Whitby has plenty to offer any tourist who dares to stay the night! But is Whitby haunted? These Whitby ghost stories will send a shiver down your spine.
The small town of Whitby in Yorkshire inspired Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula. Its cobbled streets and quaint cottages have helped it become one of the most well-known gothic towns in the world. While Whitby seems a quiet fishing town by day, at night, it has become known for its many ghostly apparitions.
Is Whitby haunted?
Haunted Places & Ghost Stories From Around Whitby
Whitby is one of Britain’s most famous seaside towns. From its maritime history to the Whitby jet, the town has made it into hundreds of history books. Given how old Whitby is, it is no surprise to anyone when they learn that Whitby is haunted by an array of ghosts struggling to cross to the other side. Ghost hunters and paranormal experts from far and wide make sure they put Whitby on their ghost hunt lists. You will understand why once you’ve read our list of five haunted places in Whitby.
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Some of the tales in this piece are upsetting, which could suggest why these spirits feel unrested. Whether they’ve perished horribly or still have unfinished business, we’ll never know why they stick around, but they do.
Or are they just stories passed down through generations? We will let you decide…
Whitby Abbey, St. Hilda and Constance De Beverly
I can assume it will be no shock to you to learn that not just one but two ghosts haunt Whitby Abbey.
St. Hilda has appeared in the Abbey ruins various times throughout the years. She often appears in what’s left of the windows and comes out during the day to look over her Abbey.
Another ghost who was said to haunt the grounds is Constance De Beverly, who died tragically. Constance was a nun at the Abbey when she fell in love with a handsome knight. She fell in love so deeply that she threw her vows of chastity out of the window; this was to be a grave mistake.
When her secret was exposed, she was bricked up alive inside the walls of the Abbey through punishment. People have recalled being able to hear whimpering and screaming, begging to be let out of the walls where she died.
Want to go ghost hunting in the Abbey yourself?
You must be mad!
Abbey Lane, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 4JT
Grape Lane, The Girl on Fire, Mary Clarke
In the days when Grape Lane was known as ‘Grope Lane’ because it was the red light district of Whitby (if you can imagine such a place), there stood a bakery where a tragic story happened to the most beautiful little girl.
The young girl was running an errand for her father, whom she loved dearly. She was taking his dinner to the bakery to heat up during the summer months; the baker welcomed the young girl he recognised and allowed her to put the dinner in the oven herself.
He had his back turned for only a second when he heard a blood-curdling scream. He was horrified to see that the young girl was engulfed in flames after her hair had been set alight by the oven.
Unsure of what to do, the baker beat the fire from the girl, but it was too late. The damage had been done. The girl died upon arrival at the local infirmary, her skin peeling off as she walked. It has been said that her ghost often appears in front of people on Grape Lane with flames surrounding her. You can still smell the scent of burnt hair when she appears.
Dare you to walk alone along Grape Lane late at night?
Grape Lane, Whitby, YO22 4BA
St Mary’s Churchyard, The Barguest Coach
Graveyards are incredibly eerie, and St Mary’s Churchyard is no exception; even Dracula spent some time amongst the graves.
Because Whitby was once full of sailors, there came unfortunate times when sailors would die on dry land and be buried in the earth (rather than a traditional sailor’s burial at sea).
Widows and families of the lost souls would often find that the graves would be visited on the third night of their burial by the Barguest Coach. The witnesses to the haunting sight have said headless horses pull the coach. The passengers on the coach are the skeletal remains of sailors who come to pay their respects to the deceased seaman.
After the soul of the dead sailor is aboard the Barguest Coach, the coach sets off again, riding through the graveyard and then driving off into the darkness towards the sea.
The graveyard can be eerie at night; dare you wander up the 199 steps and risk catching sight of the Barguest Coach?
Be warned, only for the extremely brave!
St Mary’s Church, Whitby, YO22 4DW
Bagdale Hall, Browne Bushell
For 500 years, Bagdale Hall has stood proudly in Whitby and conjured up its array of spirits that spook the hotel workers and guests. The most prominent ghost is that of Browne Bushell, a pirate who once owned Bagdale Hall.
Bushell had a habit of jumping sides during the English Civil War during the seventeenth century, which is a big no. Whatever side suited him best, Brown Bushell would join.
