Staithes Museum Newsletter - April 2026

Dear all,

I hope you’re getting a few glimpses of sunshine between all the rainy showers!

Please find linked here this month’s Staithes Museum newsletter. There’s plenty to look forward to inside, including the launch of our new audio guide on 18th May, updates on the newly refurbished second shop (and Bill’s brand new village tour film!), and a look ahead to our upcoming work experience placement in July.

As always, there are lots of ways to get involved—whether that’s trying out the audio guide, sending us a donation, or simply coming back to visit us - and bringing a friend!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on anything in the newsletter, especially the audio guide as the launch gets underway.

Thank you, as ever, for all your support—it really does make everything we do possible.

Best wishes,

Rosie

P.S. If you'd like to receive this newsletter in your email inbox once a month, please subscribe via our website, or send me an email at staithesmuseum@gmail.com

A text-only version of the newsletter is available below:

Audioguide launch day: May 18th

Pop the date in your calendars! On 18th May, we’ll be launching the museum’s new audio guide.

We’re keeping launch day fairly low-key—mainly because we know the museum’s internet isn’t quite up to a full crowd all downloading it at once (we’d risk the whole museum grinding to a halt!).

That said, if you’re volunteering next month, it’s a great opportunity to give it a try. Bring along your headphones and a device with Wi-Fi, download the Bloomberg Connects app, and have a listen as you go on our special little tour around the museum.

We’re really looking forward to hearing what you think—it’s been a big project behind the scenes, and we’re excited to finally share it.

Spring in Steease: The Magic of the Silverwhips

As the "scented breeaze blows oot o' t' west," there is no more evocative way to mark the arrival of spring in Staithes than through the verses of its most famous dialect poet, Arthur Stanley Umpleby. In his 1935 anthology, A Bo’ddin o’ Cowls (A Bundle of Heather), Umpleby captured the unique beauty of the village during its most vibrant season.

The Ballade of Staithes

The opening stanza of his celebrated "Ballade of Staithes" serves as a timeless tribute to the village—known in local dialect as Steease or Steers:

"Ah leyke ti gan ti Steease i’ spring; That’s t’ taam shu allus leeaks ’er best; When t’ mis’le-thrush an’ t’ blackies sing, An’ t’ cuddy biggs ’er laal roond nest; When t’ scented breeaze blows oot o’ t’ west, An’ t’ primrooaases leeaks up ti t’ shoo’er, When Awkness trees wi’ blossom’s dhrissed, An’ t’ silverwhips is oot i’ floo’er."

Unveiling the "Silverwhips"

"Silverwhips" is the distinctive name for Staithes Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), a wild variety that grows in profusion along the rugged cliffs of Cowbar Nab. This plant is so characteristic of the area that its presence has been recorded by botanists as far back as 1801.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal—with their purple stems, blue-green leaves, and four-petal yellow flowers that bloom from May to August—Silverwhips are a subject of significant scientific interest. Modern geneticists, such as Dr Phil Gates of Durham University, have noted that these wild clusters are "untapped reserves of genetic variability," and it is believed that many common supermarket vegetables like sprouts, cauliflower, and kale can be traced back to the cross-pollination of these wild ancestors.

A Culinary Heritage

Silverwhips are not merely for looking at; they have long been a staple of the local "home economy". Patricia Hutchinson, a descendant of a long-standing Staithes family, still picks the young cabbage to be eaten locally for free. It can be blanched, steamed, or roasted, and is often served as a delicacy similar to fresh asparagus or with homemade garlic mayonnaise. Historically, the plant was even valued by the Romans, who used it as medicine for everything from hypochondria to counteracting the effects of wine.

Preserving the Music of Speech

The poet himself, A.S. Umpleby, was a vital figure in village life, serving as the Staithes station master between the wars, a magistrate, and a committed champion of the Yorkshire dialect. He was once dismissed and later reinstated for his leadership role in the 1926 National Strike, yet he remains most fondly remembered for preserving the "music of its speech". He even used his wit to tease inaccurate British Railways posters, declaring: "Crabby, Ther's Whidby Abbey o' Cowbar End".

As we look toward the cliffs this spring, the blooming Silverwhips serve as a living link to the heritage and language that Umpleby so passionately immortalised.

Second Shop Refurbishment: A New Space (and a New Star!)

If you’ve been into the museum in the last month,  you’ll have seen that the second shop has been undergoing quite a transformation.

We’ve cleared out the old shop fittings, given the room a fresh coat of paint, reworked the gansey displays, and added a TV, radiator, and some comfortable seating. The aim was to create a space where visitors can pause for a moment—and it’s already proving its worth.

