Painter and engraver of landscapes, river and coastal views and architecture; restorer. He studied at Liverpool School of Art, 1924–30, then went with a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, 1930–3, under Sir William Rothenstein and Malcolm Osborne, having some restoration training with Ernest Tristram. Won a travelling scholarship to Rome, studying there for several months, including restoration at the Vatican studio. After renting a studio in St Ives, Cornwall, 1936–9, he returned to Liverpool at the outbreak of World War II and for five years from 1940 worked for the Air Ministry. In 1945 Witherop began part-time teaching at Liverpool School of Art, from about 1946 being involved in restoration work at Walker Art Gallery. His own work adopted a thicker, looser style than the tight tempera of his St Ives days.