I recently visited Whitby, North Yorkshire. The town has a huge maritime history, and both whaling and herring fleets operated here from the Middle Ages. It also has a significant mineral tradition, as alum- used in medicine, and for dyeing fabrics- was mined here. Jet jewellery also became fashionable during the Victorian age, and jet (derived from wood which has turned mineraloid during extreme pressure) is found locally. Incidentally, contrary to popular belief, jet is not derived from the Monkey Puzzle tree- that was a myth put about to aid marketing! Rather, it derives from more than one species of tree, and modern research shows that none of them are Araucarias (a genus of evergreen coniferous trees) and most of them are thought to be extinct today.
In terms of significant residents British naval officer, cartographer and explorer Captain Cook learnt seamanship here, and Whitby is where Dracula's ship, The Demeter, ran aground, with Dracula running up the famous Whitby 199 steps and taking his first victim. Oh, sorry- Dracula never actually existed!
Tourism still flourishes in the town, and I made sure my visit coincided with Whitby Goth Weekend.
Whilst I was there I just had to take in a couple of tourist attractions, starting with Whitby Abbey, which sits high up on the clifftops.
To reach the abbey, you have to climb the 199 steps, which are Grade I listed. Steps have been here since at least 1370, and they were wooden until the 1770s. The steps are also known as The Church Stairs and Jacob's Ladder.
I only counted 188, but the SuperDean counted 210! Well, I suppose the average of that is 199!😁
The view down from the steps. and on the way up I noted benches at intermittent intervals- only they're actually coffin rests, as the coffins had to be brought up to the churchyard atop the cliff by pallbearers. There is a road to the left of this photo, known as Donkey Road or Donkey Path. If you were well-off, then your body would have been driven up here by hearse.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin- aka St Mary's Church- has existed here since 1110 AD, making it Norman, although its interior dates from the late 18th century. During those times there would have been just a slope upwards, rather than steps, so why was a church put in such an unreachable place?
It's thought that the ascent was supposed to test a person's devotion to God, and the church stands on the site of on an ancient monastery, making the ground of religious significance. But the truth is; no one knows for certain.
Bram Stoker used the churchyard as a site for his 1897 Gothic horror novel, Dracula.
Note the exterior steps- these were to allow access to the elevated Cholmley family pew.
My first view of the abbey was from over the wall (English Heritage operate this paying attraction) and I love the murder of crows making their presence felt!❤
The abbey museum and visitor centre sits inside Cholmley House, which dates back to the 17th century. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the Cholmley family leased the site of the abbey, in 1540-41. The bronze statue in front of the house is called The Whitby Gladiator, and was cast in 2008-9.
Whitby Abbey Cross (I've also seen it referred to as both Whitby Cross and Abbey Cross). This is a 14th century plinth cross whose head is gone.
Looking down onto Whitby Harbour, and the West Pier (to the left) is 1,178 ft (359m) long and dates from 1831. The East pier (to the right) is 1,080 ft (330m) long and dates from 1854. Both piers are Grade II listed, and previous piers in the area are recorded as far back as Medieval times.
Into the abbey grounds we go, entering via the West Front and walking down the Nave. The name Whitby is Danish; given to the settlement by Viking settlers in the ninth century...
To the side are the remains of the Outer Parlour, part of the monastic buildings which would have included a dormitory and a refectory. To the left lies the site of the Cloister (enclosed garden).
A nave pier, and the Nave is slightly misaligned with the Presbytery. No other English medieval church- or ruin- has this feature.
Looking down towards the Presbytery, and the ruins here today date from the 13th century onwards. An Anglian settlement and minster were founded here in the seventh century, but excavations have revealed none of its remains, giving rise to the fact that they could lie directly underneath this abbey. A central tower would have stood above this crossing, but it collapsed in 1830.
Before I walked down the Presbytery, I headed down the still-magnificent North Transept. St Hild (c.614-680) was the founder of the original Anglian house, and her head and some bones were returned to the abbey from Glastonbury.
I was drawn to this little corner, where birds were trying to nest, on the west side of the North Transept. Whitby's other major saint was the nun, Begu (d.690), and when her relics were removed to the church at Whitby (their exact location is unknown), miracles were subsequently reported.
