Vampires have long had ties to Great Britain. Many folktales spoke of the dead rising back from beneath the earth, and demonic creatures out to suck the blood of their unsuspecting victims. Yet, it wasn’t until Irish author Bram Stoker had his iconic vampire Dracula cause his ship to run aground in Whitby that vampires would be cemented in the public consciousness.
With Dracula, the UK finally had its all-in-one vampire, which inspired a great many tales for years to come. While the Count ran into the country from Yorkshire, that didn’t stop people from across Lancashire connecting to the dark beings. Now, while Greater Manchester isn’t widely known for its close ties to the creatures of the night, there are still some connections for enthusiasts to tap into.
A Vampire “Resting” Nearby
Legends of vampire-like creatures that embodied a few traits that have been popularised under the vampire umbrella were present in the Manchester area centuries ago. Fast forward to 1720, and someone would, perhaps inadvertently, form the legend of a local vampire. This is because of their distinctly dark and gothic grave.
Sitting right by the walls of St Aidan’s Church in Billinge, the stone grave is in the shape of a coffin. This coffin simply reads George & Kitty Smith and is now a Grade II listed entity. Rumour has it that George was bitten by a snake and died, followed by his wife. Atop the stone coffin is a skull with bat wings being encircled by a snake. This is Ouroborus, which is the ancient symbol of the eternal cycle of death and rebirth.
In the 300 years since, vampire societies have come and gone in Manchester. In the 1970s, the Manchester Vampire Society was very well-established. Unfortunately, it broke apart in the late 1990s. In its place, the 2000s saw the emergence of the Gothic Meetup of Manchester, which created a community for enthusiasts of the gothic arts and all things vampiric.
Inspirations for a Pop Culture Obsession
The underlying intrigue around vampires possibly being in and around Greater Manchester only helps to fuel the modern pop culture obsession with the creatures and their many depictions. British creatives have long dipped into the vampire well. The Hunger (1983), several Dracula films and shows, and the 2008 drama series Being Human put vampires in the spotlight. Even in more modern, interactive inventions of entertainment, vampires are running riot.
We can see this across a whole host of video games, with the hit indie game Vampire Survivors being the prime example. Just looking at the incredible levels of anticipation for the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, you can see that the theme is still going very well. In online circles, the appeal of vampires has predominantly been powered up by the Immortal Romance series. Playing on the eternal desire angle of vampires, the new entry, Immortal Romance Vein of Gold, is one of the top new bingo game releases. It upholds the strong reputation and popularity of its two predecessors.
Right now, there are also plenty of ways to experience the ways of the vampire in person across Manchester. One very hands-on way is to get in on the city hunt game Vampire Hunters from Escape Hunt. It’s an outdoor game that takes players on a roughly 2km adventure around Manchester in search of vampires. Dracula also returned to the stage in the summer of 2025. Dracula: The Bloody Truth received strong reviews and was on at the Stephen Joseph Theatre from 3 to 27 July.
Even if there aren’t overly strong ties between Manchester and vampires, there are plenty of ways to delve into the darkness in and around the city today.
