Vampires and shipwreks in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
Cheney Anne Markun
July 28, 2008
I woke up suddenly to the sound of heavy rain crashing against the windows of the bed and breakfast, and quickly pulled the blankets more tightly around me. As I wondered whether the frail window frames of this 17th century building would stand up to much more of this sort of treatment, the night sky outside erupted with the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard in my life and, as the noise reverberated around the narrow cobbled streets and bounced off the fronts of the old stone houses, I understood why the town of Whitby has a reputation for being just a little bit scary.
The town of Whitby is perched on the north east coast of North Yorkshire in England, sandwiched between the icy grey waves of the North Sea and the bleak expanses of the Yorkshire Moors. With a population of just over 13,500 people the town is reasonably busy without being too crowded. Traditionally a fishing port the town is now equally renowned as a popular tourist destination, being voted the best seaside resort in England in 2006. Whitby´s history goes back a long way and is mainly centred around the ruined abbey which towers over it, looking both beautiful and terribly imposing in different lights. First built in 657 AD by the then king of Northumberland, Oswiu, as a thank you to the gods for his victory over the Army of Penda the abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, finally being left as a ruin after king Henry the VIII ordered the destruction of all the monasteries in England in 1540. Situated on the headland overlooking the town the abbey is a wonderful place to wander and gaze out over the tightly huddled rooftops of the town below as they cling to the land and face the tumultuous weather that the North Sea throws at them.
The abbey has inspired many people over the years, most famously Bram Stoker when he wrote his famous novel, Dracula. During the 1890´s when he was creating the infamous Count, Stoker holidayed in Whitby and the town is steeped in stories surrounding him and his famous character. When Stoker wrote "the houses of the old town…are all red roofed, and seemed piled up one over the other" he was describing the view of Whitby from the abbey, and he went on to describe the ruin itself as "a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits". The part in the book where Dracula comes ashore after his ship, the Demeter, is wrecked on the treacherous rocks surrounding the headland is based on a true story that happened in Whitby some years earlier. The ships real name was the Demetrius and she was lost one stormy night when she struck the rocks, causing her cargo of coffins to spill out into the sea. Locals would regale tourists with stories of how the bodies from the coffins continued to wash up on the beaches around the town for weeks after the ship sank, in varying degrees of decomposition. In the book, Dracula runs up the 199 steps that lead from the town up to the abbey in the form of a large, black dog following his escape from the sea. Stoker chose Whitby as the place where one of the characters, Lucy, is holidaying and where she is later joined by one of the main characters, Mina Harker. The small church of St Mary´s stands next to the abbey and it, along with it´s cemetery, is where Lucy, entranced by the seductive vampire, runs to in her sleep and is attacked by Dracula. Mina follows her and chases the Count off, but not before he has bitten Lucy and turned her into one of the un dead. Walking the twisty, cobbled streets of Whitby you can understand why Stoker was so inspired by this magical place which is so full of tales and legends, and friendly local people only too willing to share them with you.
The people of Whitby are responsible for another part of the towns fame, and these are people who man the Whitby Lifeboat. Situated as it is on one of the rockiest and most unpredictable stretches of England´s coast line, Whitby has born witness to an uncountable number of tragedies when ships have floundered in the tumultuous North Sea. Whitby launched it´s first life boat in 1802 and over the years since has saved an unknown, but undoubtedly huge, number of lives. Manned then as it is today by volunteers the crews of Whitby´s life boats have received several awards for their bravery and courage in facing the often deadly North Sea to save others. One of the life boats most infamous, and sadly tragic moments came on February 9th, 1861 when the town was in the grip of a fierce gale which had been blowing for days, whipping up the sea into an angry frenzy of huge, crashing waves and forcing the inhabitants of Whitby to stay huddled behind bolted doors. The life boat was launched for the first time that day when the schooner Gamma was driven ashore by the storm some 400 yards from the west pier. Surging through heavy seas the life boat reached the ship and successfully rescued her crew of 4 people. Returning them to the safety of the beach the life boat was called straight back out as the barge Clara ran aground, and they saved her crew of 11 people. At 1pm that same day the brig Utility and the schooner Roe were driven aground within minutes of each other and the life boat launched again, saving both crews. The life boat launched for the 4th time into the raging storm when the Schooner Merchant hit the rocks. Whilst struggling to reach the stricken ship the life boat was struck by a huge wave that capsized it, spilling the crew into the heaving sea. Of the 13 brave men onboard, only 1 survived to be pulled from the grey water. The horrific tragedy suffered that day by the people of Whitby did nothing to deter a new crew from volunteering and 20 years later, in 1861 the life boat would be part of one of the most amazing sea rescues ever seen, in an incident that would become a true testament to the bravery of the people of Whitby. On January the 9th that year Whitby was