Whitby's History - Stranger Than Fiction

When asked where vampires can be found,
most people usuallly answer Transilvania,
London, Sunnydale or, even, Sunningdale...

Well, that's probably because they
haven't read today's post yet.

Alan Moore, our Guest Writer for the day,

is taking us to Whitby, a Yorkshire town

that is rumoured to have been one of the

lurking places of the Prince of Darkness,

Count Dracula, himself...

Now, that's a post with a bite.

Get the holy water and garlic ready

and enjoy the visit...

Loup Dargent

We've also added a Youtube video that
fits this post's topic perfectly. It's untitled "Whitby:
Ghosts and Mysteries" and can be found right
underneath Alan Moore's article... Great stuff!

St Hilda's Abbey (via THE WHITBY GOTHS )

Whitby's History -
Stranger Than
Fiction

Alan Moore

St Hilda's Abbey, Whitby

Even as you bask in the sun on Whitby's sandy
beaches, you cannot fail to be aware of the imposing
and slightly sinister presence of the ruined Abbey,
high on the East Cliff.

Situated on the eastern edge of Whitby, the Abbey
is accessed by climbing the 199 stone steps that lead
from the end of Church Street. These steps were
originally wooden, and were built to allow coffin-bearers
to reach the church. To this day there are coffin rests
and seats along the stairs to allow weary limbs to
rest. The present-day Abbey ruins date back to 1078,
when the Normans built a Benedictine Priory on the site,
replacing the ruins of the original monastery which was
sacked by Vikings in 867.

The Abbey is steeped in history, both religious and otherwise -
the nearby graveyard of St Mary's Church is reputed to have
been the haunt of Count Dracula, and the legend that has built
up around this story has led to Whitby becoming a popular
destination for gothic enthusiasts, particularly during the
biannual gothic music weekends.

The monastery was originally home to both nuns and monks,
amongst whose number was Caedmon, reputed to be the first
English poet and the father of sacred song. He was recruited to
the abbey at Streoneshalh, as Whitby was then known, by Saint
Hilda herself after she had heard him sing. Today, the
significance of Caedmon's work is recognised with a large and
ornately decorated gothic cross in the graveyard of St Mary's
Church.

The abbey's importance as a regional centre became apparent
when the Synod of Whitby was held there in 664, but its
political power was to be fairly short-lived as in 867 Vikings
landed in the area and ransacked the monastery. At the time,
Danish settlements were spreading along the east coast of
England, and it is thought that the Danes went on to settle in
Whitby for some years after their arrival in 867.

The abbey was re-founded as a Benedictine Priory around 1078,
in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. Again, it was home to
both nuns and monks, and remained on the site for nearly 500
years, until the brutal policies of King Henry VIII forced its
final closure and partial destruction as part of the Dissolution
of the Monasteries in 1539.

St Hilda's Abbey was then allowed to fall into disrepair,
inadvertently becoming a source of stone for local residents,
but today the remains are administered and maintained by
English Heritage, and the unmistakeable profile of the abbey's
ruins against the skyline is visible from many miles away when
driving towards Whitby.

St Mary's Church, Whitby

Dating from 1110, St Mary's Church was originally built to
provide a place of worship for the workers serving the Abbey,
who were not allowed to worship within the Abbey itself.
Although it has been extended several times, the original
church still remains and is still the parish church of
Whitby today.

Inside St Mary's Church, there are several notable design
features - including a triple-decker pulpit, built to ensure
the whole congregation could hear the sermon being read.
Other notable features include the original 17th century
box pews, which were originally hired by families for their
exclusive use, and the extraordinary Cholmley pew, built
in front of the chancel arch for this leading family so that
they could have an unimpeded view of the service and
the congregation.

The Church also has an unusual upper gallery and still
has an original Elizabethan altar table.

St Mary's graveyard is well known to fans of
Bram Stoker as the lurking place of Count Dracula,
and at night the looming ruins of the nearby Abbey
do indeed add a sinister and mysterious aspect to the
area, leading one to think that fact could indeed be
stranger than fiction.

_____________

About The Author:
Alan Moore invites you to join his free email
newsletter, The Whitby Bite where you can

learn more about the real Dracula and
his connection to Whitby Yorkshire's

unique vampire town.