fbpx

Over 360 reviews on Trustpilot

Dracula In Whitby, How Bram Stoker Was Inspired To Write Dracula By Whitby

Published in 1897, Dracula has never been out of print. Here, we discuss Dracula in Whitby and how the seaside town inspired Bram Stoker to write his famous novel.

There are short descriptions of Whitby in the Dracula novel. However, the opening chapters let you know you’re definitely in Whitby. Explore the moody but beautiful ruins of Whitby Abbey; they have a haunting atmosphere. It’s the perfect backdrop for any gothic horror story.

Whitby Abbey on a cloudy day.
Ruins of Whitby Abbey.

They are the most remarkable and obvious inspiration for the novel. Here, we discuss Dracula in Whitby and how the seaside town inspired Bram Stoker to write his famous book.

FREE Whitby Mini-Guide

"Get the best from your stay in Whitby."

Everything you need to know about Whitby into a free mini-guide!


Whitby Abbey’s connection to Dracula

It’s obvious how impactful Whitby Abbey is to the story of Dracula. There are bits and pieces of Whitby found throughout Stoker’s novel, including the 199 steps leading up to the Abbey. Dracula runs up the steps after his ship is wrecked on Tate Hill Sands in the form of a dog. You’ll also see references to the town’s ruins of the Abbey.

Tate Hill Pier is referenced in the novel Dracula.
Tate Hill Pier is referenced in Dracula.

Local legends inhabit the fabric of the story of Dracula in Whitby. From the grounding of the Demeter at Tate Hill Sands to the first attack of Dracula on Lucy on the ‘suicide seat’. The intensity of the action in the sleepy fishing port of Whitby is the finest in the novel. Whitby is indeed the birthplace of Dracula. 


St Mary’s Churchyard’s connection to Dracula

If you have visited Whitby, you can imagine St Mary’s Churchyard on Whitby’s windswept headland. With the dramatic Abbey ruins towering over it, surrounded by swooping bats!

Memorial Bench for Bram Stoker on Khyber Pass in Whitby
This memorial bench for Bram Stoker is located on Khyber Pass.

Or just us?

“For a moment or two, I could see nothing, as the shadow of a cloud obscured St. Mary’s Church and all around it. Then as the cloud passed, I could see the ruins of the Abbey coming into view; and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visible… It seemed to me as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone and bent over it. I could not tell what it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell.”

Bram Stoker, Dracula

Many of Stoker’s own notes made during the visit were included in the dialogue of Mina Murray, one of the novel’s main characters. A St Mary’s Churchyard seat was a favourite spot for Stoker to sit, looking out to sea. This seat is where Lucy is first attacked by Dracula, referred to by Mina as the ‘suicide seat’.


Bram Stoker’s visit to Whitby

Stoker was introduced to the town by a good friend in 1890 after he became exhausted from work. He fell for the place immediately. The Stokers stayed at number 6 Royal Crescent, one of the town’s most prestigious addresses. At the height of the Victorian era, Whitby had become one of the most popular resorts in the UK.

The Royal Hotel

Stand outside the Royal Hotel on the West Cliff today. You will get the same view Stoker would have got 125 years ago. Of course, a few things have changed over the last century! But you can easily relate the novel’s descriptions to Whitby’s beautiful scenery.

Royal Crescent Dracula Bram Stoker.
Whitby Royal Crescent Photo © Mike Smith (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The novel starts with Dracula travelling from Russia to London on a shipwrecked schooner off Whitby’s coast. This tale was told to him during his stay and is based on an incident in the 1800s. As Stoker roamed around the graves at the top of the East Cliff, he chatted with local fishermen and the coastguard.

These conversations revealed the story of a recent wreck of the ship, Dmitry, a Russian schooner sailing out of Narva. The cargo of silver sand wrecked on the beach at Tate Hill Sands.

Tate Hill Beach.
In the novel Dracula, Demeter runs aground on Tate Hill Beach during a violent storm. This ship is carrying Dracula, planning to spread his vampirism throughout Britain, and several crates.

Similarly, the form of the large black hound that Dracula takes as he enters Whitby is taken from a legend that can still be heard in some of the old taverns of the area.

Varna to Whitby, Dracula, Bram Stoker.
Varna to Whitby, Dracula, Bram Stoker.

Demeter is a popular name for guest houses and cottages throughout the town. This is the name given to the ship featured in the novel. It carried Dracula to Whitby in boxes of earth and silver sand. It sailed from the port of Varna.


Why did Bram Stoker name the protagonist Dracula?

During the trip to Whitby on Friday, 8 August 1890. Stoker visited what was known as the Coffee House End of the Quay. In addition, he visited the public lending library on the Harbourside (now the Quayside fish and chip restaurant).

