At the top of the 199 steps, St Mary's looks plain on the outside — a squat Norman parish church battered by centuries of North Sea weather. The inside is something else. The interior was remodelled in the 18th century with three tiers of high-sided Georgian box pews, raised galleries, and a magnificent triple-decker pulpit, much of it built by ship's carpenters. There is no obvious centre of focus — every family had its own private pew like a piece of furniture.
The churchyard outside is one of the most photographed in England. Bram Stoker chose a bench here for the scene where Mina watches Dracula in dog form leap up from the wreck of the Demeter to the abbey. The headstones, eroded by salt wind, tilt toward the harbour. Free to enter; donations welcome.