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Whitby Abbey


Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey - impressive gothic ruins of a 13th-century North Yorkshire Benedictine Abbey


Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey was initially a monastery, founded in 657 AD, and known as Streaneshalch. After the Danes' raids in 867 and 870, the monastery was abandoned for around 200 years, after which a Benedictine Abbey was built on its site.

After Henry VIII's 'Dissolution of Monasteries' (1536-1541) Sir Richard Cholmley bought the Abbey, and it remained in the Cholmley/Strickland family until 1920 when they gave it to the UK government. Whitby Abbey is an English Heritage Site.


Whitby Abbey

Opening times and admission


Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm

A standard entry ticket is £11 if bought online or £13 if you buy the ticket on the day (child, family, and English Heritage Member tickets are also available)

Tickets for Illuminated Whitby Abbey are £12.50.


Whitby Abbey

How to get there


Whitby Abbey is a 15-minute walk from Whitby Train Station.

If driving there, parking is available very close to the Abbey.


Address: Abbey Lane, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 4JT


Whitby Abbey

The Abbey's ruins have been a source of inspiration for many writers, including Bram Stoker. A part of his famous novel - 'Dracula' is set around Whitby and Whitby Abbey.



Illuminated Whitby Abbey


For Holloween, between the 24th of October and the 2nd of November, between 6 pm and 9 pm, Whitby Abbey hosts live theatre performances while the ruins are brightly illuminated.


Whitby Abbey

After visiting the ruins, I paid a quick visit to Cholmley House (Whitby Hall) which is very close to the abbey. The banqueting house, built in 1672 is now a museum, shop and visitor centre for Whitby Abbey.

It's quite a small museum, but it does contain a lot of interesting bits of history, as well as a signed copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula.



How long does it take to visit Whitby Abbey?


Visiting the ruins of Whitby Abbey, as well as the museum took me a bit more than an hour, so I would recommend setting aside 1-2 hours, or slightly longer if you're there for the Illumination performances.


Whitby Abbey

I paired this visit with one to Scarborough, as it is only a 30-minute drive away.


Have you ever been there? If so, I would love to hear about your visit there, in the comments below.

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I hope life is treating you well.

Take care.


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