Dracula's Whitby.
Bram Stoker began writing his classic gothic horror story Dracula in 1890, whilst on holiday in Whitby he was staying at number 6, Royal Crescent with his wife and son.
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| The Whitby Gazette 22nd August 1890 |
The story begins with solicitor Jonathan Harker travelling to Transylvania, where he is to negotiate the buying of property in England with the mysterious nobleman Count Dracula. Many trials and tribulations follow, I'm sure all of my readers are acquainted with the tale and it doesn't need retelling here! This is a spoiler alert so if you haven't read the book, do so.....now!
The Count travels with ten boxes of his native earth to England aboard the Demeter, leaving Varna on the 6th July. During the voyage a strange creature starts killing the crew until during a great storm on the 8th August the ship is washed ashore on the east beach next to Tate Hill Pier in Whitby.
The dead captain is seen lashed to the ship's wheel and his log tells a terrifying tale of death and slaughter. A large black dog is also seen leaping from the stricken vessel and running up Tate Hill towards the town.
A dog belonging to a local coal merchant is found with it's throat ripped out and eviscerated, an attack that could only have been done by a large savage beast.
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| "One of the greatest and suddenest storms on record" Dracula; Chapter VII The Daily Graph, 8th August. |
The boxes of earth are to be under the jurisdiction of Whitby solicitor Mr S. F Billington of 7, The Crescent, and are to be sent by rail to Carfax Abbey, Purfleet.
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| In the foreground is Tate Hill Pier where the Demeter ran aground. Up on the west side facing is East Terrace, to the left is East Crescent the location of Mr Billington's office is at number 7. |
Jonathan Harker's fiance Mina Murray, her friend Lucy Westenra, and Lucy's mother Mrs Westenra are staying in Royal Crescent. The two ladies love to sit on a bench in the graveyard overlooking the sea. There they meet an old seafarer called Mr Swales who regales them with tales of loss and suicide! On the morning of the 10th August Mr Swales is found dead on their favourite bench, his neck broken and a look of fear and horror on his face.
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| St Mary's graveyard showing the benches favoured by Mina, Lucy and poor Mr Swales. |
Since the great storm Lucy had been suffering from sleep walking, Mina thought wearing Lucy out may be the answer so to lighten their mood and to tire themselves out, Mina and Lucy walk along the cliff path to Robin Hood's Bay where they treated themselves to a "severe tea" at The Bay Hotel.
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| "A sweet old fashioned inn with a bow window right over the seaweed covered rocks." Mina Murray. |
11th August 3 am. Mina Murray's Journal:
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| No.7 Royal Crescent (red dot) where Mina and the Westenra's stayed. No.6 (blue dot) is where Bram Stoker and family stayed in 1890. |
"Suddenly I became broad awake, and sat up, with a horrible sense of fear upon me and some feeling of emptiness around me. The room was dark, so I could not see Lucy's bed; I stole across and felt for her. The bed was empty."
Mina guessed that Lucy was sleepwalking again so she gets up, dresses and goes in search of her friend. Standing at the top of the East Terrace above the Khyber Pass Mina had a commanding view across Whitby.
There in the graveyard as the moon came out from a passing cloud she caught sight of Lucy's white nightdress, she was half reclined with a dark figure bent over her.
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| Mina's view from East Terrace. |
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| Mina ran down the steps and onto the pier, then along the fish market to the drawbridge. |
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| "The town seemed as dead, for not a soul I did see." |
Crossing the bridge Mina ran up to and along Church Street.
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| "The time and distance seemed endless, and my knees trembled and my breath came laboured." |
Up Church Street - on the left - is the Market Place. Mina would have sped past the rear of this beautiful building, having stayed in Whitby she and Lucy would have walked around it many times.
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| Whitby Market Place, Church Street is to the rear. |
Mina's Journal continues:
"I must have gone fast, and yet it seemed to me as if my feet were weighted with lead, and as though every joint in my body were rusty. When I got almost to the top I could see the seat and the white figure..."
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| "...as I toiled up the endless steps to the Abbey..." |
"I called in fright 'Lucy! Lucy!' and something raised its head, and from where I was I could see a white face and red, gleaming eyes."
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| "I ran on to the entrance of the churchyard." |
"As I entered, the church was between me and the seat, and for a minute or so I lost sight of her. When I came in view again the cloud had passed and the moonlight struck so brilliantly that I could see Lucy half reclining with her head lying over the back of the seat. She was quite alone and there was not a sign of any living thing about."
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| The Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey. |
14th August, Mina Murray's Journal:
"On the east cliff reading and writing all day. The setting sun, low down in the sky, was just dropping behind Kettleness; the red light was thrown over the east cliff and the old Abbey, and it seemed to bathe everything in a beautiful rosy glow. We were silent for a while, and suddenly Lucy murmured as if to herself 'His red eyes again! They are just the same.' She appeared to be looking over to our seat, whereon was a dark figure seated alone."
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| "Herewith please receive invoice of goods sent by Great Northern Railway." |
17th August. Letter, Samuel F. Billington & Son, Solicitors, Whitby.
"Same are to be delivered to Carfax, near Purfleet, immediately upon receipt at goods station King's Cross. The house is at present empty, but enclosed please find keys, all of which are labelled."
And so Dracula left Whitby.......Mina left to be with the newly found Jonathan Harker in Budapest, and Lucy left a week later to her dark destiny.
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| The author Sherlock's Dog, Whitby Gazette May 2011 |