The book he read was called An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldova by William Wilkinson. Wilkinson’s history mentioned a 15th-century prince named Vlad Tepes (also known as Vlad the Impaler), who was said to have impaled his enemies on wooden stakes.

Vlad the Impaler Vlad Tepes Dracula Bram Stoker
Vlad Tepes. Photo Credit.

Bram Stoker had just discovered the star of his book. He was known as Dracula – the ‘son of the dragon’. In the Wallachian language, Dracula interestingly means Devil. The Wallachians at that time used to give this as a surname to cruel people.

Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker.

Bram Stoker’s love for Whitby and the surrounding area is evident when you read the words of his novel’s characters, such as Mina. One of the book’s main characters, Mina, keeps a journal describing many scenic areas in and around the town when Stoker was there.


Take the guided Dracula in Whitby tour

During the 1990s, one of Whitby’s long-term residents, Harry Collett, thoroughly researched the connection between Bram Stoker and Whitby. Then offered informative guided walks to the thousands of Dracula fans that visit the town each year.

Although Harry is no longer conducting these tours. The walks are still available through Dr Crank, dressed in the traditional Victorian costume. However, he now insists that the walks happen after the sun goes down.

It is a tour of Dracula in Whitby, after all.

Dr Crank's Guided Whitby Dracula Tour
Join Dr Crank to learn more about Whitby and the legend of Count Dracula.

Dr Crank’s walks are ideal if you want to know the facts about Bram Stoker, Dracula and Whitby. You’ll hear the myths and legends that Stoker would have heard from the fishermen and labourers of the time. The myths and legends that helped create his timeless novel Dracula.

For more information on Dr Cranks’s walks, visit his website at www.whitbywalks.com.


Dracula in Whitby today

Chocolate Coffins at Justins
Chocolate coffins at Justin’s Chocolatier.

Whitby will forever be associated with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Thankfully, the town’s residents have found numerous ways to keep the connection alive. There are remnants of the fictional character everywhere you look (they may not always be evident, though, so look closely!).


Try the Dracula Experience in Whitby!

The Dracula Experience, Whitby.
The Dracula Experience, Whitby.

If you have a spare hour while in Whitby and a solid heart to go with it, participate in the Dracula Experience. Here, you get to skulk around pitch-black tunnels while being ‘attacked’ by the local ghouls and ghosts. Scary yet a lot of fun, this experience isn’t for the fainthearted.


If you love Dracula, you might enjoy Whitby Goth Weekend

The bi-annual event inspired by the dark world of Dracula is the Whitby Goth Weekend. This is a very popular alternative/gothic music festival usually held around May and early November. The dedicated website lists acts for each event, so if you’re interested in the next event, please visit www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk.

For many people, Whitby is a sleepy town on the Yorkshire Coast, but it has a fascinating history. The connection between Whitby, Dracula and Bram Stoker is undeniable.


Whitby’s World Record for the most people dressed as vampires in one place!

Photo credit: English Heritage
Photo credit: English Heritage

To mark 125 years since Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was published in 1897. English Heritage asked for the help of Whitby and the world to break a Guinness World Record. A total of 1,369 people attended Whitby Abbey dressed as vampires. Breaking the previous record of 1,039 set in 2011 at Doswell in Virginia, USA. It was an amazing way to celebrate Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.


Have you read the Dracula novel yet?

Dracula in Hardcover

Dracula in Hardcover, Chiltern Classic (£19.99)

Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker (Paperback)
(£7.99
)


Not interested in Dracula? There are still plenty more things to see and do while visiting. We have an extensive list of things to do in Whitby, which you can read here.

So it’s clear to see why Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Maybe Whitby will inspire you to write, too. If you have more information on Dracula and the connections to Whitby, please let us know in the comments.

5 thoughts on “Dracula In Whitby, How Bram Stoker Was Inspired To Write Dracula By Whitby”

  1. If you like fact-based fiction, try reading my novel, ‘Moon Rising,’ in which a Whitby fisherlass made good reflects on the man she met some twenty years previously – a man escaping from the pressures of his life in London. The man is Bram Stoker… ‘Moon Rising’ was a bestseller when first published in 2000, and is now available as an eBook from Amazon and other online bookstores.

    Reply
  2. I’ve read Bram Stoker’s book Dracula & I was amazed by how he disscribed Whitby & how it related to my visit. What a beautiful seaside town that is unspoilt and charming ? ❤️

    Reply
  3. Dacre Stoker is coming to town 25/5 & 26/5 to celebrate 126yrs of the publication of Dracula. He’s doing an event at Quayside and Albert’s Eatery to celebrate this event.

    Reply

Leave a Comment