This abbey was not built for local worship- instead, it was a Benedictine monastery. At the end is the site of the altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Looking up through the ruined roof, and many objects dating from the seventh to ninth centuries have been excavated from the Whitby headland. These include keys, ivory and bone combs and fragments of an eighth century stone cross.
Walking down the most preserved part of Whitby Abbey (over a thoroughly modern walkway!) The abbey is very much at risk from further battering from the elements; giving its exposed- yet majestic- location.
The view staring upwards, and I can understand why Bram Stoker used the abbey and its surroundings for inspiration for Dracula. It is certainly an atmospheric location.❤
I didn't try this for size!
No, this stone coffin is not Dracula's grave (he is fictitious, after all!) It was probably created for a 13th century monk or abbot.
Taking a step or twenty back, and the this Gothic church probably took about 250 years to complete.
Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which took place between 1536 and 1545, and the abbey and its possessions were confiscated.
What is left of the South Transept, which fell in 1736. Transepts allowed for extra chapels, with altars that could be separately dedicated. They were also used as circulation areas, and gave churches their essential cross shape.
This part is the nave arcade, reconstructed in the 15th century style immediately after the collapse of much of the nave in 1763. The church would have been in the centre of a large group of monastic buildings.
Whitby Abbey was not maintained, and allowed to fall into ruin. The ruins have been continued to be used by sailors as a landmark of the headland.
There are myths and legends associated with the abbey- St Hild (also known as St Hilda) apparently turned snakes into stone, and the lost bells of Whitby Abbey can be heard underneath the waves!
Given that kind of surrealist talk, it's not surprising that the headland continues to be inspirational for creatives, or that Whitby continues to be the "Goth capital of the world!"
The West Front, to the right, was bombarded by German cruisers in 1914. It was rebuilt, using historic masonry, in 1920.
Right back where we started, at the West Front, and Grade I listed Whitby Abbey certainly makes for an interesting and educational stroll.
A lake in the abbey grounds. This is the only time we experienced bad weather over the whole of our stay in Whitby, and even then it was a short spitting of rain and nothing more.
We had a wander through the museum, and the shop below. It tells you a bit about the abbey's history.
Afterwards, we walked along the East Pier, which is on the abbey side of Whitby. This pier is more exposed (as in part of it had no railings!) than the West Pier.
Watching the waves breaking against the rocks...
The extensions to both piers date from 1908, and extend them a further 500 ft (150 m) into the sea.
East Pier lighthouse...
East Pier extension lighthouse...
The steps down towards the lower deck of the pier were only rungs, and quite precarious. Nevertheless, down I went...
Don't do this alone! I made sure I did it when the SuperDean was with me, for health and safety reasons!
The view walking back...
The West Pier is the other side of the harbour, and I took this view from near the Captain Cook Memorial Monument.
The beach beside the West Pier...
Walking down, with capstans visible...
West Pier lighthouse...
West Pier extension lighthouse...
These steps were steps- as opposed to the rungs present on the East Pier- and were therefore easier to negotiate.
The lower level of the West Pier and, on a different day, I did see people fishing here. It is allowed, although fishing on the the lower level is not recommended during inclement weather.
Back over the bridge to the abbey side, and this little jetty is called Fish Pier. It is 194 ft (59 m) long, and dates from between 1780-1790.
The fourth pier in the harbour is called the Tate Hill Pier. Evidence suggests a pier has existed here from around 1190 AD, and this version was built c.1766. It is 315 ft (96 m) long.
In Bram Stokers Dracula, the pier features as the landing point of Dracula's ship, The Demeter. Bram Stoker was inspired by the real-life 1885 crash of the Russian cargo ship Dmitry.
The wooden anchor at the end of the pier was caught in the nets of the MV Ocean Venture in 1991, and was gifted to Whitby. It is uncertain which ship it originally belonged to.
I've also blogged about Whitby Museum, which has added Whitby info, link:-
Whitby, I will return...
I would certainly love to experience Whitby Goth Weekend again- once more, in the April rather than at Halloween- that way extended daylight is guaranteed, and good weather a distinct possibility!
Until then,
TTFN
Miss Elaineous
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