The real highlight is the film now showing in the space: Bill Hinchley’s walking tour of Staithes. It’s a warm, funny, and insightful exploration of the history behind the village our visitors are enjoying as they walk around it.

Over the weekend, the screen room has been packed, with people settling in to watch the film from beginning to end. When Bill himself popped in to see how it was going, he was greeted and congratulated by visitors as if he was the Prime Minister of Staithes!

It’s been a brilliant addition to the museum, giving visitors a chance to sit down, spend more time with the stories, and see the village through Bill’s eyes. And it’s not finished yet! We’re still working on new signage to introduce the tour, share a map of the village in 1851, and highlight the ganseys as the rugged, built-to-last pieces of fishing heritage that they are.

This project has been organised and delivered by the North York Moors National Park Authority, who funded both the filming and the refurbishment of the space (and Georgia even got stuck in with the painting in her overalls!).

A special thank you as well to Colin Pyrah, who kept everything on track—coordinating deliveries, sourcing materials, and making sure the whole project came together on time. He, Gary and Georgia even managed to get the TV up on the wall during one particularly soggy afternoon.

And of course, a huge thank you to Bill himself—a treasured local historian (and now, officially, one of Staithes’ best-known faces!)—for so generously sharing his fabulous walk with us all.

Volunteer Passes – Don’t Forget to Pick Yours Up!

A quick reminder (and slight apology for missing it last time!): if you haven’t already collected your volunteer pass, please do pick one up this month.

The pass gives you free entry to a wide range of local museums, and guarantees you a very warm welcome from fellow museum teams—it’s a lovely way to explore what others are doing across the region, and to feel part of a much bigger network.

The scheme is organised through Museum Development North, and there’s a great list of all the participating museums available here:

https://www.museumdevelopmentnorth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/32453-YMT-Museum-Volunteer-Pass-Leaflet-2026-27-FINAL-1.pdf 

Do make the most of it if you can—it’s a small perk, but a really good one.

Work experience ahead

It’s been confirmed this week! In July, we’re delighted to be welcoming a new work experience student, Issy, to the museum.

Issy is interested in a future career in museums or archives, and she’s keen to try a bit of everything during her time with us. Over the course of the week, she’ll be getting a real insight into how the museum runs day-to-day — from learning how to use the catalogue and explore our research library, to working on the till in the shop and speaking with visitors and volunteers.

Her week will begin with an introduction to how the museum works behind the scenes, including how we catalogue and care for our collection. She’ll spend time exploring the research library and learning how to find and use information about Staithes and its people.

As the week goes on, Issy will also gain some front-of-house experience, learning how to use the till and helping to serve customers in the shop. She’ll have the chance to talk to visitors and volunteers, building confidence and learning how we share stories about the village.

Alongside these activities, Issy will be taking on a special project. She will be researching the life of one person connected to Staithes — following their story from beginning to end — and transforming that research into something accessible and engaging for our visitors. This may take the form of a small display in the museum, an audio guide, a blog post, or another creative way of sharing the story.

During the middle of the week, she’ll focus on building this story — using books, catalogue records, and (we hope!) conversations with volunteers. She’ll also be recording a short interview, learning how to capture and use oral history as part of her research.

Towards the end of the week, Issy will begin creating her final piece — selecting images or objects, writing text, and putting together her display or other output. She’ll also help create a piece of social media content to share her work with a wider audience.

We are currently considering a few possible figures, including Stanley Umpleby, John Howard, or Robert Brown — all fascinating individuals whose work has shaped how we understand Staithes today, but whose stories are not yet fully brought to life in the museum space. That said, we are very open to suggestions.

This is where our wonderful volunteers come in.

If you have a particular interest in a Staithes figure, or if you’ve carried out family history research that you’d be willing to share, we would love to hear from you. Issy will also be hoping to speak to volunteers during her placement — whether that’s to learn more about local history, to hear your experiences of working at the museum, or to gather advice and feedback on her project as it develops.

Your support can make a real difference — not only in helping Issy build confidence and skills, but also in shaping a piece of interpretation that will be shared with our visitors.

If you have ideas, stories, or would simply be happy to chat with Issy during her week with us, please do let us know. We’re really looking forward to seeing what she creates!

How do I use the audio guide - instructions from the beginning

How to Use the Museum Audio Guide

On the 18th of May, our new audio guide is going to be going  live! If you’d like to try it out (or help visitors use it), here’s a simple step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Connect to the Wi-Fi

• Go to your device’s Wi-Fi settings and select BT_Guest_Wi-Fi

• Once connected, a page should pop up automatically

• Agree to the terms and click “Get online!”

