Whitby, a seaside town in Yorkshire and the Abbey ruin that sits above it, have long been associated with the writer Bram Stoker and his iconic creation, Dracula. I’ve been wanting to visit Whitby for a long time, and last year I was able to go there as part of a wider trip “Op North”.
Watch our visit to Whitby Abbey
The Abbey ruin isn’t the only place in Whitby connected to Stoker, but it is the most impressive. Despite being a shell, it still manages to impress and must have been awe inspiring when it was intact, perched high on the clifftop above the town.
First founded in AD657, the ruins that stand today are from the 1220s. This Benedictine abbey survived for centuries, until it was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540 during the Dissolution. It was then bought by the Cholmley family and owned by them and their descendants, the Strickland family, until they passed it to the UK government in 1920. It’s now owned by English Heritage.
Bram Stoker was born in Dublin, the third of seven children. He worked as a Theatre Manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London and through his role there and friendship with Henry Irving, met a number of people from high society including, Hall Caine and Arthur Conan Doyle.
He visited Whitby in 1890, and the moody aspect and position of the Abbey helped spark some inspiration for Dracula. In the book, the ship that’s (unknowingly) carrying Dracula, runs aground in the harbour below.
And a large black dog that is the Dracula in disguise, runs up the 199 steps to St Mary’s Church, standing in the shadow of the Abbey ruins. The abbey is also described by Mina Harker in her diary.
We visited on a windy but bright day and had a good walk around the grounds. It is English Heritage which is a bonus if you’re already a member, but if you’re not, then it an on-the-day adult ticket costs £14 which is a bit hefty. We ended up joining because we had other places to see whilst on our trip, and advance tickets are cheaper, so it pays to plan ahead!
You can get some awesome shots here and a large amount of the main building still stands so you can get a real feel for the scale of the place. There’s also a decent museum and, of course, a gift shop for all your Dracula-related needs.
A bit further down from the Abbey is St Mary’s church, and the famous 199 steps – complete with benches designed to rest coffins on when they were being brought up for burial from the town below.
The town itself is also worth a look, with plenty of places to shop, eat, or even play at an arcade or too. I mean it is the seaside after all! If you want a more detailed look at the place, take a look at this video from our YouTube channel.
Have you visited Whitby Abbey before? What are you thoughts on Dracula? Let me know in the comments
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