Between November 1606 and February 1607, a persistent cold weather spell froze the River Ouse, and the ferry could not operate.

[3] Reasons vary, but local rumour relates that it may be due to the church being adjacent to a pub (now closed) at which the painter imbibed before completing the job.

Whitgift lighthouse was erected just north of the village in the late 19th century, for the Aire and Calder Navigation: a five-storey cream-painted tower with a stone base, it stands 46 ft (14 m) high.

It remains operational, a waymark for ships travelling to and from Goole docks, and is Grade II listed.

[8] Other features include a Methodist chapel, but Whitgift mainly consists of a sparse strip of houses spread out over its length bounded by the River Ouse to the north and fields to the south looking towards Eastoft.