Standing on Church Street is the unique and charismatic White Horse and Griffin, built by Sir Hugh Cholmley in 1681, originally as a merchant house and the name derives from the creatures that adorn the Cholmley coat of arms. The first stagecoach from Whitby to York operated from here beginning in 1788 and in the courtyard there is a blue plaque to commemorate this. During its legacy the premises have been the meeting place of Captain Cook and William Scoresby who held assemblies here to hire crew and plan expeditions. Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens have also been guests here too. In more recent years other famous guests have included Michael Caine CBE, Viscount Linley, Bryan Ferry CBE (Singer from Roxy Music), Linda Gray of U S hit TV show Dallas, and British actor of stage and screen Simon Callow. Celebrity chefs have also been lured here, they include Brian Turner CBE, Gary Rhodes OBE and Ainsley Harriott OBE

With such a rich and historical past, I felt that this establishment was well deserved of being depicted onto canvas. I took many photos and made plenty of preliminary sketches in order to capture the fine details. After many hours of dedication and concentration I hope you’ll agree that the painting captures the White Horse and Griffin and all its charms far better than any photo can.