The treason got back to the royalists, and he was subsequently arrested and then beheaded for his crimes. Since then, Browne Bushell has haunted his grounds. His presence is known by the feeling of dread and doom patrons feel when he is around.
Want to test your nerves and brave a night at Bagdale Hall?
Good luck, rather you than me!
Bagdale Hall, 1 Bagdale, Whitby, YO21 1QL
The Western Lighthouse, The Lighthouse Worker
For years, lighthouses have been the subject of many horror stories; we don’t know the reasons why, but in Whitby, we have our very own haunted lighthouse that saw the demise of an innocent worker who was trying to make sure sailors were safe.
On a stormy night, when the rain was howling, and the wind was breathtaking, the lighthouse keeper noticed the light wasn’t on. He knew this could be extremely dangerous for those at sea, so he set off to do his job.
The rain soaked his jacket and dripped as he walked up the stairs towards the light, making the steps very slippery and dangerous, but he hadn’t noticed. On his way down, the heroic lighthouse keeper slipped. Down each step, he thumped, and by the time he reached the bottom, he was dead.
Some ghost hunters have witnessed the brave lighthouse keeper journey up the pier towards the lighthouse, and some visitors have even seen the ghostly image of a man laid out on the floor in front of the entrance.
Want to brave the lonely walk along the pier at night?
Look out for the lighthouse worker!
West Lighthouse, Battery Parade, Whitby
The White Horse and Griffin, The Landlady
During the late 19th Century, a cruel woman looked after the White Horse and Griffin. It is said that she could make her mind up about someone with a look, and most of the time, she would take a dislike to someone. One night, whilst walking down the outside steps, she slipped, cracked her head open, and slowly bled to death, alone as she had lived her life.
Guests of the White Horse and Griffin have reported feeling uneasy and unwanted, almost as if an invisible entity is telling them to leave—most believe that it is the old landlady.
The White Horse and Griffin, 87 Church St, Whitby YO22 4BH
The Golden Lion Inn, The Oyster Man of Whitby
In a time when oysters were a quick meal for the poor, a scruffy gentleman known as the ‘Oyster Man’ would do his rounds and sell his latest catch to punters in the pubs in Whitby. Staggering around with a heavy oyster sack on his back, the old man would yell, “Oysters alive-oh!” and people would recognise his call and rush to get their cheap dinner.
One cold evening, the man entered the Golden Lion Inn. This pub was always on his route, but this time, it was different. John Smith was in town and was looking for a fight. He zoned in on the poor Oyster Man.
After yelling insults, the Oyster Man packed up his oysters and began leaving. He couldn’t stop himself from grunting some insults to John. John heard them, and a fight ensued. In self-defence, the Oyster Man pulled out his knife and stabbed John, killing him. He was never convicted of any crime, but he did live with the guilt for the rest of his life.
On cold nights, you can still hear the Oyster Man with his call, “Oysters alive-oh!” as his ghostly remains still walk the streets of Whitby.
Have you heard the Oyster Man’s cries?
The Golden Lion 8, Golden Lion Bank, Whitby YO21 3BS
The Barghest Hound
Whitby is also home to stories of the Barghest Hound, which is said to be a glowing-eyed hound of hell.
This hound is said to roam the streets, and only those who will die soon can hear its deathly growl!
Whitby ghost books
Popular books about Whitby and the surrounding Yorkshire Coast are available.
This area is full of old tales, ghostly stories, and legends of beasts and haunted buildings. View our Whitby books for sale.
Do you have your own Whitby ghost story to share?
So, what do you think? Is Whitby Haunted? If you have heard any more creepy Whitby ghost stories or have had your own paranormal experience in the seaside town, please get in touch using the comments below.
I am originally from Whitby and courted and married a local lad..whom I married..but we used to babysit his niece down arguments yard and the top floor in house was haunted..it used to speak to the little girl and the bedroom was icy cold you had to go up the stairs to the toilet and could hear her talking to someone and we saw an apparition stood over the bed..creepy..
Thanks for sharing your story. Many of the old yards in Whitby are rumored to be haunted, ill do some research and see what info I can find on Arguments yard.
