Visit the best view in town

England’s earliest Christian traditions can be discovered at the gaunt and dramatic ruins of Whitby Abbey.

The abbey proudly stands in a commanding position above the small picturesque fishing town.

English Heritage look after the remains and the grounds which can be seen for miles around.

The location has been described as the site of the largest excavation of an Anglo-Saxon abbey and the least recorded.

This impressive clifftop location can be reached by 199 steps from Whitby town or for those unable to face the challenge there is a road with car parking.

King Oswy of Northumbria founded the original monastery of Streonshalh in 657, and his daughter, Hilda, was the first abbess.

Hilda died in 680 and was succeeded by her pupil Aelfleda, but not much is known about the abbey after this event.

It was during Hilda’s time at the Synod of Whitby in 664 that followers of the Celtic tradition agreed to accept the Roman Church’s method of setting the date for Easter Day.

Here, the cowherd Caedmon sang of the Creation, and English poetry was born.

Caedmon is commemorated by a large stone cross at the top of the famous 199 steps.

In 870 Danish invaders destroyed all but the bare walls of the abbey and the site was left desolate until it was refounded by the Norman Conquerors.

Around 1100 the monastery was given the title “abbey” and had a succession of abbots until the last one, Henry Davell, surrendered the abbey to King Henry VIII in 1539 following the Dissolu-tion of the Monasteries.

Today the ruins consist almost entirely of the abbey church which dates from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

The whole south wing was blown down in 1793 and further damage occurred in 1914 when part of the western arch was demolished by shell fire from two German cruisers.

Whitby’s dramatic beauty has inspired many writers, painters and engravers over the years and still attracts them today.

Open: April 1 - Oct 1, 10am-6pm, during Oct 10am-5pm, Nov - March 10am - 4pm.

For more details call 01947 603568.