Magpie's History

Distinctive Building
The Magpie Cafe is housed in a distinctive black and white building overlooking the harbour in the historic port of Whitby. The dining room commands excellent views of the Harbour, Abbey and St. Mary's Church.

Long Established History
The Magpie cafe has a long association with fishing and the shipping industry. It was built in 1750 as a Merchants House and during its history was owned by amember of the Scoresby whaling family and was for a time the pilotage where the pilots would wait for orders to bring vessels into the harbour.

The Magpie Ghost
The building later became Harrowing's shipping office and it is from that time The Magpie Ghost Albert is reputed to have originated. The premises were converted into a cafe in approximately 1939.