Step 2: Access the audio guide You have two options:

• Download the app: Search for Bloomberg Connects in your app store, download it, and search for Staithes Museum or

• Scan the QR code: Use the QR code by the entrance, which will take you straight to a webpage with instructions

Step 3: Start the tour

• Scroll down to the audio guide: “Staithes: A Village of Voices”

• Click “Start tour”

• You’ll see a map, and the first stop: the sea beasts by the front entrance

• Press the blue play button to begin

From there, just swipe right along the bottom to move through each stop on the tour.

By the end, you’ll have explored both upstairs and downstairs, and heard stories from Staithes past and present - with voices from our archives and from a couple of volunteers!

A couple of things to watch out for…

• The staircase area can be tricky on the map Some objects (like the skep with longlines, the Cod and Lobster sign, or the old Primitive Methodist sign) can be a bit hard to spot. Don’t worry—we’ll be on hand to help point people in the right direction.

• Wi-Fi strength varies The signal is strongest downstairs, especially near the welcome desk. The guide should download fully while you’re there, but if not, and it cuts out upstairs, try standing by the lifeboat section (above the shop) where there’s still a bit of signal.

Sidebar: How do I scan a QR code?

• Open your phone’s camera

• Point it steadily at the QR code

• A link should appear on your screen—tap it

• If nothing happens, you may need to use a QR scanner app (most modern phones don’t need this)

We know the audio guide won’t be for everyone—especially as it involves using your own device and headphones—but we’re really excited to have it up and running.

It’s also launching at a great time, with Turner Prize activity in nearby Middlesbrough highlighting the Bloomberg Connects app more widely. With a bit of luck, we might see some visitors making their way over to Staithes to give it a try!

Apprenticeship reflection: Rosie’s Semester Portfolio: What am I putting in, and why?

It’s portfolio season at university, which means I’ve been trying to condense my entire apprenticeship into just ten pieces of evidence. It’s been harder than it sounds! There’s such a wide range of knowledge, skills, and behaviours to demonstrate that choosing what to include has taken a fair bit of thought.

At one point, I considered submitting one very large document—like my 56-page Forward Plan—to cover as much as possible in one go. In the end, I’ve gone for a more balanced “best-of” selection instead. It means each piece is clearer and more focused, and together they show the full range of what I’ve been working on.

The portfolio is an important part of the course, as it forms the basis for my final “Professional Discussion”, where I’ll talk an assessor through my work and decisions. So the aim isn’t just to show what I’ve done, but to explain why I’ve done it that way, and what I’ve learned along the way.

So, what made the cut? The Forward Plan is in there, using the visitor data we’ve been collecting to set some clear, measurable goals for the museum’s future. I’ve also included the North York Moors grant application, where we secured £3,988 towards the new brochures. On the more creative side, there’s the Webber Prints project, which explores how we present different perspectives in the collection. And of course, I couldn’t leave out our “Can You Spot in Staithes...?” series—still our most successful social media campaign, with over 77,000 views.

One of the biggest challenges has simply been that I’d never made (or even seen!) a portfolio before. Once it’s submitted, I’m planning to share it on the museum blog. Hopefully it’ll be useful for anyone curious about what goes into becoming a curator—and what kind of evidence is actually needed along the way.

Visit to Staithes Museum: Mark Readman (Folk Music & Archives Research)

We recently had a visit to the museum from Mark Readman, who is studying archives and digitisation, and is originally from Robin Hood’s Bay.

Mark came to spend time with our archive material as part of his research into folk songs and sea shanties along the Yorkshire coast. During his visit, he listened to several of the cassettes we’ve been digitising using our new USB cassette recorder, and explored some of the written transcripts and supporting material in the collection.

It was particularly valuable to have Mark here while looking at this material, as we were also joined by Bill, John, and Jim, who were able to share their own memories and insights into music traditions in the village. These conversations added a great deal of context, especially around singing in chapels, pubs, and informal community gatherings.

The visit was a good example of how different parts of the museum come together—archive material, oral history, and living memory all sitting alongside one another. It also helped strengthen connections between the collection and ongoing research into the musical heritage of the Yorkshire coast.

We’re now continuing to work with Mark as he develops his project, and exploring how some of the digitised recordings might be used in future interpretation and shared with the public. 

New Film Project: Bringing the Whole Museum Downstairs

We’re really pleased to share that we’ve secured funding from the North York Moors National Park Authority to create a new film about Staithes Museum, working with filmmaker Ann Dodsworth.

This project is all about accessibility. As many of you know, not everyone is able to access the museum’s upstairs spaces—but there’s so much of the collection up there that we don’t want anyone to miss out.

