Tavern, Whitehaven

The bottom three steps are not original, they were taken from an old lighthouse and placed there to allow headroom to the cellar which is why some maybe confused with the lighthouse link. The rest of the stairs are original but not safe to use by people under the influence of alcohol which is why they are for staff only. The building originally started out as a store serving the shipyard to the rear, there was a large opening between the top two windows (now bricked up) which had a winch to lift goods to the top from Tangier street opposite Capt Senhouse's home. The original building ended at the stairs and 2 windows located on them would have looked out over the shipyard, there is a beam over the seating to the right of the fire where a horse and cart could back into for loading. It was later extended and changed to a hotel/pub. There was no baby found in the well though it could have been used for smuggling as there were tunnels found behind the building. The well was covered by a headstone facing down to act as a paving stone (now fixed into the back wall) and discovered by Joe Docwray who was working on the renovation in the 80s when it was renamed Taylor's Tavern.