Visiting North Yorkshire? There are plenty of places to visit on the coast itself. Think Scarborough, Whitby or Robin Hood’s Bay. But nestled in amongst these is somewhere quite different, a tiny coastal village with its own share of tourist attractions. And a very unique history. For unlike Scarborough and Whitby, with their larger populations and cultural connections, Ravenscar is called the town that never was.
Ravenscar: history
Ravenscar, or Peak, as it used to be known, was originally a hamlet of scattered farms. But from the 1650s to the 1860s it became the site of a thriving industry, the Peak Alum Works, located not far from the current Cleveland Way. Archaeological evidence of the works can still be seen today. The area also exhibits a major geological fault (Peak Fault), believed to have occurred some 35 million years ago. This provided shale for the alum industry and sandstone for building. From the early twentieth century the Ravenscar Brickworks produced bricks for a range of uses, each brick bearing the name of the village. But what about the mythical town?
Ravenscar: town by the sea?
The heart of the village is the Raven Hall hotel. Formerly Peak Hall, the property was built in 1774, on the site of a 5th century Roman fort. In the 1840s the house and land became the property of a William Hammond, who reputedly won it from its former owner in a bet on a race between woodlice. But after the subsequent deaths of their parents, the Hammond daughters sold the estate to the Peak Estate Company. This company had ambitious plans. They wanted to turn Peak into a seaside resort, and not just any resort, but one that would rival Scarborough and Whitby. It never happened.
Why Peak became Ravenscar
The landscape was against it. Ravenscar is high on the cliffs, very exposed and the beach is rocky and not that accessible. Despite considerable efforts the company went bankrupt. But that isn’t the full story. Their attempts left legacies and one of these is the village name. Peak wasn’t considered to be quite the right image for the new resort. So the developers changed it – to Ravenscar (1897). They eventually left, but the name lived on.
Tourist attractions in Ravenscar
That wasn’t the only legacy. As part of the development, 300 men were brought in to dig roads and build sewers. Much of this work is still in evidence. The roads, for instance, are all mapped out. It’s possible to walk along Station Road or Marine Esplanade, there are few houses, and the roads are tracks, but the kerb stones are there, along with the drain covers. It’s rather eerie.
A 1901 photograph of Station Square shows a tall, prestigious building – this too is still around. It was intended to be accommodation for potential purchasers. The would-be purchasers were offered food, drink and a refund on their rail fare if they bought one of the plots available. Not many did.
Perfect for short breaks
Ravenscar is an ideal location for short breaks. Apart from the Alum Works, there’s a 9-hole golf course at the Raven Hall hotel and the chance to go fossil hunting (tides permitting). There's also an excellent range of walks. Take the Cleveland Way to Robin Hood’s Bay (for those who are fit), or one of the shorter walks, to see the town that never was. And the Scarborough to Whitby railway line, which passed through Ravenscar, is sadly now closed, but it's a popular route for walking and cycling.
Ravenscar might be called the town that never was, but it's easy to see that there’s more to it than meets the eye. Although, at six hundred feet above sea level at the Raven Hall hotel, it offers spectacular views. These alone make it well worth the visit.
Sources
North York Moors National Park Authority, Exploring Ravenscar [pamphlet]
Natural England, Try a Trail: Ravenscar round (Cleveland Way National Trail).
Simon M Rhodes, Ravenscar: The Town that Never Was: An Illustrated Guide, 2nd ed. (Scarborough: SMART Publications, 1998)
Ellie Stevenson - Ellie writes on history, travel, careers & the arts. Her novel, Ship of Haunts (http://tinyurl.com/cyryp2m) is on Amazon as an ebook.
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