Whitby
North Caicos
One of the four settlements on North Caicos along with Bottle Creek, Kew, and Sandy Point, Whitby is a small village on the central north coast of the island. It was home to one of the first hotels, the Prospect of Whitby.
Although only consisting of a few small houses, shops, vacation rental villas, restaurants, and a small hotel, Whitby is the center of tourism on North Caicos. The 2-mile (3.2 km) long Whitby Beach is the best on the island and offers pristine water and clean sand.
The attractions of Three Marys Cays and Flamingo Pond Overlook are found close to Whitby.
Origin of the Name
This settlement’s namesake is the English port city of Whitby in North Yorkshire, England.
History and the Plantations of Whitby
As is the case with almost all arable ground on North Caicos, the general Whitby area was once the home of several Loyalist cotton plantations.
Musgrove Plantation was located just south of today’s Whitby settlement. Greenwich Hill, owned by Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Delancy, was found a little to the east. Israel Hill was located between Whitby and Major Hill. Remnants from these 18th-century sites can still be seen in places.
The Whitby area of North Caicos has historically been heavily affected by major storms and hurricanes. The majority of the area is very low elevation, and the marine wetlands of Flamingo Pond approach quite close to the settlement, so the flooding from storm surges can be severe. Accounts after some of the major hurricane strikes record extensive “lakes” separating Whitby from the remainder of North Caicos.