I am the mother of the niece my brother looked after did you find anything out about Arguments Yard,it’s so strange that I have come across this story
Myself and friend Jan worked in abbey guest house as domestics,we were shown to the attic bedroom , in 2 single beds ,when I switched the light of ,the beds went down like someone was sitting on them ,also footsteps on the roof
we stopped in a fisherman’s cottage up from where the supermarket is , as kids , my sister and I had the attic room , my sister would never look in the mirror , she was so scared my mum came up and slept in the other bed , I don’t remember anything but mum said she felt something like a child climb into bed with her and snuggle into her back , thinking it was my sister she turned round , she felt the bed spring up and the covers flap , she screamed and ran downstairs , next day she wanted to go home , we still had three days left of the holiday so we moaned we didn’t want to go early , so we stayed , she must have been terrified , she only told us about it when we were grown up , I think she may of told dad , but he probably didn’t believe her . we never stayed there again lol been going to whitby for twenty years , love it x
Myself and my husband stayed at Bagdale Hall, Whitby. We had the en suite room right at the top of the old wooden staircase. Right next to our room was a bathroom for guests.
I can’t sleep well and was still reading at 3am when I heard footsteps slowly coming up the stairs, I thought someone to use the bathroom, but when the footsteps stopped right outside our door nobody went into the bathroom, I waited for the noise of the bathroom door or toilet flushing etc but it was dead quiet. But what spooked me was there was no footsteps going back down the stairs or any noise of footsteps walking about the landing.
A few years ago, stayed for a couple of nights in Church Cottage at the foot of the 199 steps.
It was one evening and my Husband had gone for a couple of pints and to fetch something back from a takeaway for supper. I decided to get comfortable in one of the bedrooms, facing the steps. I had no preconceived ideas of ghosts or being scared, even though it is quite naturally eerie on a night in that area.
The bedroom door was a paned glass style. I was sat up in bed and travelling steadily outside on the landing area, fairly low down, pass the bedroom door ( I could see it through the glass panes) was a small black orb type thing, heading towards the bathroom area. Never seen anything like it before, darted out of bed and ran down the spiral stairs as quickly as possible lol. I am a Christian so I should have Prayed though..
I remember my brother telling me that, as you both looked after my daughter when I was at work,how strange I have come across this as we have not seen each other in year’s Jean
I stayed in a fisherman’s cottage on Henrietta Street (cobbled street) looking out to sea with my husband and 3 children. The cottage was small, our bedroom was in the attic, it only had a double bed and a small dressing table and chair. On our first night there, I woke up during the night as I heard a noise and thought it was one of our children coming into our bedroom. I looked up there was a young girl sat on the chair looking straight at me. She was dressed in old fashioned clothes- a grey dress with an off white apron type over it and short black ankle boots. Her hair was long and in two plaits. I dived under the duvet and tried to wake my husband, shaking him, jabbing him in the ribs and nipping him but to no avail. I think he had drank quite a bit of the Whitby ale that night!!! I was so frightened and sweated it out under the duvet until daylight appeared through the curtains. I moved the chair out of the bedroom and slept with the lamp on for the rest of the week! I never believed in ghosts until that experience, I have since had a couple of other eerie experiences that I try to block out!
Just accept them for what they are. Say the Lord’s prayer and you will be fine.
In the grave yard there is a plot with my name on it the person was born on the same date as me 200yrs earlier he
died this September 200 yrs ago
Should I be worried?
I visited Whitby Abbey beginning of july 2019 as we have visited more of these sort of places before in England as tourists from Holland. Just exploring the Eastcoast and it’s beautiful harbor towns. When my husband paid at the entrance i started to feel emotional, my throat felt tight as if i was hurt. But i was in a good mood, no reason for it. This got worse as we walked through the abbey. As i looked up at the empty point of the old window there was a voice inside my head (4 pm). As from a young, very angry en hurt woman. She let me know that the abbey deserves to be in the state that it is in for what was done to her and that it should never be rebuild. It had a deep impact on me and i am still trying to understand what it was. Please respond to my email if you have a clue where this message came from. Only after trying to find something about it on the internet, i found out that there are “ghost walks” and a Gothic festival. Don’t read thrillers or that sort of thing. My imagination or …. Nina
Hi,
About 9 years ago my daughter (then 10) and I stayed for 2 nights for the second time in a beautiful upper apartment in SNEATON HALL together with our puppy Bill. It was October school break and on this occasion the rest of the hall was unoccupied. Our puppy needed frequent toilet breaks so I was in and out of the building going up and down the main central staircase to the gravel outside the front door. Late On our first night whilst returning from the garden with Bill I mounted the first few stairs but Bill stood at the bottom looking up barking and whimpering. He would not budge so I went back down to get him..but… as I reached the bottom he ran past me up the first flight over the middle landing and up the next set of stairs barking and scratching at our apartment door.
