This February half term, we set ourselves a simple but meaningful challenge: how can we help people see Staithes not just as a picturesque seaside village, but as a place layered with stories — stories that live in its cottages, ginnels, harbour walls, and in the objects carefully preserved in the museum? This project was designed to connect local people with local history in a fresh and accessible way. By sharing selected objects from the museum’s collection alongside their

When we think about history, we often think about what was written down — records, diaries, official documents. But in Staithes, much of the village’s past was sung . Songs carried stories. Hymns carried grief. Choruses carried community. And for generations, the people of Staithes filled chapels, cottages, pubs, hillsides and even the open seafront with music. Just recently, we shared a Victorian Staithes cricket song on this blog (here) — full of local jokes and reference

This fascinating piece of research was kindly shared with us by cricket historian Roy Hyde, who visited Staithes Museum with his wife Doctor Helen Hyde last year. While exploring the early history of cricket in the village, Roy uncovered a remarkable find: a celebratory cricket song written and performed in Staithes in 1897, along with the rich story of the team, the people involved, and the brief but brilliant heyday of Staithes Cricket Club at the end of the nineteenth cent

As you enter the Staithes Museum, the first exhibit shows the tools of the fisherman’s trade - labelled, not in English, but in Staithes Dialect. It’s your opportunity to take a dip into the rich linguistic tapestry of our village, a local speech often considered more than just a dialect - a living language that has survived with "great tenacity". The isolation of Staithes before the arrival of the railway in 1885 allowed many ancient characteristics of its speech to persist.

A painting of Grief Among the paintings that capture the soul of Staithes, few convey its emotional depth as powerfully as Harold...

Welcome to the Staithes Museum blog! As you stand within our walls, you're not just in a building, but within a cornerstone of Staithes'...

Staithes Museum's replica of the Harrison Clock At Staithes Museum, we often think of Captain Cook’s voyages as the height of...

Forget-me-not ring donated to Jane Harrison, donated to Jane Harrison by a Birmingham Jeweller, after the 1815 fishing disaster which...

This brief guide was originally written by Al Milnes from the gallery for our volunteers to help them share Staithes’ artistic history...

Among the many treasures in Staithes Museum’s collection is a fascinating handwritten account of the village’s past, titled History of...

We are thrilled to present "What the Sea Saw," a captivating short film that delves into the rich maritime heritage of Staithes,...