Whitby, North Yorkshire

Whitby, North Yorkshire

Whitby is a seaside town on the coast of North Yorkshire.

Famous for being the place where Bram Stoker wrote "Dracula", made popular by numerous films, especially Hammer Horror throughout the 50s and 60s with Christopher Lee. Much of the novel was set in Whitby, and many people look for Dracula's unmarked grave in the churchyard. Although there have been many Dracula films made, none have yet been accurately based on Stoker's novel (yes, even Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola!).

Whitby is also the birthplace of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour, upon which Cook sailed and discovered Australia. The ship was originally built to carry coal and was called "The Earl of Pembroke" before it was bought by the Royal Navy for expeditions several years later. James Cook trained as a sailor in Whitby, and you can see the house in which he lived from The Old Bakehouse cottage (see left menu). The replica H. M. Endeavour regularly visits Whitby from Australia.

More recently, the town is frequently featured in television programmes such as Heartbeat and The Royal and has also been the setting for episodes of Dalziel & Pascoe, Kavanagh QC, Two Fat Ladies, various cooking programmes including Gary Rhodes and Rick Stein (for the town's fish & chips and smoked kipper fame). It was even the setting for Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" music video (although that was in the 1980s!). Whitby also had its own television series - "One Summer in Whitby" which was shown across the UK on ITV regions at various times of the day and night in 1997/98.

The panoramic view of Whitby's East Side from the Old Bakehouse (click it for a larger view)

Whitby has an ancient Abbey, an intriguing two level church with 199 steps leading up the cliff to the churchyard, and is the only place in England where you can see the sun rise in the east and set in the west - both over the sea. It also has a quirky swing bridge which swivels 180 degrees to let ships pass, effectively cutting the town in two for the duration!

Whitby has a detailed picture of life in the late 1800s thanks to photographer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe who took hundreds of sepia photograhps of the town and its people.

The two main annual events in Whitby each year are the 3 day Whitby Regatta and Whitby Folk Week, which both take place in August.

Stay in one of our highly recommended cottages and you'll see for yourself!