I continued back up the stairs and stopped half way as usual whilst gripping the bannister ( due to health problems) As I stopped it was like I had walked into a freezer as the temperature had suddenly dropped. Then I felt a sharp push to the bottom of my back and fell onto the next stair on my knees. I wash shocked and frightened but continued up the stairs before the lighting timer ran out and Iwas plunged into darkness.
I didn’t mention it to my daughter.
The next morning whilst making breakfast my daughter took Bill out for his toilet break.
When packed up and in the car driving away the following day my daughter said that she never wanted to come back to the Hall again, I asked her why and she said that the staircase was spooky and she had fallen on the stairs when being Bill back. She said she had felt that there was someone behind her making her trip and that Bill didn’t like it there either as he was afraid of the staircase.
We have not been back to SNEATON HALL but stay in Whitby town now.
We also stayed in Bagdale Hall, January 2018, in room 2.
My fleece was flung off the chair into the middle of the room.
But more scary was when the TV turned itself on about 3 am, at full volume and a different channel.
The remote was across the room, and no staff were on duty that night.
Never stay in Whitby one day I will and would go out at night the dead can`t hurt you it`s the living you have to watch out for.
We stayed in whitby for the steam punk weekend a couple of years ago. And my partner got up through the night to use the toilet. He put the small light on …while sitting on the toilet the light went off.. Its the fastest he’s got back into bed.. Its the big hotel on skinner street i think.. Resolution hotel.. I’m sure its haunted…..
Whilst walking up the 199 steps mid afternoon on a sunny October day, I stopped to catch my breath and sat on one of the benches. When I stood up again and made to continue, I felt a sharp push to the left side of my lower back. I turned round sharply, but there was no one there…
About 3 years ago me and my partner went for a walk up to the Abbey and St Mary’s Church at 2am! Mad I know.
It was a cold windy night and we wandered through the graveyard, having a bit of a giggle about it as we went as we were both spooked.
On our way back to the 199 steps just past the Church, we both felt like someone was walking behind us. It was very unnerving.
About a third of the way down the stairs we heard a sound like a whoosh/scream behind us and we actually felt something hurtle down the stairs and right past us.
Very scary experience in the middle of the night and not one we’ll be repeating.
Well maybe not………….
I haven’t seen anything but when I was a child me and my family to whitby abbey and me, my mum, and my grandma all felt an eerie feeling, like it felt off, also it didn’t as there was a stone coffin in the floor and as a joke I got in and fit perfectly. but yeah I don’t know if that’s much but still
Stayed in Borough House and felt scared in various room for no reason: the first bedroom on the left and the top bedroom. I also couldn’t go into the small room off the kitchen. My daughter was about 5 years old and she said she could see coloured lights floating in the kitchen.
I am going to Whitby to stay in the annexe does anyone know if this is haunted please thank you
Hi Dana. I can’t comment on this personally. There are lots of article written about Bagdale Hall, but I’m not too sure about the Annexe.
I live in Walsall I fell in love with Whitby around 2015 I’ve been back 3-5 times a year and just love the place so much. I love visiting the Abbey and really connect with it and during lockdown I painted it in acrylic onto canvas which is on my wall. However the one year I wen’t I visited the Abbey and when I got to the end of 199 steps my Fitbit watch was broken battery had died, yet I’d charged it on the morning. when I got it home it had broken. I brought another one from a Chinese company and later returned unto the Abbey and by the time I got to the beach the watch face had frozen and there was noting I could do than to set it to factory conditions, which lasted a few weeks before it broke again. I try and wear mechanical watches around the abbey now as I can’t afford all my watches braking every time I visit the place.
Some people say churches/abbeys on landmarks are symbolic energetic places related to key lines, on this note I do think so.