again being ravaged by a fierce storm and was covered by a blanket of freezing snow that lay 7 feet deep in places. A telegram was received in the town telling of a ship which had sunk in the storm off of Robin Hood´s Bay, 6 miles away. The crew had made it into life boats but, due to the heavy seas, couldn´t make it to the shore and were currently trapped out at sea being thrown around by massive waves in a haze of falling snow. The crew of the life boat couldn´t launch from Whitby because of the direction of the strong winds and took the decision to take the boat over land to the small town of Robin Hood´s Bay and launch from there. The road between the two towns although only 6 miles long was narrow and steep, rising to 500 feet above sea level in some places and covered in thick snow. 60 men from Whitby took up shovels and began clearing the road, making way for the life boat which was hitched behind strong horses. As they progressed slowly through the storm more and more men joined the team of people to clear the way, with local farms bringing out fresh horses to tow the heavy boat. Eventually, over 200 people were involved in the mammoth task of getting the life boat to the sea. 2 hours later they made it and, although exhausted from the journey it´s crew launched immediately into the tossing waves. Half way out to the crew the life boat was struck by heavy waves which broke 6 of the oars and the steering oar, forcing the life boat to return to the shore. Undeterred, they found more oars and recruited more volunteers from the army of men that had helped to get them there, having decided to double man each oar. The life boat set off again and after fighting through the sea for a staggering 90 minutes they reached the stricken crew, saving the 6 men on board.
Whitby´s rich and long history makes it a truly wonderful place to spend some time and the hospitality from the friendly and entertaining locals make it a great place to relax. The weather here may be unpredictable but the town and the countryside around it is beautiful no matter what light you see it in. Climbing the 199 steps to wander around the ruins of the abbey is a must do, and the life boat station can be found on the harbour front where staff are always happy to fill you in on more of the life boats amazing exploits. Walking along the sea front with a bag of fish and chips is a pleasure not to be missed as some of the best, freshest fish you could hope for can be found here, fishing remaining one of the major industries of the port. Whether you decide to sample some luxury and stay at one of the grand sea facing hotels or try out something a bit more intimate at one of the many bed and breakfasts that flourish in the town, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome in Whitby, but remember to close you windows at night, you wouldn´t want any vampires or, more likely any rain, getting in!
The town of Whitby is perched on the north east coast of North Yorkshire in England, sandwiched between the icy grey waves of the North Sea and the bleak expanses of the Yorkshire Moors. With a population of just over 13,500 people the town is reasonably busy without being too crowded. Traditionally a fishing port the town is now equally renowned as a popular tourist destination, being voted the best seaside resort in England in 2006. Whitby´s history goes back a long way and is mainly centred around the ruined abbey which towers over it, looking both beautiful and terribly imposing in different lights. First built in 657 AD by the then king of Northumberland, Oswiu, as a thank you to the gods for his victory over the Army of Penda the abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, finally being left as a ruin after king Henry the VIII ordered the destruction of all the monasteries in England in 1540. Situated on the headland overlooking the town the abbey is a wonderful place to wander and gaze out over the tightly huddled rooftops of the town below as they cling to the land and face the tumultuous weather that the North Sea throws at them.
The abbey has inspired many people over the years, most famously Bram Stoker when he wrote his famous novel, Dracula. During the 1890´s when he was creating the infamous Count, Stoker holidayed in Whitby and the town is steeped in stories surrounding him and his famous character. When Stoker wrote "the houses of the old town…are all red roofed, and seemed piled up one over the other" he was describing the view of Whitby from the abbey, and he went on to describe the ruin itself as "a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits". The part in the book where Dracula comes ashore after his ship, the Demeter, is wrecked on the treacherous rocks surrounding the headland is based on a true story that happened in Whitby some years earlier. The ships real name was the Demetrius and she was lost one stormy night when she struck the rocks, causing her cargo of coffins to spill out into the sea. Locals would regale tourists with stories of how the bodies from the coffins continued to wash up on the beaches around the town for weeks after the ship sank, in varying degrees of decomposition. In the book, Dracula runs up the 199 steps that lead from the town up to the abbey in the form of a large, black dog following his escape from the sea. Stoker chose Whitby as the place where one of the characters, Lucy, is holidaying and where she is later joined by one of the main characters, Mina Harker. The small church of St Mary´s stands next to the abbey and it, along with it´s cemetery, is where Lucy, entranced by the seductive vampire, runs to in her sleep and is attacked by Dracula. Mina follows her and chases the Count off, but not before he has bitten Lucy and turned her into one of the un dead. Walking the twisty, cobbled streets of Whitby you can understand why Stoker was so inspired by this magical place which is so full of tales and legends, and friendly local people only too willing to share them with you.
