Whitby – Store 384
51-52 Flowergate, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO21 3AT
Woolworths opened in the Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby in 1930. It was in a interesting location, on a bend on a street called Flowergate. It backed on to St. Ann’s Straith which faced the harbour, and the land was on a hill going down on to the harbour. The architects designed the store in a way so that you couldn’t see the building’s steep incline from street level. The result was a recognisable Woolies frontage that looked a bit stretched.
This is the earliest photo I could find, from the 1980s. This is the Flowergate entrance, looking down the hill.
Whitby Woolworths 1980s
Source: Newble A.
And this is the other side of the building, facing the harbour, where you can see the frontage is taller than usual.
Whitby Woolworths 2008
Source: McCulloch, S.
Here is the harbourside entrance from another angle.
Woolworths Whitby 2008
Source: Godley, S.
After it closed down in December 2008, it became a Pine Valley store.
Whitby Pine Valley 2010
Source: Soult, G.
With the other side on Flowergate becoming The Wilderness Factory Outlet Store.
Whitby The Wilderness 2010
Source: Soult, G.
But today the whole building is occupied by Mountain Warehouse, which opened in 2013.
Whitby Mountain Warehouse 2013
Source: Le Monde1
