A VISITOR centre, perched on the darkly atmospheric cliff top which inspired Bram Stoker's horror classic Dracula, is to be unveiled today.

Years of work by English Heritage to exploit the cultural lure of Whitby Abbey have come to an end with the launch of the unique centre, which is built within the ruined shell of a 17th century mansion.

The completion of the architecturally-innovative £5.7m project will give the public greater access to the corner of North Yorkshire.

The two-storey centre, named Cholmley's House after the family which acquired the abbey and its land in 1539, features galleries, a shop, big screen television displays and interactive presentations from costumed personalities of Whitby's past.

And in a ground-floor presentation, archaeologists explain how recent research, discoveries and surveys have helped chart the headland's history.

Although the 21st Century technology is not visible from outside the banqueting house the centre is contained in, the project has already faced criticism for combining old and new.

Arts critic Giles Worsley, in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, said the decision to install plate glass windows had "stripped the building of its historic character as effectively as Hampton Court would be if its sash windows were replaced with aluminium double-glazing."

However, English Heritage's Yorkshire director David Fraser was adamant the project will realise the potential of the headland which, he said, had been "blighted by unsightly facilities, inadequate interpretation and intrusive traffic".

The centre, designed by architects Stanton Williams, is due to be opened by the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, on Easter Saturday.

The Cholmley family bought the abbey for the staggering sum of £232,000 in the 16th Century after the dissolution of the monasteries.

Mr Fraser said: "This is just one critic and his views are not shared by the majority of architectural critics. We have bravely and radically made quality architectural changes which are a triumph, not a tragedy."