Grape Lane, Whitby. Formerly known as Grope Lane.

Grape Lane, originally known as Grope Lane is a pedestrianised narrow side street near the main bridge in Whitby. At the one end is the Dolphin Hotel and at the other end is the Captain Cook Museum. In between there are shops such as a specialist beer seller, a restaurant, café, fossil shop and a "mystic" incense etc shop. The first permanent Cottage Hospital in Whitby was built in September 1901 at the end of the lane. A property named Greengate was purchased and equipped for £2,200 (about £3,000,000 today). The outpatient accommodation soon proved inadequate and the hospital expanded into the neighbouring building, known as Captain Cook's House (now the Captain Cook Memorial Museum). The story reported about Grape Lane involves the Infirmary in 1917, during the First World War. A good looking young local girl with long, flowing golden hair named Mary Clarke is the focus of the story. She would brush her hair twice every day, it is said each time one hundred times, brushing in drops of 'Dr. Firth's Patent Hair Oil' until her hair shone "like burnished gold." One day Mary was sent by her father to collect his dinner from the local baker's. When she arrived the baker said he was busy and told Mary to put the food into the oven herself. Unfortunately as she did so a lock of her hair drooped into the oven fire and to the baker's horror her whole head caught fire. The panic-stricken Mary ran into the narrow lane but the wind fanned the flames and her clothes began to burn fiercely. As she screamed the baker saw her rapidly being engulfed in flames. The horrified baker followed her into the lane and he attempted to grab the burning Mary. He managed to hold her and beat out the flames and walked her down to the infirmary. As they walked lumps of her skin and charred clothes dropped off, rich pickings for the town dogs that followed them, attracted by the smell of roasting flesh, their tails wagging in anticipation of a sumptuous feast. Mary died within an hour, her painful questions only focussed on the damage to her hair. Occasionally, especially around the time of her death, Mary's ghost appears in Grape Lane, initially as a wispy flame gently floating in the air towards the building that once held the Infirmary. Eventually the ethereal flame coagulates into the figure of Mary: some have even claimed to hear the sound of crackling flames (or burning skin?) and the howling and slavering of hungry dogs. For passers by who catch Mary's eye, she stares for a few seconds as she pauses, then continues on her journey, taking with her the smells of cooking meat behind her. Some witnesses have also claimed to smell burnt hair. There is also a link with the Endeavour Pub across the road (see separate entry).