Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Whitby Bram Stoker Memorial Seat

Bram Stoker Memorial Seat

The view that inspired the scenes of Dracula's first landing in England.

Whitby, England

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
View of Whitby from bench   dwnmjr / Atlas Obscura User
View from Bram Stoker’s Bench   dwnmjr / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
July 2023   DMStephenson / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  aneutraldisaster / Atlas Obscura User
Bram Stoker, c. 1906  
View from the Memorial Bench   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Whitby_B...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

When Bram Stoker looked over the view of Whitby from atop a hill, he saw before him the setting he would use for the entrance to England of his most famous creation: Dracula.

The gloomy and picturesque ruins of Whitby Abbey are the most remarkable and obvious inspiration, but the primary inspiration may have come from a book Stoker allegedly checked out from the local library which introduced him to Vlad Dracul.

From the vantage point where Stoker sat the abbey ruins and church are visible, as well as the cliff where the ghost ship "Demeter" arrived in Whitby, bringing Dracula to England. Benches have been installed atop the hillside, where people can sit and see the same thing the author did. 

The memorial plaque reads: "The view from this spot inspired Bram Stoker (1847-1912) to use Whitby as the setting of part of his world-famous novel DRACULA. This seat was erected by Scarborough Borough Council and the Dracula Society to mark the 68th Anniversary of Stoker's death - April 20th 1980"

Whitby is also home to the Whitby Museum, Library and Archive containing many varied and strange items from Tempest Prognosticators to an alleged Glory Hand.

Elsewhere, Stoker found additional inspiration at Eastern European and Scottish castles, and closer to home at St. Michan's Church crypts in Dublin, where you can still visit the mummies today. The original manuscript for Dracula is held in the United States, at the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia. he is buried at Golders Green Crematorium in London.

 

Related Tags

Bram Stoker Dracula Monuments Literature

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, SEANETTA, Collector of Experiences, rbenn250...

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • dwnmjr
  • aneutraldisaster
  • DMStephenson

Published

February 8, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Bram Stoker Memorial Seat
Khyber Pass
Whitby, England, YO21
United Kingdom
54.489107, -0.615753
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Whitby Whale Bone Arch

Whitby, England

miles away

Bombardment Garden

Whitby, England

miles away

199 Steps Coffin Benches

Whitby, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Whitby

Whitby

England

Places 12
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Whitby Whale Bone Arch

Whitby, England

miles away

Bombardment Garden

Whitby, England

miles away

199 Steps Coffin Benches

Whitby, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Whitby

Whitby

England

Places 12
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Lyon, France

    Saint Exupéry Monument

    This statue stands in honor of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author of 'The Little Prince' and an aviation hero.

  • A monument to young Jules Verne and his brother.

    Amiens, France

    Jules and Paul Verne Monument

    This unassuming sculpture depicts grandfather of science fiction Jules Verne and his brother as children.

  • Jagodina, Serbia

    Jovanča Micić Monument

    The figure atop this globe is from a Serbian play about a merchant's travels around the world.

  • Khalil Gibran Memorial Monument

    Washington, D.C.

    Khalil Gibran Memorial Monument

    Surrounded by a verdant garden and a backdrop of ivy, a monument to beloved poet Khalil Gibran stands outside of the Lebanese embassy.

  • The Xu Zhimo Memorial.

    Cambridge, England

    Xu Zhimo Memorial

    A monument to one of the most famous modernist Chinese poems and its poet.

  • Bucharest, Romania

    Curtea Veche (Old Princely Court)

    The bust of Romania’s most notorious ruler, Vlad Dracula aka "Vlad the Impaler," keeps watch over the ruins of his medieval court.

  • Čeština: Socha Karla Hynka Máchy na pražském Petříně.

    Prague, Czechia

    Karel Hynek Mácha Statue

    Tucked away in a Prague park, a statue beloved by romantics honors a poet so nice they buried him twice.

  • Walt Whitman Monument

    Cloyne, Ontario

    Walt Whitman Monument

    A massive, fading granite poem is all that remains of one Whitman superfan's tribute to the famous writer.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.