Whitby is a coastal town located on the North East coast of England and around 47 miles from the city of York. It is a fishing town located on the mouth of the river Esk. It lies within the district of Scarborough in the County of North Yorkshire.
The town was where a confrontation between the Pagan King Penda and Oswiu the Christian King took place in 655 A.D. Oswiu, it is said, asked God for victory and promised to build monasteries and give his infant daughter into the service of the Lord. His outnumbered force won and he kept his pledge. He built several monasteries of which Whitby Abbey was one. The ruins of this abbey can still be found on the Eastern cliffs of Whitby.
Whitby has also featured in Bram Stoker's book Dracula. It depicted Whitby as the place where Dracula came ashore in England.