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Many of my favourite books are from the gothic fiction genre, but it isn’t just plot and characters that make them so great, it’s also the use of place and location that sets them apart, and it’s these places that appeal to gothic fiction fans and make them want to step foot in these locations for themselves.
What is Gothic Literature?
For years people have been trying to answer this question, and although there has been no conclusive definition decided, it is generally agreed that gothic is a genre that evokes fear and terror in the reader. It is also characterised by elements of violence and death, as well as romantic elements between characters.
Places to Visit for Gothic Fiction Fans
Whitby, North Yorkshire
Dracula
“It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits… Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones.”
Stoker found some of his inspiration for his novel while staying in Whitby in 1890. He’d been recommended to stay in this coastal town by a fellow actor. By the time he arrived in Whitby, Stoker was already planning a vampire tale. It was during his visit and time spent in Whitby Library that he discovered the name Vlad Tepes, who was also known as Vlad the Impaler, and dubbed Dracula (meaning Son of the Dragon and Devil in old Romanian)
There are descriptions of Whitby throughout the novel, including the famous 199 steps which lead up to the haunting abbey ruins and the town’s red rooftops.
Read the novel and then visit Whitby and you’ll be sure to find yourself looking out for recognisable locations that leap out from the page and meet you face on. Follow Stoker’s footsteps and be inspired by this haunting and fascinating part of the UK.
Fowey, Cornwall
Rebecca
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and chain upon the gate… peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.”
Fowey is a small town in Cornwall and has been attracting and inspiring artists and writers for centuries. Daphne du Maurier lived here for a few years in a house called Menabilly and returned as often as possible even after she married and moved away, so it makes sense that the area of Cornwall would inspire many of her works.
Through the narrator’s description Manderley is filled with doom and atmosphere which actually matched the dilapidated state of the house when she first discovered it.
It may not be an area that oozes gothic influence but just knowing that this area has been such an inspiration to so many people over the years makes me want to visit and spend time exploring and following those creative footsteps, and it is full of history and character.
Bakewell, Derbyshire
Jane Eyre
“The kitchen, the butler’s pantry, the servant’s hall, the entrance hall were equally alive; and the saloons were only left void and still, when the blue sky and halcyon sunshine of the genial spring weather called their occupants out into the grounds.”
Haddon Hall may not have been the original inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s fictional home for her lead male character, but it has been used multiple times for screen adaptations and there’s no reason to ask why. It simply oozes gothic atmosphere.
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I have always loved Bronte’s writing, particularly her ability to create such mood and tone in her descriptions, she wrote in the first person so was able to really tell the audience what the environment was like and this ultimately makes me want to wander those corridors and explore this intimidating location.
Dartmoor
The Hound of the Baskervilles
“I have said that over the great Grimpen Mire there hung a dense, white fog. It was drifting slowly in our direction, and banked itself up like a wall on that side of us, low, but thick and well defined.”
Fox Tor Mire in Dartmoor was the perfect inspiration for the fog-shrouded, swampy landscape of Conan Doyle’s Grimpen Mire. A land of mist and mystery which is steeped in folklore inspiring descriptions which have captured the public imagination for over a century.
Prehistoric stone circles and standing stones are scattered across the high moor and the remains of Iron Age hillforts, medieval settlement and imposing granite crosses emphasise the area’s long history.
Visit Dartmoor and travel into the very heart of it, discover a magical, ancient landscape of stunning views, deep wooded valleys with fast flowing rivers, and rugged, wide open spaces.
Haworth, West Yorkshire
Wuthering Heights
“‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge…”
Haworth is where the sisters famously lived for many years, and is a place of pilgrimage for literary fans. The surrounding moors are harsh and uncultivated, depicted as dangerous and confusing this contributes to the dark mood of the novel.
The setting for Wuthering Heights reinforces the dark tone of the novel and serves as a reminder of the brooding presence of the main character Heathcliff.
Away from the village itself there is the rugged and breathtaking Pennine countryside, with a marked trail linking the key locations associated with the Brontë family allowing you to undertake some of the shorter walks starting out from Haworth. Take time to explore the quiet network of country roads or the paths across the brooding moorland.
Buy the Books and Be Inspired to Travel
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