THE SALTBURN SMUGGLERS
Smugglers Experience Heritage Center North Yorkshire
In
the glory days of freebooters and pirates plying the sea lanes of the
late 1600’s to 1700’s,
smuggling was a very common way of life along the North Sea Coast of
North Yorkshire on the lonely high
cliffs from the mouth of the Tees River to Whitby. In this age of empire,
England became involved in a series of expensive wars in the colonies
and the continent and levied heavy taxes on imported goods. In the small
sea village of Saltburn, smuggling was heightened to a fine art, with
nearly the entire local population involved in the illicit collecting
of contraband deposited on the shores in the lee of the cliffs. John
Andrew, proprietor of the Ship Inn came to be known as the “King
of Smugglers” mastermind of the local illicit operation from the
bar rooms of his public house inn by the sea, achieving a legendary rogue
status.
A
curious stop on the North Yorkshire sea coast, The Saltburn Smugglers
Experience Heritage Center is a tribute
to the time
and story of John Andrew and
his smuggling operations. Located in a series of small buildings next
door to the still existing Ship Inn, the Saltburn Smugglers recreates
the time as it was with realistic figures of the characters of the era,
along with the sounds and even smells to take you back 200 years. After
paying an admission of only about £2, you enter the first room
plunged into complete blackness, then are introduced to first the seaside
sounds and dim firelight comes up and you find yourself in an 18th Century
Inn den of smugglers involved in the conspiracy. 
The
exhibit leads from one room to the next as you follow the story with
recorded voices and
sounds, and
in the in the final room guess from the wafting aromas what kinds of
goods were the shipments of the day.
Somewhat reminiscent of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride
at Disneyland without the ride part, the Saltburn Smugglers experience
is a bit of fun look at a colorful history. You can't eat or drink in
the exhibit even though a character seems to offer a meat pie and grog,
but you can still tip a drink of modern grog at the Ship Inn Pub
next door. Just don’t
park in their parking lot if visiting the Saltburn Smugglers exhibit
or you’ll
find your car smuggled away by the King's revenuers to the local impound.
Use the public parking lot across the street. The Saltburn Smugglers
Heritage
Center
is open
from the end of March to the end of September. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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See Also:
RUSHPOOL
HALL HOTEL SALTBURN
WHITBY ABBEY - NORTH YORKSHIRE COAST
NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS STEAM RAILROAD
MANCHESTER MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY
YORK
CASTLE MUSEUM - KIRKGATE VICTORIAN STREET
HADRIAN’S
WALL NORTHUMBERLAND
