Facets of the Bench takes place partly in Whitby, a town on the eastern coast of Yorkshire. Famous for its jet and jet carving, Whitby also has a long history as a fishing town.
A particularly notable feature of the town is the abbey. A later Gothic building on the spot of St Hild's earlier abbey, it fell into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monastaries. It stands on the hill over town, at the top of Whitby's famous 199 steps.
