A museum housing the remains of Whitby's last Victorian jet workshop lies at the bottom of the 199 steps, with original tools rescued from a derelict property and information boards on the history of this local fossilised gemstone and the rise of the 19th-century cottage manufacturing industry it spawned. Popular as far back as Roman times, jet has for centuries been used to fashion amulets and talismans and was believed to have magical powers to ward off evil – a fitting emblem for Gothic Whitby.
The museum is also home to the Whitby Jet Carvers Guild and a restoration business, plus a shop selling modern Whitby jewellery and a postage-stamp-sized studio where you can watch a master carver at work.
