' attack on the town in 1778. John Paul Jones had been an apprentice seaman at Whitehaven before going to the New World, where he becam well-known in the War of Independence. In 1777 he becameCaptain of the privateer The Ranger and led a raid on Whitehaven with the intention of firing on the ships in the harbour. Thwarted by light winds, the party raided the fort and spiked the guns, then managed to damage only three ships before retreating under fire. The Beacon also has a gift shop, restaurant and a cinema that presents vintage footage of Whitehaven in times past.

There's more history at The Rum Story, which tells of the town's connections with the Caribbean. The display is housed in the original 1785 shop, courtyards, cellars and bonded warehouses of the Jefferson family, the oldest surviving UK family of rum traders. Visitors can learn about the various processes involved in the making of rum, travel through reaistic re-creations of far-off villages, and experience the sights, sounds and smells of life on board the slave ships.

In Solway Road, Kells, the Haig Colliery Mining Museum features the world's only Bever Dorling Winding Engines, various displays about the mining industry and exhibits on mining disasters. Haig Colliery was the last deep coal mine worked in the West Cumberland coalfield. Sunk between 1914 and 1918, it closed in 1986 and was later sold for restoration.

As well as theelegant Georgian buildings that give Whitehaven its air of distinction, there are two fine parish churches that are worth
a visit. Dating from 1753, St James' Church has Italian ceiling designs and a beautiful Memorial Chapel dedicated to those who lost their lives in the two World Wars and to the local people who were killed in mining accidents. The younger St Begh's Church, which was built in the 1860s by EW Pugin, is striking with its sandstone walls. In the graveyard of the parish hurch of St Nicholas is buried Mildred Gale, the grandmother of George Washington. In 1699, a widowed mother of three, Mildred married George Gale, a merchant who traded from Whitehaven to Maryland and Virginia.Her sons were born in Virginia but went to school in Appleby. When their mother died they returned to Virginia; one of them, Augustin, became the father of Georg Washington, first President of the United States of America.

Whitehaven is interesting in other ways. The grid pattern of streets dating back to the 17th century gives substance to its claim to be the first planned town in Britain. Many of the fine Georgian buildings in the centre have been restored and Lowther Street is a particularly impressive thoroughfare. Also of note is the Harbour Pier built by the canal engineer John Rennie, and considered to be one of the finest in Britain. Above the town there is a fascinating walk and a Nature Trail around Tom Hurd Rock.