Whitby Abbey

The skeletal arches of Whitby Abbey are the defining image of this coast. St Hild founded a monastery on the headland in 657, and in 664 the Synod of Whitby settled how the English church would calculate Easter. The cowherd Caedmon, the first English poet known by name, sang here. That first monastery was destroyed in the Viking raids, and the abbey was refounded by Benedictine monks after the Norman Conquest. The ruins you see are their great 13th-century church, left to decay after the abbey was dissolved in 1539.

After the Dissolution the Cholmley family took over the headland and built a mansion from the abbey's stone. Its restored shell, Cholmley House, now holds English Heritage's visitor centre and museum. German warships shelled the headland in December 1914 and damaged the west front. Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby in 1890, and the abbey, the churchyard and a real shipwreck all found their way into Dracula.

What to see

• The church: the soaring east end with its three tiers of lancet windows, the north transept and the nave, all open to wander.
• The museum: listening posts, peep-holes and animations tell the headland's stories, from St Hild turning snakes to stone to the lost abbey bells still heard beneath the waves.
• The headland: the pond by Cholmley House, views over the harbour to the West Cliff, and St Mary's church and Caedmon's Cross at the top of the 199 steps.

Getting there

Walk up the 199 steps from Church Street in the old town, or drive round by Green Lane to the car park beside the abbey. The open-top tour bus runs from Whitby station to the abbey entrance from mid-March to September, which avoids the steps. English Heritage gives 20% off tickets bought on the day if you arrive by bus, train or bike: show your ticket, bike or helmet.

Accessibility

The museum is step-free, with a lift to the first-floor exhibition and hearing loops at the entrances and in the shop. Paths around the ruins are level, but the church itself stands on grass, which is hard going in wet weather. See our accessible visits page for more.

Events

Late October brings Illuminated Whitby Abbey, when the ruins are lit up in colour after dark, and a Halloween half-term Great Pumpkin Party for families. Upcoming events are listed below.