Whitby s History Stranger Than Fiction

S t Hilda's Abbey, Whitby          Church is reputed to have been                                     the haunt of Count Dracula, and    Even as you bask in the sun     the legend that has built up       on Whitby's sandy beaches, you        around this story has led to       cannot fail to be aware of the        Whitby becoming a popular          imposing and slightly sinister        destination for gothic             presence of the ruined Abbey,         enthusiasts, particularly during   high on the East Cliff.               the biannual gothic music                                                weekends.                          Situated on the eastern edge of                                          Whitby, the Abbey is accessed by      The monastery was originally home  climbing the 199 stone steps that     to both nuns and monks, amongst    lead from the end of Church           whose number was Caedmon, reputed  Street. These steps were              to be the first English poet and   originally wooden, and were built     the father of sacred song. He was  to allow coffin-bearers to reach      recruited to the abbey at          the church. To this day there are     Streoneshalh, as Whitby was then   coffin rests and seats along the      known, by Saint Hilda herself      stairs to allow weary limbs to        after she had heard him sing.      rest. The present-day Abbey ruins     Today, the significance of         date back to 1078, when the           Caedmon's work is recognised with  Normans built a Benedictine           a large and ornately decorated     Priory on the site, replacing the     gothic cross in the graveyard of   ruins of the original monastery       St Mary's Church.                  which was sacked by Vikings in                                           867.                                  The abbey's importance as a                                              regional centre became apparent    The Abbey is steeped in history,      when the Synod of Whitby was held  both religious and otherwise -        there in 664, but its political    the nearby graveyard of St Mary's     power was to be fairly             short-lived as in 867 Vikings         abbey's ruins against the skyline  landed in the area and ransacked      is visible from many miles away    the monastery. At the time,           when driving towards Whitby.       Danish settlements were spreading                                        along the east coast of England,      St Mary's Church, Whitby           and it is thought that the Danes                                         went on to settle in Whitby for       Dating from 1110, St Mary's        some years after their arrival in     Church was originally built to     867.                                  provide a place of worship for                                           the workers serving the Abbey,     The abbey was re-founded as a         who were not allowed to worship    Benedictine Priory around 1078,       within the Abbey itself. Although  in the aftermath of the Norman        it has been extended several       Conquest. Again, it was home to       times, the original church still   both nuns and monks, and remained     remains and is still the parish    on the site for nearly 500 years,     church of Whitby today.            until the brutal policies of King                                        Henry VIII forced its final           Inside St Mary's Church, there     closure and partial destruction       are several notable design         as part of the Dissolution of the     features - including a             Monasteries in 1539.                  triple-decker pulpit, built to                                           ensure the whole congregation      St Hilda's Abbey was then allowed     could hear the sermon being read.  to fall into disrepair,               Other notable features include     inadvertently becoming a source       the original 17th century box      of stone for local residents, but     pews, which were originally hired  today the remains are                 by families for their exclusive    administered and maintained by        use, and the extraordinary         English Heritage, and the             Cholmley pew, built in front of    unmistakeable profile of the          the chancel arch for this leading  family so that they could have an     to fans of Bram Stoker as the      unimpeded view of the service and     lurking place of Count Dracula,    the congregation.                     and at night the looming ruins of                                        the nearby Abbey do indeed add a   The Church also has an unusual        sinister and mysterious aspect to  upper gallery and still has an        the area, leading one to think     original Elizabethan altar table.     that fact could indeed be                                                stranger than fiction.             St Mary's graveyard is well known      About the Author: Alan Moore invites you to join his free email newsletter, The Whitby Bite: http://www.dracula-in-whitby.com/whitby-bite.html, where you can learn more about the real Dracula and his connection to Whitby, Yorkshire's unique vampire town. Published At: www.Isnare.com