Whitby Dracula gathering smashes vampire fancy dress world record

A new world record has been set for the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires.

A total of 1,369 people attended Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire dressed as the ghoulish character, breaking the previous record of 1,039 set in 2011.

The event was organised to mark 125 years since Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was published in 1897.

The Gothic horror tale was said to have been inspired by Stoker's trip to Whitby in 1890.

The event was organised by English Heritage as part of a year of special events in honour of the book.

The previous record stood at 1,039 vampires set at Doswell in Virginia, USA in 2011.

The "vampires" needed to stand together in the same place for five minutes to break the record.

And shortly after 21:00 BST on Thursday, confirmation came that the record had been broken.

Ahead of the record attempt, the abbey's manager Mark Williamson said the event had attracted interest from all over the world, including participants who had travelled to the North Yorkshire resort from California.

The event also featured music from local band Westernra and a performance of excerpts of Dracula by theatre group Time Will Tell.

Jack Brookbank, official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, said: "We are quite strict about the official costume that is allowed.

"It must include black shoes, black trousers or dress, waistcoat, shirt, black cape or collared overcoat and fangs on the top set of teeth."

Hundreds of Dracula fans descend on Whitby every year, with many visitors to the resort asking where Dracula's grave is located, forgetting he is a fictional character.

Last year, staff at St Mary's Church posted a note on the door telling tourists not to ask.

The house where Bram Stoker stayed, and where much of the book was researched, still stands and a plaque marks his time there.

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