Jewellery & Watch News
It’s impossible to not have heard of the blood-thirsty vampire, Count Dracula. He’s been around since 1897 when Bram Stoker brought him to life after a visit to our atmospheric town. He’s known worldwide for his wicked ways and many love to be spooked by the fictional character. Join us - if you dare - as we delve further into Dracula’s world.
Dracula and Whitby
Whilst on holiday in Whitby seven years prior to the release of the Gothic novel, the author found the name, Dracula in the public library believing for it to mean devil in Romanian - an apt fit for his deadly protagonist. The novels begins with Dracula in Transylvania, Romania before he sails into Whitby on 8th August 1890 - the exact date that Stoker discovered the iconic name - a nice link if you ask us.
After finishing a theatrical tour of Scotland, actor Henry Irving recommended he visit the seaside town. Stoker had already planned to write a vampire story and used his stay in the North Yorkshire town to carry out more research and further develop the plot. Count Dracula could easily have been Count Wampyr if he hadn’t made the trip - it doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it!
For Dracula fans, it is worth retracing Stoker’s steps at the graveyard at St Mary’s church next to Whitby Abbey on your next visit to uncover the name Swales on one of the tombstones. Swales was Draculas’ first victim when he arrived in Whitby. It’s not just the cemetery that inspired Stoker as there are references to the famous 199 steps that lead up to the abbey ruins, which is also mentioned in the haunting novel. Dracula (in dog form) flees the shipwreck by climbing to the clifftop and taking shelter in the monastery ruins.
For those unfamiliar to the details of the story, the Russian Schooner, The Demeter, was caught in a fierce storm and ran aground in Whitby Harbour. All the crew aboard the ship were dead and a large black dog jumped ashore - Dracula in disguise. Learn more about its connection to Whitby by booking on to the Dracula Experience located in a historic building on Marine Parade, which was once occupied by English physicist and mathematician, Issac Newton. Maybe a ghost walk is more suited to you, which takes you through the alleyways and cobbled streets that inspired the horror.
The Dracula Collection
Inspired by the spine chilling novel, we created a collection that is designed to scare. Featuring eerie skulls, terrifying spiders and the Dracula Family Crest that featured in Hammers film series of the horror novel alongside an extract from the original Bram Stoker book. The sterling silver and gold designs are intricately handcrafted in our workshops featuring a cabochon of Whitby Jet beneath the intricate crest with some including a ruby gemstone as a reference to the blood spilled by the hands of Dracula. Taking influence from our surroundings makes our designs completely original and captures the essence of our far from traditional town.
