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 be controversial, striking a balance between sensationalism and mediocrity". Stoker contributed to "Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010", along with Caroline Joan Picart, David J. Skal, J. Gordon Melton and John Edgar Browning. Stoker directed, produced and wrote the 2011 documentary film "Dracula meets Stoker". Stoker, with his colleague Hans C. De Roos, is currently working on a Bram Stoker Dracula travel guide which will identify real-life locations mentioned in Stoker's novel as well as highlight the places Bram grew up in. His wife, Jenne Stoker, and their two children live in Aiken,