The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle
This one of Newcastle's strangest urban legends, but it is also one that everyone can see today. Hidden high above a doorway beside the cathedral sits a rabbit with sharp fangs and a sinister grin.
The Origin Story
The mystery begins in 1901. When the building was completed workers noticed something strange. A vampire rabbit had been carved into the stonework, and nobody knows why. Although there are a number of rumours.
1. The rabbit guards the graves nearby. Any thief foolish enough to disturb the dead would be haunted by the creature after dark.
2. It wasn't supposed to be a rabbit at all. it was meant to be a hare but the ears were carved backwards. Then they gave it fangs, which somehow makes things worse.
3. The rabbit comes alive at midnight. It leaps from the stone wall and patrols the churchyard looking for troublemakers. No witnesses have ever confirmed this, or survived to tell the tale......
Key Locations
Newcastle Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle
Newcastle Cathedral
Newcastle Castle is a medieval fortification in Newcastle upon Tyne, built on the site of the fortress that gave the City of Newcastle its name. The most prominent remaining structures on the site are the Castle Keep, and the Black Gate, its fortified gatehouse.
Newcastle Castle
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Completed in 1998, it is seen by an estimated 33 million people every year due to its proximity to the A1 and A167 roads and the East Coast Main Line.
Angel of the North