The people of Whitby are responsible for another part of the towns fame, and these are people who man the Whitby Lifeboat. Situated as it is on one of the rockiest and most unpredictable stretches of England´s coast line, Whitby has born witness to an uncountable number of tragedies when ships have floundered in the tumultuous North Sea. Whitby launched it´s first life boat in 1802 and over the years since has saved an unknown, but undoubtedly huge, number of lives. Manned then as it is today by volunteers the crews of Whitby´s life boats have received several awards for their bravery and courage in facing the often deadly North Sea to save others. One of the life boats most infamous, and sadly tragic moments came on February 9th, 1861 when the town was in the grip of a fierce gale which had been blowing for days, whipping up the sea into an angry frenzy of huge, crashing waves and forcing the inhabitants of Whitby to stay huddled behind bolted doors. The life boat was launched for the first time that day when the schooner Gamma was driven ashore by the storm some 400 yards from the west pier. Surging through heavy seas the life boat reached the ship and successfully rescued her crew of 4 people. Returning them to the safety of the beach the life boat was called straight back out as the barge Clara ran aground, and they saved her crew of 11 people. At 1pm that same day the brig Utility and the schooner Roe were driven aground within minutes of each other and the life boat launched again, saving both crews. The life boat launched for the 4th time into the raging storm when the Schooner Merchant hit the rocks. Whilst struggling to reach the stricken ship the life boat was struck by a huge wave that capsized it, spilling the crew into the heaving sea. Of the 13 brave men onboard, only 1 survived to be pulled from the grey water. The horrific tragedy suffered that day by the people of Whitby did nothing to deter a new crew from volunteering and 20 years later, in 1861 the life boat would be part of one of the most amazing sea rescues ever seen, in an incident that would become a true testament to the bravery of the people of Whitby. On January the 9th that year Whitby was again being ravaged by a fierce storm and was covered by a blanket of freezing snow that lay 7 feet deep in places. A telegram was received in the town telling of a ship which had sunk in the storm off of Robin Hood´s Bay, 6 miles away. The crew had made it into life boats but, due to the heavy seas, couldn´t make it to the shore and were currently trapped out at sea being thrown around by massive waves in a haze of falling snow. The crew of the life boat couldn´t launch from Whitby because of the direction of the strong winds and took the decision to take the boat over land to the small town of Robin Hood´s Bay and launch from there. The road between the two towns although only 6 miles long was narrow and steep, rising to 500 feet above sea level in some places and covered in thick snow. 60 men from Whitby took up shovels and began clearing the road, making way for the life boat which was hitched behind strong horses. As they progressed slowly through the storm more and more men joined the team of people to clear the way, with local farms bringing out fresh horses to tow the heavy boat. Eventually, over 200 people were involved in the mammoth task of getting the life boat to the sea. 2 hours later they made it and, although exhausted from the journey it´s crew launched immediately into the tossing waves. Half way out to the crew the life boat was struck by heavy waves which broke 6 of the oars and the steering oar, forcing the life boat to return to the shore. Undeterred, they found more oars and recruited more volunteers from the army of men that had helped to get them there, having decided to double man each oar. The life boat set off again and after fighting through the sea for a staggering 90 minutes they reached the stricken crew, saving the 6 men on board.
Whitby´s rich and long history makes it a truly wonderful place to spend some time and the hospitality from the friendly and entertaining locals make it a great place to relax. The weather here may be unpredictable but the town and the countryside around it is beautiful no matter what light you see it in. Climbing the 199 steps to wander around the ruins of the abbey is a must do, and the life boat station can be found on the harbour front where staff are always happy to fill you in on more of the life boats amazing exploits. Walking along the sea front with a bag of fish and chips is a pleasure not to be missed as some of the best, freshest fish you could hope for can be found here, fishing remaining one of the major industries of the port. Whether you decide to sample some luxury and stay at one of the grand sea facing hotels or try out something a bit more intimate at one of the many bed and breakfasts that flourish in the town, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome in Whitby, but remember to close you windows at night, you wouldn´t want any vampires or, more likely any rain, getting in!
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