Fitz

The so-called Railway King, true to his name, added even more impetus to the scheme by carving a small railway line into the cliff face to make it easier to ferry building materials up the steep incline, which was, and still is, named Khyber Pass, after the famous mountain pass in Pakistan that was a vital part of the ancient Silk Road trade route.

The so-called Railway King, true to his name, added even more impetus to the scheme by carving a small railway line into the cliff face to make it easier to ferry building materials up the steep incline, which was, and still is, named Khyber Pass, after the famous mountain pass in Pakistan that was a vital part of the ancient Silk Road trade route.

But the railway king's reign was cut short when his goals outstretched his means, and he was discovered to have been fudging his finances, owing money that he couldn't repay. He fled abroad for a while to escape his creditors, but was arrested in 1865 and served time in prison for fraud. The railway king's empire fell, and Whitby's Royal Crescent was never finished.

But the railway king's reign was cut short when his goals outstretched his means, and he was discovered to have been fudging his finances, owing money that he couldn't repay. He fled abroad for a while to escape his creditors, but was arrested in 1865 and served time in prison for fraud. The railway king's empire fell, and Whitby's Royal Crescent was never finished.

And this is how Bram Stoker would have found the West Cliff in 1890, with its lopsided, unfinished Royal Crescent, but with a freshly built crop of lodging houses, pretty clifftop gardens made for leisurely strolls, and epic views over the historic town. There's a popular story that back in 1890, when Stoker made his first visit to Whitby, the landlady of No.

And this is how Bram Stoker would have found the West Cliff in 1890, with its lopsided, unfinished Royal Crescent, but with a freshly built crop of lodging houses, pretty clifftop gardens made for leisurely strolls, and epic views over the historic town. There's a popular story that back in 1890, when Stoker made his first visit to Whitby, the landlady of No.

6 Royal Crescent didn't like her patrons hanging around the house all day, and so sent them off to explore the town. I don't know if this is true or not, but explore Bram Stoker did, taking in all the elements of the West Cliff and the town and harbour below and working them, and a good deal of local lore and legend, into his novels.

6 Royal Crescent didn't like her patrons hanging around the house all day, and so sent them off to explore the town. I don't know if this is true or not, but explore Bram Stoker did, taking in all the elements of the West Cliff and the town and harbour below and working them, and a good deal of local lore and legend, into his novels.

Although the landscape of Dracula takes place across multiple locations, which we experience through the collection of letters, diary entries and newspaper cuttings that make up the book, the scenes that take place in Whitby are so evocative. And a big part of that is because, visiting Whitby today, the landscape is not much changed.

Although the landscape of Dracula takes place across multiple locations, which we experience through the collection of letters, diary entries and newspaper cuttings that make up the book, the scenes that take place in Whitby are so evocative. And a big part of that is because, visiting Whitby today, the landscape is not much changed.

Although of course the signs of 21st century life are plain to see, and some landmarks might have been updated or renovated, nearly all the elements he described are still here for us to experience today, and it's possible to follow the adventures of our protagonists through the Whitby landscape almost step by step.

Although of course the signs of 21st century life are plain to see, and some landmarks might have been updated or renovated, nearly all the elements he described are still here for us to experience today, and it's possible to follow the adventures of our protagonists through the Whitby landscape almost step by step.

One diary entry in the book that encapsulates so many of the featured locations is the scene where Mina Murray, our brave and yet gentle Victorian heroine, suffers the terror of seeing her best friend attacked by the malevolent Count and makes a midnight dash all the way across town in the depths of night to try and rescue her from his clutches.

One diary entry in the book that encapsulates so many of the featured locations is the scene where Mina Murray, our brave and yet gentle Victorian heroine, suffers the terror of seeing her best friend attacked by the malevolent Count and makes a midnight dash all the way across town in the depths of night to try and rescue her from his clutches.

Happily for us, her journey on that fateful night happens to hit upon not only many of the places featured in other important scenes in the novel, but also the real haunted hotspots of the town. Whether by accident or design, Stoker plotted a route that passes through the sights of some of Whitby's best ghost stories.

Happily for us, her journey on that fateful night happens to hit upon not only many of the places featured in other important scenes in the novel, but also the real haunted hotspots of the town. Whether by accident or design, Stoker plotted a route that passes through the sights of some of Whitby's best ghost stories.

So, let us now join Mina as she wakes suddenly in the dark bedroom of the lodging house that she shares with her friend Lucy, only to find the young woman missing. Suspecting that her friend is sleepwalking again, Mina rushes out into the night to find her and bring her back to safety, as she writes in this chapter of her journal.

So, let us now join Mina as she wakes suddenly in the dark bedroom of the lodging house that she shares with her friend Lucy, only to find the young woman missing. Suspecting that her friend is sleepwalking again, Mina rushes out into the night to find her and bring her back to safety, as she writes in this chapter of her journal.

Directly below the Cook Monument is Whitby Beach and it was from here that one local gentleman encountered the White Wraith at the turn of the century in 1905. At the time the witness was a young man, part of a group of Boy Scouts who were enjoying a campfire on the beach below the part of West Cliff on which the Cook Monument stands.

Directly below the Cook Monument is Whitby Beach and it was from here that one local gentleman encountered the White Wraith at the turn of the century in 1905. At the time the witness was a young man, part of a group of Boy Scouts who were enjoying a campfire on the beach below the part of West Cliff on which the Cook Monument stands.