A Vampire Rabbit

6^th Mar.  I was on a pilgrimage of sorts with a friend today, our plan being to explore the interior of St Mary’s Cathedral and St Nicholas’s Cathedral in Newcastle City.  Nothing at all to do with wildlife I know, but its strange how things turn out.  First, our entry to St Mary’s Cathedral was impossible as there was funeral service about to begin.  We instead looked at some of the interesting buildings in the area between the two Cathedrals before taking a quick look inside St Nicholas’s.  The city has changed a lot since I was a lad, but there is still much of interest to explore and who would have thought the centre of interest would be a Vampire Rabbit, or is it a Hare?

Vampire Rabbit

The Vampire Rabbit, which I believed to be a hare, (just look at those ears!) is above the decorative doorway of one of the buildings to the side of St Nicholas’s Cathedral and only yards away from the site of what had been the workshop of Thomas Bewick, one of the great historic figures from the Northeast of England.  No local will need to be told who he is I hope, but it is surprising how many non-locals haven’t a clue!  I won’t go into detail that can in any event be found on the internet, but I will mention some tributes to Bewick that exist in Newcastle upon Tyne, not to mention the fact that the Bewick’s Swan was named by William Yarrell in Bewick’s honour.  There is of course Bewick Street in the city centre and several portraits of the man including, in the Laing Art Gallery, Literary and Philosophical Society and the Natural History Society of Northumbria.  The Bewick Society was responsible for placing in 2003, a copy of the Bewick ‘Chillingham Bull’ into the pavement near to the central station.  The bronze bust pictured here in my blog can be found at the site of the workshop I mention above, and I believe it is a copy of the marble bust held by the Lit and Phil Society in Newcastle.  There is also a statue of the man at a site which was once Boots Chemist on Northumberland Street (alongside Bewick here, there is Harry Hotspur, Sir John Marley and Roger Thornton).  There is more I know.

Bust of Thomas Bewick at Workshop site,

It is perhaps fitting that the Vampire Rabbit is found near to the site of the workshop of Bewick, a man so inspired by nature and wildlife.  I believe some think there may be some kind of link or tribute to Thomas Bewick, but the Vampire Rabbit seems to pose a bit of a mystery.  I have delved into this a little and found the following information, quite easily as it happens.

As to the question of whether this vampire is a rabbit or a hare.  Well, I had initially thought the ears to look more like that of a hare, but it seems that it may be a rabbit that has undergone cosmetic surgery!  It has also been suggested that the ears were replaced back to front.  I have seen a photo of the original and it seems that the ears were extended sometime in the 1980s.  So, if we settle for the fact that it is a rabbit it puts an end to one theory I have come across.  This theory was that the vampire is a hare and that it had some masonic symbolism in that it represented a friend of the architect.  The friend being Sir George Hare Phipson, a local doctor of some importance and Freemason.  It should also be noted that as well as having an ear extension the rabbit was initially the same plain colour as the surrounding stonework.  Everything has changed now as you can see and the rabbit has even been given a splash of red paint on teeth and claws to represent blood.

Vampire Rabbit

Another idea put forward simply suggests that the rabbit represents the coming of spring, much the same as the ‘Easter bunny’.  Or perhaps there’s some link to he tales of local grave robbers.  Or perhaps, did someone just not have much time for religion and placed the rabbit where it is to oversee and control the local inhabitants of the graveyard opposite?  Allegedly, some bodies in this graveyard were found face down.  It is thought bodies were buried in this way to prevent vampires in that when they tried to dig themselves out of the grave they simply dug themselves into deeper earth.

One final thought is put forward that the Vampire Rabbit was there near to the graveyard simply to remind all passers-by that no one can avoid death.  It is known that some Dutch paintings include depictions of dead rabbits to remind everyone that they are not immortal!

Well, I for one think it good that there is no clear explanation for the presence of the Vampire Rabbit.  Life would be less fun if there was an answer to everything.  I do know I wouldn’t like to meet this rabbit as I walked down Dog Leap Stairs in the darkness of the early hours.

Ahhhhh, spring is in the air again and Sam and I have been birding in a rather flooded and weather damaged Druridge Bay, but at least the temperature was up.  More of that to come later.