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 206 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.
Newcastle City Walls
Building Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearRemains of the 14th century walls that were built around Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Holy Jesus Hospital
Building Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA hospital built on the site of a 13th century Augustinian Friary to house the "poor freemen" of Newcastle.
The Mining Institute
Building Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearThe North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers or as it is more commonly known, “The Mining Institute” is one of the finest buildings in Newcastle. It is a Victorian building built at the time when high-Gothic architecture was coming into fashion.
More Statues
So this statue wasn't enough and you want more? Don't worry we have you covered.
River God Tyne
Statue Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA bronze sculpture of the River God Tyne found on the side of the Civic Centre building.
Jack Charlton Statue
Statue Ashington NorthumberlandA bronze statue unveiled in October 2022 in Hirst Park, Ashington, honouring Jack Charlton and created by sculptor Douglas Jennings.
Armstrong Memorial
Statue Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA life sized bronze sculpture in memory of Lord Armstrong on Barras Bridge outside the Hancock Museum.
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