Dracula in Whitby: On the trail of the definitive vampire as new edition lands

Tom Barton has been in Whitby where the legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula lives on more than a century after he was brought back from the dead, for ITVX
Dracula. He is the definitive vampire and one North Yorkshire town’s most famous visitor.
One hundred and twenty-seven years after being brought back from the dead, Bram Stoker’s creation is back to life on the page in a new illustrated edition of the seminal horror.
The setting of its latest publication is the very same place that provided inspiration for the novel, Whitby.
In 1890, Stoker stayed in the seaside town, drawing inspiration from among many things its abbey’s gothic ruins which tower over the yellow sandy beaches on the dramatic headland above.
Leticia Lentini, The Crow Emporium Press, said: “He walked around the streets of Whitby – he saw the mists rolling in, all these images that we see in the books.
“He did the walks that some of the characters did. So everywhere he went in Whitby was part of the inspiration for this tale.
“Whitby is where Dracula comes into the UK, and every time Dracula appears a strange mist comes into town. And anyone who’s lived or visited Whitby knows very well what that feels like.”
“You can imagine him sitting at the window watching all this happen, and inspiring the atmosphere of the story that he’s laying out.”
For Leticia, nowhere else could have helped build the picture imagined by Stoker.
“If you’re asking if Dracula could have been written anywhere else, I could honestly say I don’t think he would have been inspired to capture the same elements, and it’s those elements that actually make that story so brilliantly horrific,” she continued.
“I think Whitby was really the place that he saw that, and felt that, and was able to take that and as a writer bring it to life in the story.”
More than just a book, Dracula is a story that has been adored through the generations – told countless times, in countless ways be it on the page, on stage or in film.
In this latest illustrated edition, artist Kirsty Maclennan said she wanted to create more “realistic images” of Stoker’s timeless tale.
She told ITV Tyne Tees: “I think as an artist you just have to trust your own instincts. As soon as I started reading the novel, images came to the forefront of my mind.
“We wanted to create more realistic images for Dracula because I think it does have sort of a hammy imagery sometimes which is fun but we wanted to ground the story in the fear that you feel in the novel and the reality that these characters go through.”
The North East artist believes the relevance of Dracula goes further than the page.
“The Count himself is such a strong character,” she explained. “You can kind of swap it out of any sort of darkness that you’ve ever felt in your own life.
“He is the shadow, he is the depressive element, he is the thing that comes in the night to terrorise your dreams. It’s the classic good against evil but it isn’t – it’s just a strong story in the public consciousness.”
Whitby’s gothic setting and connection with the world’s most recognisable character from horror has left its mark on the culture of the town.
Whitby Goth Weekend in itself is a twice-yearly highlight in the town’s calendar, attracting people from across the globe to congregate and celebrate goth music.
And in 2022, 125 years on from the publication of Dracula, Whitby played host to the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires.
Mark Williamson, from English Heritage, said: “[Dracula] is very important. Lots of people come and visit here as a result of Dracula.
“Not just the book itself, but the thousands of stories and films and podcasts that it’s launched ever since
“In goth week here you’ll see people dressed in all thousands of iterations that come as a result, the kind of dark Victorian sensibility with that kind of frightfulness underneath the tailored suit in Dracula, roaming around here in Whitby.”
Again, there is a feeling that there is something unique about Whitby that has led to it becoming a cultural centre for darkness.
“It goes back 2,000 years,” continued Mark. “People have been inspired by this headland from the Roman period, in the medieval period when they came to get away from the world, to the Victorian period when they came to the dark gothic port to buy their Whitby jet jewellery.
“Yes it’s Stoker and Dracula, but you have Lewis Carroll visit Whitby, Tolkien comes and draws the abbey as well – up to the modern day it’s carried on that literary legacy of being inspired by the area.”
Adding more atmosphere to Whitby this week are illuminations lighting up the abbey – a chance to celebrate the impact of the dark story of Dracula more than a century after Bram Stoker brought the Count back from the dead.
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