Vampire Rabbit
Statue In Newcastle City Centre, Tyne And Wear
The Vampire Rabbit is a strange and mysterious “grotesque” that can be found above the door at the rear entrance to the historic Cathedral Buildings, adjacent to Newcastle Cathedral.
There are a number of stories about why it was put there ranging from being used to scare away grave robbers who were running rampant in the Cathedral graveyard, to actually being a hare whose ears were put on backwards, to symbolising the coming of spring invoking the Easter Bunny.
The hare story seems to be the least far-fetched of these tales, especially when it is known that one of the Architects, William H Wood, was a friend of Sir George Hare Phipson who was a local Doctor and Freemason (as was Wood). Hares often appear in Masonic Symbolism.
The Vampire Rabbit was originally in the stone of the building, but in recent years it has been painted black with blood dripping from its claws and fangs. maybe to scare visitors to the local pubs and clubs sober!
The Vampire Rabbit is also right next to the former workshop of famed engraver Thomas Bewick. There is a plaque and bust of Bewick nearby.
Get 1 point if you have visited this place. Already visited by 202 VIPs.
Login to the VIP area to add places to your bucket list, mark them as visited and more importantly see where you rank on the league table.
How To Find Vampire Rabbit
Where To Park For Vampire Rabbit?
Lat / Long
54.970232, -1.609099
What three words
The nearest place to Park is Dean Street Multi Storey opposite the front of the Cathedral Buildings, less than 50m walk from the Vampire Rabbit.
Contributed by Andrew Gardner
I love being outdoors, in nature, and experiencing the relaxation it brings. Wandering through the northern countryside seeing unexpected buildings, historic places and occasionally surprised wildlife is one of life's great pleasures.
More Places from Andrew
More Places In Newcastle City Centre
Find more fabulous places in Newcastle City Centre, Tyne And Wear and if you know of a place we haven't listed, then let us know.
Exhibition Park
Landscape Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA 15 hectare public park, right in the centre of Newcastle, dating from the 1880s and associated with, and named after two major exhibitions, the Royal Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 and the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition.
Ballast Hills Burial Ground
Religious Place Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA none conformist burial ground that is now a recreation area.
Grainger Market
Building Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA covered market in Newcastle City centre, designed by John Dobson and opened in 1835. Once the largest covered market in the country.
More Statues
So this statue wasn't enough and you want more? Don't worry we have you covered.
Harry Hotspur Statue
Statue Alnwick NorthumberlandStatue to Henry Percy, also known as Harry Hotspur, Alnwick's most famous Knight and one of Shakespeare's best known characters.
Durham Angel
Statue Peterlee County DurhamDesigned by local sculpturer Ray Lonsdale, this statue 'Horns' could be the Angel Of Durham.
The Coxswain And The George Elmy Lifeboat
Statue Seaham County DurhamA Coxswain Statue by Ray Lonsdale is a tribute to the RNLI and the 9 lives lost on the Lifeboat 'The George Elmy'.
Never Miss A Fabulous Place
If you are afraid of missing out on all the fabulous places we post, or just want to be the first to know, then sign up to the Fabulous North.
Each week we will email you all the brand new places that we visit.
Sign Up To Alerts
Find Us On Facebook
We post all our new places daily on our Facebook Groups page, so join the group today and be notified when we add a new place.
Join Our Facebook GroupVampire Rabbit was listed in Statue // Tyne And Wear // Newcastle City Centre