The future of one of Whitby’s “most enjoyed landmarks”, the Whale Bone Arch overlooking Whitby Abbey, is facing issues including the logistics of sourcing and transporting replacement bones from North America, as well as ethical questions.
The issue of replacing the deteriorating bones – first installed some time after 1853, and last replaced in 2002 from Whitby’s twin town of Barrow in Alaska – has proved to be a headache for local officials.
Whitby Town Council has formally asked North Yorkshire Council to undertake “urgent investigations” into the future of the whalebones in Whitby and to provide costed options for replacement, refurbishment, and alternatives such as a replica replacement.
The Mayor of Whitby, Cllr Sandra Turner, said:
“Obviously, we want to retain our whale bones and we are in the process of working with North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
“They’re in contact with overseas bodies to see if we can get a replacement set. What I will say is, absolutely, we don’t condone the killing of any whales to replace the whale bones that we’ve got.”
However, she added:
“If there is a set of whale bones that are just in store somewhere that can be put in place, then yes, that would be excellent.”
The current bones came from a whale that was killed legally by native Inuits in 1996.
NYC said the request is being progressed and Chris Bourne, the council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, has said he is “in communication with the mayor’s office in Anchorage, Alaska about this”.
Mr Bourne, who “dealt with procuring the existing bones some twenty-five years ago”, added that Alaskan authorities “are currently trying to speak to those involved previously at North Slope Borough (Barrow)”.
Commenting on the importance of the whale bone arch to locals and visitors, which is also a popular spot for taking photographs of Whitby Abbey, Cllr Turner said:
“They’re a landmark. They’re a historic landmark for Whitby, and we don’t want to see them removed.”
However, North Yorkshire Council has said that if a new set of bones were available, that is where other issues begin.
Head of harbour, Chris Bourne said:
“It would be likely the bones would be in a very remote location on the Arctic ice-shelf, and there would have to be a willingness for the residents to recover and move them to a suitable location,”
The bones would require thorough cleaning before a logistics company would carry them on an aircraft, and the “biggest hurdle”, according to the council, would be gaining the right permission to import the bones to the UK.
Asked about the process of procurement and looking at other options, the mayor said:
“Hopefully, we’ll have a positive outcome.
“If there isn’t any way forward, then we’ve got to seriously look at what we can do to retain what we’ve got.
“And if they are beyond saving, we’ve got to look at something that’s an acceptable replacement.”
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