Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey is a ruined Benedictine abbey on the East Cliff above Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. Founded in the seventh century and later rebuilt in the medieval period, the abbey is one of the best-known historic landmarks on the Yorkshire coast. Its Gothic ruins overlooking the sea have made it closely associated with Bram Stoker’s Dracula and with screen productions looking for a dramatic, unmistakably Gothic setting.

Whitby Abbey appears in Dracula (2020) and Possession (2002). In the 2020 BBC/Netflix adaptation of Dracula, the abbey ruins were used directly on screen, while Whitby Abbey is also listed among the filming locations for Possession.

In Dracula (2020), Whitby Abbey is used in the Whitby material in episode three. The ruins appear overlooking the sea and help anchor the story in the location most strongly associated with Dracula in English Gothic fiction.

In Possession (2002), Whitby Abbey appears as part of the film’s North Yorkshire location work. The ruins are used within the Whitby setting connected to the story’s literary and historical strands.

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