Whitby Abbey

Whitby is of course most famous for the ruins of its grand Abbey that sits upon the cliff top. The main article of our trip, we were buzzing to visit one of Lauren's wishlist destinations.

Whitby Abbey is a Christian monastery turned Benedictine Abbey which like Rievaulx, was taken by the big bully- King Henry VIII. Back in its heyday, the Abbey was run by Abbess Lady Hilda, later Saint Hilda who is said to favour haunting a spot by an upper window. In terms of other ghosts it was said that Constance De Beverly is bricked up within one of the walls of the Abbey after falling in love with a knight and 'disgracing herself'. 

The Bells from the Abbey itself also seem to have a life of their own. Heard to be ringing at the bottom of the sea, the Bells were seized and were to be taken to London when the ship carrying them sank much to the fortune of Whitby who get to keep them even if it isn't quite in the way desired.

The Abbey was built twice. First a monastery to Christians during years that only had 3 digits, it laid dormant following a siege for 200 years before it was built again, only bigger. It's second life, if you will, was founded by Prior Renfrid (inspo for Renfield...), before then it was Oswiu who founded the original building in 664ish on the land long before it was enlarged and seized centuries later by bullyboi.

This once grand double monastery is known most famously as the inspiration for the popular fictional horror story, Dracula. Bram Stoker sat upon a bench in Whitby and gazed at these ruins which inspired the ghastly tale leading to Count Dracula's demise.

It is also home to 9 notable burials as listed below, but rumours circulate that the site used to be a Roman settlement despite the lack of evidence and as such who knows how much of this land is someone's final resting place.

Those named as buried here are:

Hilda of Whitby (Saint Hilda)

Bosa of York (Anglo Saxon Bishop of York)

Edwin of Deira ( a Saint and King of what is now known as Northumbria but was Deira and Bernicia)

Oswiu of Northumbria (King of Bernicia and founder of the original monastery)

Eahlfrith (Abbess of Whitby and widow of Oswiu, former Princess of Deira)

Ælfflæd (Abbess of Whitby and daughter of Oswiu and Eanflæd, who we believe is the same person as Eahlfrith just a different interpretation of her name)

Joscelin of Louvain (nobleman from the dutchy of Brabant, half-brother-in-law of King Henry I)

Sir William De Percy (1st Baron Percy, Norman Baron and crusader who gave the land of St Peter *original monastery* to Renfrd to build the Abbey)

Sir Richard De Percy (5th Baron Percy, signatory to the Magna Carta)

We have no idea where any of these people are buried of course, and if any of them lay under the medieval tombstones as we cannot seem to find this information.

The Abbey sat imposing upon the town below, you could see it from almost any angle peeking round St Mary's church. The closer you got to it, the more daunting it became. It both lured and repelled you, like a siren's song in stone.

Doing her happy dance in the car, Lauren was eager to get to site. We were vaguely well rested from the night before, I say vaguely as we experienced a slight supernatural issue in our room. We found out at breakfast it was indeed haunted and Lauren wasn't hallucinating from sleep deprivation after all. Aside from this, we were raring to go, her more than others, and we got to the Abbey dead on 10am at their opening.

The entrance from the carpark we were in had been closed and we were diverted past the mansion which had been converted into the giftshop/museum. After walking around and through, we browsed the goodies on offer, were told Yogi could go anywhere he wanted although mind the pond, and raced up the stairs to glance at museum pieces before we got to the final boss.

We got goosebumps from the moment we stepped foot on the same grass as the mighty remnant before us. This ruin hummed with power. The stone was discoloured adding to the gothic atmosphere exuding from the structure itself. It was cold to the touch, damp, and there is no way that anyone could look upon it and not say it was haunted to its core. There is a reason this monument to time inspired such a dark story in Stoker's mind, it was really that striking to look at. The Abbey itself has a sort of off feel to it, like something is wrong but you dont know what. I can only say that the structure was unnatural in some way, brilliant, but we were wary.

Despite this, we dove on into its walls heading straight for the outer presbytery. We surveyed every nook and cranny eagerly. Lauren hobbled about excitedly, living, breathing, and practically inhaling her surroundings. The presbytery was a vast space, one of the only ruins we have seen so far with an intact roof. This very much reminded us of something out of Potter. We walked under the impressive ceiling with its sharp curves from the arches at our sides and were both exposed to the elements and protected from them. Despite the Abbey having such a harsh exterior which easily sways to a darker and evil connotation, there was an overwhelming sense of calm here, it was safe, a sanctuary which was ironic considering that's exactly where we stood in that moment.

Moving down the structure and into the crossing, we explored both transepts, peered through the barred opening leading to a phantom room, and ran our fingers across names carved into the stone long ago. 

After having our fill of the crossing and taking every photo op available (we never thought we'd be able to go back and we savour our memories most through photos, it especially helps Lauren recall and savour the moment due when she cant due to her ADHD), we moved down through the Nave to finish at the western front which had the most ruined aspect of the structure.

Once out of the main footprint itself we walked the perimeter. Yogi modelled in front of the west side, which he did very gorgeously, and then we explored the medieval tombstones and the well which had both been preserved quite well. 

We took some photos of the intact circular window which had to be the grandest point of the Abbey and then moved further down within the grounds to walk the outer edge of the pond and explore the odd little building nearby. We think this was something to do with the water but honestly have no idea. 

We spent at least 2 hours here in total examining the marks history left behind and left only because we had so much more to do that day. After the pond we walked the length of the land surrounding the Abbey back to the main bones of it, taking as many eye pleasing captures as we could from a distance. 

Once we'd broken the spell the Abbey had on us we reluctantly returned to the giftshop where Lauren spent a further half an hour trying to decide what mementos to buy. She knew from before we ever stepped foot into Whitby that she wanted a special edition of Dracula (she collects books) and as it was her birthday she ended up with two. One she bought herself, a special leather bound edition, and the other Jamie treated her to as the volunteers were able to stamp it to say it was bought at Whitby Abbey.

Loaded down with our souvenirs and a very sleepy puppy, we drove down to the docks and treated ourselves to fish & chips at Trenchers. These we honestly the best fish & chips we've ever eaten. Curry sauce was amazing as well. This is a must for anyone.

In summary then: 

Haunted:8/10

Worth the visit:10/10

Giftshop: 7/10

Ghost count: 0

Dog friendly: Yes

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