The film will act as a guided tour of the entire museum, including both floors, and will be shown in the screen room downstairs. This means that visitors who aren’t able to climb the stairs will still be able to experience the full range of objects, stories, and spaces that make up the museum.

Starting with Caroline Hawley’s introduction to the history of the museum, followed by me taking visitors through a selection of objects and sharing some of the stories behind them. We’ll be using archive material, new footage of the village, interviews with volunteers,  and contributions from the collection to bring everything together.

The film will also be fully subtitled, helping to make it accessible to as many people as possible, and we’re hoping to include some of the dialect and voices that make Staithes what it is.

We’re still in the early stages, but it’s an exciting step towards making the museum more welcoming and accessible to everyone. We’ll keep you updated as filming gets underway—and there may well be opportunities to get involved! We’ll be filming around July. 

Can you solve the puzzle? A strange list of names and we don’t know what it is

I’ve got a little Puzzle! While Wayne was photographing the last few objects in the catalogue (hooraaaay!), he found a list of names. We’re not sure what it could be - it looks like it was written in a different book, and the titles of the list written over the top. Any idea what it could be? Send me an email staithesmuseum@gmail.com 

Guy Gansey

The Redcar “Guy” Gansey: Memory, Loss, and the Sea

This month, we are delighted to share a remarkable story sent to us by researcher John Stafford—one that connects Redcar, Staithes, and a long tradition of remembrance shaped by the sea.

At its heart is William Guy, a Redcar lifeboatman who lost his life on Christmas Day in 1836.

That day, a violent storm drove the Danish brig Caroline onto the treacherous Salt Scar rocks, just off Redcar. In response, the Zetland lifeboat—built in 1802 by Henry Greathead, the pioneering designer of lifeboats—was launched into what must have been terrifying conditions. The Zetland, now recognised as the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world, was already renowned in its own time for its design and durability.

William Guy was part of the rescue crew.

As bowman, his role was one of the most dangerous: to stand at the front of the lifeboat and throw a line to the stricken vessel. But as the Zetland battled the storm, it was overwhelmed by the sea. William was washed overboard and drowned. Seventeen days later, his body was found at Sandy Wyke, just north of Staithes—a place long known as a “washing in” point, where the sea returns what it has taken.

His story is one of courage, but also one that would have been deeply familiar along this coast.

“White Water”: When the Sea Takes Its Own

The dangers faced by fishermen and lifeboat crews were not abstract—they shaped everyday life in Staithes and along the North Yorkshire coast. The artist Laura Knight, who lived and worked in Staithes in the early 20th century, captured this reality vividly.

Describing the aftermath of a wreck, she wrote:

“In the midst of a flother of foam… we see a black lump, never there before… Every yard of the way contains a relic… half an oar, a piece of torn net, a battered bucket.”

And later, at Sandy Wyke—the very place where William Guy was found:

“On a stretch of washed sand, we see… a coble… entirely stripped of all her gear and completely empty… a skeleton from which all breath of life had been torn.”

Knight’s account goes on to describe the recovery of a body:

“About a hundred men… in the middle is a long ladder… a body lies lashed… the remains of the father who had ‘washed in’ higher up the coast.”

These scenes, though written decades later, echo the same landscape and the same rhythms of loss that shaped William Guy’s story.

Knitting Memory: The Meaning of the Gansey

Along this coastline, the sea did not always return the dead quickly—or recognisably. As a result, clothing became an important means of identification.

Fishermen wore distinctive woollen jumpers known as ganseys (or “smock jackets” in Staithes). While patterns were not always strictly tied to individual villages, families often stitched initials into garments in red wool. In several recorded cases, a drowned man was identified months later solely by the initials sewn into his clothing.

It is within this tradition that John Stafford’s “Redcar ‘Guy’ Gansey” takes on its full meaning.

Working with gansey expert Deb Gillanders, John helped design a new pattern as a memorial to William Guy. The finished gansey incorporates symbolic motifs: anchors and crosses for faith and steadfastness, hearts for family and love of the sea, rope cables for maritime life, and repeating “Z” patterns referencing the Zetland lifeboat and the support fund established for Guy’s family.

Completed in 2026—190 years after William Guy’s death—the gansey is both a tribute and a continuation of tradition.

Remembering William Guy

William Guy’s story begins with a lifeboat launch in a storm—but it does not end there.

It continues:

• in the preserved timbers of the Zetland

• in the landscapes of Salt Scar and Sandy Wyke

• in the memories of communities shaped by the sea

• and now, in the stitches of a gansey

We are very grateful to John Stafford for sharing this research with us, and for helping to bring this story back into the light.