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All the United Kingdom England Newcastle upon Tyne The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle
AO Edited

The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle

This century-old grotesque has a mysterious history and may not actually be a rabbit.

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle   WanderingFool / Atlas Obscura User
The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle   WanderingFool / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle is a mysterious grotesque that has perched above the ornate rear door of the historic Cathedral Buildings, facing the rear of St Nicholas Cathedral for over a hundred years but no one is quite sure why the blood-sucking lepus was created with the rest of the building in 1901.

Locals tell a tale of grave robbers who were running rampant in the area until one dark night the fanged beastie rose on the door opposite the graveyard as if to scare off future robbers. Less superstitiously, it has also been theorized that the vampire rabbit is in fact a hare whose ears were mistakenly put on backwards. If this were the case the bloody little creature could have been installed to reference Sir George Hare Phipson, a local doctor, Freemason, and friend of the cathedral's architect. Most basically the rabbit could simply be meant to represent the coming of spring, invoking the same symbolic association that created the Easter Bunny. 

While the vampire rabbit of Newcastle was originally the same sandy color of the surrounding stonework, in modern times it has been painted a menacing black with droplets of blood staining its teeth and claws.

Related Tags

Gargoyles Vampires Churches Architectural Oddities Architecture Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

From St Nicholas Cathedral, walk around to the back from either side and you'll find the grotesque in front of you, at the end of St Nicholas Churchyard.

Alternatively, midway down Dean Street is a set of stairs from where you can see the back of the cathedral. The grotesque is just to the right of the top of the stairs.

While you're here, watch out for the bust of Thomas Bewick. Facing the cathedral, it's on the left, above a round plaque.

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mikermnz, jooniur, SEANETTA, Collector of Experiences...

  • mikermnz
  • jooniur
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • katielou106
  • theboyblair
  • malcolmholt26
  • toryface
  • ballyboy78

Published

July 1, 2014

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Sources
  • http://www.euro-hostels.co.uk/hostel-news/2735_the-top-ten-historical-attractions-in-newcastle
  • http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1682338
  • http://www.culture24.org.uk/places-to-go/north-east/tra24188
  • http://christophergoulding.homestead.com/files/The_Vampire_Rabbit.pdf
The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle
Dean Street
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, NE1
United Kingdom
54.970309, -1.609855
Get Directions

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Photo of Newcastle upon Tyne

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