A plan to replace Whitby’s deteriorating Whale Bone Arch is facing legal, moral, and international obstacles.

The future of one of Whitby’s “most enjoyed landmarks”, the Whale Bone Arch facing Whitby Abbey, is facing various issues including the logistics of sourcing and transporting replacement bones from North America, as well as questions about its ethics.

Whitby Town Council has formally asked North Yorkshire Council to undertake “urgent investigations” into the future of the whalebones in Whitby and to provide costed options for replacement, refurbishment, and alternatives such as a replica replacement.

The original Whale jawbone arch was erected some time after 1853, and was last replaced in 2002 from Whitby’s twin town of Barrow in Alaska after a worldwide appeal.

The bones came

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