The new bones are from a bowhead whale which was killed legally
A new custodian has been found for Whitby's old whalebones
The bones used to form an archway on West Cliff but were replaced by new ones in 2002 because they had become weathered.
The old bones were put into storage while Scarborough Borough Council searched for a new home for them.
The owners of the Raithwaite Hall hotel have offered to display the bones and pledged an undisclosed donation to a local charity in return.
John Woodhead, from Scarborough Borough Council, said: "We were delighted to receive a total of 17 requests from individuals and groups who wanted to take ownership of the bones.
"The offers were carefully considered by a panel and we all felt the Raithwaite offer stood out from the other ideas on the table."
Native Inuits
Paul Ellis, managing director of Skelwith Leisure, said the whalebones were an extremely important historical artefact.
He said the hotel aimed to put the bones back on public display as soon as possible.
The bones were given as a gift in 1963 by Norwegian Shipping Company Thor Dahl to put up in the town as a monument to the town's whaling past.
The West Cliff was chosen as an appropriate place to display the jawbones, given its close proximity to the Captain Cook monument.
The arch was replaced by new whalebones, due to its deteriorating condition, in 2002.
The new arch is made from the bones of a Bowhead Whale, killed legally by native Inuits in 1996 and donated by the people of Barrow in Alaska which is twinned with Whitby.
- Published18 January 2012
