British Food and Travel

Britain’s abundant literary history is made all the richer by the country’s many magnificent landscapes. In this occasional series, we look at the countryside that has served as inspiration for some of our most beloved writers. In our third installment, we look at the coastal town of Whitby and how it inspired one of the greatest Gothic horror novels – Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

This is a lovely place. The little river, the Esk, runs through a deep valley, which broadens out as it comes near the harbour…. The valley is beautifully green, and it is so steep that when you are on the high land on either side you look right across it. 

― Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ch. 6

Abraham “Bram” Stoker was born in Clontarf, now a suburb of Dublin in 1847. One of seven children, he was prone to illness in his early years, and was largely bedridden until he started school. Once at school, however, he became quite an athlete. He went on to earn both his BA and his MA from Dublin’s Trinity College. After graduation, Stoker worked as a theatre critic before moving to London in 1878. For the next 27 years, he managed Irving’s Lyceum Theatre. He travelled the world with the theatrical company. His visits to Eastern Europe and the United States would both serve as sources of inspiration for Dracula. But it was the North Yorkshire town of Whitby that would captivate his imagination.

Visiting Whitby

Stoker first visited Whitby in 1890. He would spend his time there taking detailed notes about his surroundings and chatting to local fishermen about the area’s superstitions and folklore. Seven years later, he published Dracula. Although Stoker wrote a number of other novels and short story collections, this remains the work for which he is best remembered.

Today, Whitby attracts a large number of visitors year round, many of whom are keen to explore the locations mentioned in the novel. With its winding streets, steep cliffs, and imposing architecture, it is easy to see how the coastal town could provide so much inspiration for a horror tale. When the fog sweeps in off the North Sea, the streets become enveloped in a thick soup. No sound seems to penetrate. You are instantly transported back in time, wondering what or who might be hidden just inches from your very nose.

The houses of the old town–the side away from us–are all red-roofed, and seem piled up one over the other. 
― Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ch. 6

As noted in Mina’s diary, the River Esk divides Whitby into two. On the one side, a long stretch of beach extends beneath crescent shaped streets and guesthouses. Paths make their way down to the town centre, and various tourist attractions. On the other cliff, the old town winds up to an old church and the imposing remains of Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey

 

Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey…. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size.

– Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ch. 6

Historians believe that there has been some form of settlement in Whitby since Roman times. Given its coastal location and its cliffs, it certainly seems likely that there would have been some sort of signal or early lighthouse here at the very least. In the 7th century, a monastery was built atop the cliffs. The religious community thrived for the next few hundred years, but then the site seems to have been abandoned when Vikings raided the area.

The present remains are of the Benedictine abbey, built during the 12th and 13th centuries. It continued to serve its purpose until 1540, when Henry VIII ordered that monasteries be destroyed. The land passed into the hands of the Cholmley family, who built their own residence on the estate. The buildings of the abbey fell into disrepair. After the Cholmley family left the property in the 18th century, it passed through several owners before being taken over by English Heritage. The former Cholmley residence, Abbey House, is now a youth hostel.

Whitby Abbey is now open year round. To fully appreciate the atmosphere, I suggest visiting early in the morning, shortly before closing time, or in the winter, when there are fewer crowds as you wander the ruins.

St. Mary’s Parish Church

Between it (the abbey) and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay.

– Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ch. 6

Just below the Abbey stands St. Mary’s Church. The inside of the church is quite unlike any other you are likely to find. The current Norman building was erected on the site of the former wooden Saxon church, which was destroyed by Vikings in the 9th century. Additions were made over the following centuries and at one time, the church could seat as many as 2,000 parishioners. By the Victorian era, most churches had aisles and rows of wooden pews installed. St. Mary’s has instead retained its intricate labyrinth of high-sided galleries with staircases connecting the two levels. Some galleries were assigned to specific villages or neighbourhoods, while others belonged to specific wealthy families. Other curiosities inside the church include an old wooden parish chest that is more than 300 years old, and a set of ear trumpets that were affixed to the pulpit in the 19th century so that the minister’s deaf wife could sit in the pew below and hear his sermons.

Outside the church, decades of wind and rain have worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. The churchyard features prominently in Dracula. Lucy and Mina take several walks here and it is in the graveyard that they encounter Mr Swales who tells them about occupants of some of the graves. Visitors should be respectful as they wander the grounds before descending the 199 steps to the old town.

Other Points of Interest

A small plaque on the wall of No. 6 Royal Crescent marks the spot where Stoker and his family stayed while in Whitby. This is also believed to be the site of Lucy’s and Mina’s boarding house. Not far from here, a bench on Spion Kop is home to another plaque. This one claims that the view from the bench “inspired Bram Stoker to use Whitby as the setting of part of his world-famous novel, Dracula.” From the bench, descend the steps that Mina ran down as she searched for Lucy in the night.

If feeling energetic, take the bracing clifftop walk from the Abbey to Robin Hood’s Bay. After the seven mile stroll, lunch at the Bay Hotel, and the walk back, like Lucy, you “ought not to have much inclination for sleep-walking.”