The pretty tourist town of Whitby in Yorkshire in northern England is small, with a population of only thirteen thousand. But, as the saying goes, ‘Good things come in small packages’. High above the town are the enormous ruins of Whitby Abbey, a clue to Whitby’s historic importance.
important role
The small town has played an important role in the religious and literary history of England for more than 1,300 years. Religious pilgrims started to visit Whitby almost one thousand years ago. Pilgrims continue to visit the town today, but their motive now is not religion but the most famous Gothic horror novel in world literature, Dracula!
dating easter
In the year 657, Hilda, the daughter of a northern nobleman, founded a monastery at Whitby. It quickly became one of England’s most important religious centres. England’s Catholic Church at the time was divided into two factions, one influenced by Ireland and the other by Rome. The two factions disagreed over many things, including the date of Easter, the holiest of all Christian festivals. At a special synod at Whitby in 664 AD, Rome finally won. English Catholics would follow Rome for the next nine centuries. After her death, Hilda was made a saint.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
In time, Whitby became a fishing port and an important centre for shipbuilding, whaling and mining. In the early 19th century, it became a popular seaside resort, famous for the ruins of the abbey, which had been built in the 11th century. In August 1890, the Irish writer Bram Stoker visited the town. Stoker found a book in the public library about a sadistic medieval prince known as Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula. Stoker used the name and some of Whitby’s settings in his book. In one passage, Dracula climbs the 199 steps to the abbey disguised as a black dog.
Gothic Pilgrimage
Tourists today climb the 199 steps to the abbey on a pilgrimage to visit one of the inspirations for Stoker’s novel. Some even look for Dracula’s grave! About 180,000 people a year visit the town. Whitby is now a centre for Goth culture, with specialist shops and hotels and an annual music festival – one of the world’s premier Goth events. There are also, of course, guided Dracula walks.