St Mary's Church, Whitby arch is a Jacobean pew. There is a monument to Sir Richard Cholmley who died in 1631. Two significant land slips due to broken drainage and torrential rain, the first occurring in November 2012, have placed the churchyard, and properties below the cliff, in significant jeopardy. Whitby town councillor Steve Smith stated the church was in no danger, having been built on solid rock. Human remains have fallen onto the street below, and pathways on the cliff-side of the church have been closed. Bram Stoker used St Mary's Church graveyard as the setting for a scene in his novel, "Dracula":
Dacre Stoker Dacre Stoker Dacre Calder Stoker (born August 23, 1958) is a Canadian-American author, sportsman and filmmaker. Stoker was born in Montreal, Quebec. He is the great-grand nephew of Irish author Bram Stoker, the author of the 1897 Gothic novel "Dracula". He lived in his childhood in Montreal, Quebec and attended the Bishop's College School. He taught for several years at Appleby College. Stoker is a former member of the Canadian men's pentathlon team. He coached the team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Because of the Stokers' frustrating history with "Dracula's" copyright, Dacre, with encouragement from screenwriter