It may surprise you to learn that this dark gothic novel started with what amounts to a summer vacation. Author Bram Stoker took a month-long trip between the month of July and August of 1890 to Whitby. At the time, he worked as the business manager for one of the most famous actors at the time, Henry Irving. Stoker and Irving reportedly had a complicated relationship, one which involved long talks that persisted until dawn as the actor attempted to decompress after a show. It is said that these talks and Irving himself could have provided partial inspiration for the character Dracula. It was actually Irving who recommended a stay at Whitby to Stoker, as he had once run a circus there.

During his stay at Whitby, Stoker lived at 6 Royal Crescent on West Cliff. After a week he was joined by his wife and young son and while it became a family vacation in part, Stoker spent much of his time taking long walks alone along the cliffs and researching his current novel. It was on his walks that Stoker discovered Whitby Abbey, the ruin of a Benedictine monastery founded in the 11th century. The gothic and ruinous nature of the structure inspired the Whitby Abbey described in the famous novel by the character Mina Murray.

Stoker also spent a lot of time at St. Mary’s graveyard, which overlooks the town. At the time, many graves were eroding from the weather on the cliff edge and some were merely headstones marking the empty graves of those lost at sea. He used this area to mark down inscriptions and names for later use, including ‘Swales’ which became Dracula’s first victim at Whitby. He also met some retired seafarers there who gave him a taste of some of the local lore, which is said to have inspired some of the lighter moments in the novel.

On August 8th, 1890, stoker walked to the public library which was at the Coffee House End of the Quay. It was there that he discovered a book titled An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldovia by William Wilkinson. Wilkinson’s history mentioned a 15th-century prince named Vlad Tepes who impaled his enemies using wooden stakes. He was known as ‘Dracula’, which in the Wallachian language means ‘devil’. You can probably guess how this inspired Stoker, right?

In addition, while staying at Whitby, Stoker heard of a shipwreck that had taken place five years earlier of a Russian vessel called the Dmitry from Narva. The ship ran aground on Tate Hill just below East Cliff. With a slightly rearranged name, the Dmitry from Narva became the Demeter from Varna which carried Dracula to Whitby.

Although Stoker went on to research for six additional years, learning the intricacies of the lands and customs of Transylvania, the original inspiration for much of Dracula came from Whitby. After a test performance as a play called The Undead, the author changed formats after lead actor Henry Irving said he never wanted to see it again. The novel Dracula was published in 1897 and went on to become one of the world’s most well-known and acclaimed classic horror novels.

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Whitby Abbey: Dracula

Located in Yorkshire, England (yes, not the infamous Transylvania) is the Whitby Abbey which provided the inspiration for the classic novel Dracula. Bram Stoker was visiting Yorkshire in 1890 when he stumbled upon the crumbling ruins of the 7th Century Christian Monastery and he found the gothic architecture so haunting that it inspired this classic tale. The structure still stands today and as the fog sets into the town looming below and the waves of the North Sea crash against the shore… well, one can see why he chose it.

Top Withens: Wuthering Heights

This decaying farmhouse in West Yorkshire, England is said to have provided some inspiration for the novel Wuthering Heights. Although physically the farmhouse doesn’t bear much resemblance to the family home in Emily Bronte’s novel, there is a plaque affixed to the ruins indicating that the farmhouse bears an association with the book. This countryside is said to have inspired many writers also including Bram Stoker.

Mark Twain Cave: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

In Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri there is a small cave that provided the inspiration for McDougal’s Cave from the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Formerly known as the McDowell Cave, the location was renamed in honor of the renowned author after it provided inspiration for a pivotal location in his book.

Bath, England: Persuasion

Jane Austen resided in Bath, England from 1801 to 1806 and this town became the inspiration and setting for her novel Persuasion. Not only was the town the center of fashion and nobility in the early 19th century, but it also became the location where her characters socialized, attended balls, and attempted to arrange marriages. Many of Bath’s addresses are included in the novel and Bath itself still honors Austen with events like the Jane Austen Ball and the Jane Austen Festival.

Sands Point, NY: The Great Gatsby

Sands Point, NY, a small village along the north shore of Long Island, provided the inspiration for Easter Egg in the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby. The area is home to a French Normandy-style mansion, which was once owned by Fitzgerald’s friend Mary Harriman Rumsey, is said to have inspired the lavish mansion parties featured in the story.

Stanley Hotel: The Shining

Stephen King’s inspiration for his haunting novel The Shining came in the form of a precarious hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. A member of the Dorrance family recently visited The Stanley Hotel and thought it best to share the story with fellow writers: “Finding inspiration for a story that will capture an audience’s attention can be a writer’s biggest battle. Inspiration will not find you, you have to go out into the world and find it yourself. A change in scenery and pressure will likely be the key to creating an award-winning story. In Stephen King’s case, he drove north for a few hours, climbing treacherous winding roads leading to an eerie place named the Stanley Hotel. Not only did the ghostly hotel, surrounded by the steep mountains of Colorado, fuel his inspiration, but the pressure to perform had him on edge to create a masterpiece. He was under a self-imposed deadline due to the fact that he had to pay for his room each additional night in which he did not find the right idea. The fact is, that this combination of stress and inspirational atmosphere was the perfect concoction in order for him to create one of the most notable novels in history.”

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