I think it is common knowledge that over here in England, it rains 99% of the time, we drink more than our body weight in tea every day, eat copious amounts of toasted crumpets – but only ever on plush chairs in front of a roaring fire – and you can’t throw a stone without hitting a ghost. And it’s not just ghosts! We have Fae, hellhounds, pig-men, werewolves, witches, and everything else. It’s safe to say there are a lot of supposedly haunted, definitely creepy, places over on this side of the pond. After some considerable whittling down and a lot of cross-referencing through dusty old tomes on the paranormal, here are some of my favorite spooky places in England!
CAUTION: Before you plan a visit, keep in mind that while some places may be open to the public, this may not always be the case. Check ahead and always respect private property.
The 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of Records actually had a section for “The Most Haunted Village in Britain.” That honour was bestowed upon Pluckley, at the time, with a recorded twelve ghosts across the sleepy hamlet. Though journalists have disputed these claims since then and have even been added to a number of reports, here’s a rundown of the twelve:
- The site of a manor house that burnt down in 1952 is reportedly haunted by the White Lady Dering, the name of the family who used to own the village.
- The Red Lady Dering can be seen floating through the graveyard at St Nicholas Church, supposedly hunting for her dead child’s tomb.
- In the early hours of the morning, an invisible but noisy coach and horses are seen and heard driving down the high street.
- Another invisible haunting, as formless screams have been heard from Dering Wood, just outside the village.
- A ghostly monk and the object of his forbidden love – a neighbour who killed herself by eating poison rather than continue living without the monk.
- A miller’s ghost still haunts a ruined mill.
- A screaming man, who fell to his death in a clay pit, has been heard and seen near the train station.
- A female watercress seller who accidentally burnt herself alive now appears as a misty red glow by a tiny stream.
- A highwayman was killed in a sword fight with his intended victim, who ended up pinned to an oak tree by a sword.
- The ghost of a colonel who killed himself is now haunting one of the local woods.
- A schoolmaster who hanged himself has been seen swinging in the trees where the deed was done. A good example of how ghost stories can get bent out of shape in the telling, however, is that depending on the reporter, this schoolmaster either killed himself around 1820, and is seen dressed in appropriate garb, or in 1920 due to depression/PTSD caused by World War One.
1Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Looking at haunted locations in London could easily take up a number of articles in their own right, but here’s one in particular that has always been a favourite of mine. The current Theatre Royal building has stood since 1812, though the theatre itself has been around since 1663, having been rebuilt several times due to various reasons, so it’s prime material for a spook or two!
The key spectre here is the Man in Grey, sometimes regarded as one of the most famous “authenticated” ghosts in London. A tall, distinguished-looking chap with grey hair, dressed in clothes that suggest he originates from the 18th century. He’s been seen sitting in the upper circle of the audience seating area or walking from one side of the theatre to the other, but only between 9 am and 6 pm – ghosts do not only come out at night!
In his 1973 book Our Haunted Kingdom, investigator Andrew Green wrote of the Man in Grey: “So many actors, actresses and theatregoers have seen the good gentleman it is surprising that his appearance is still doubted.” Some believe the Man in Grey to be the ghost of a man whose skeleton was found with a knife in his ribs, discovered in a walled-up room during renovations around 1850.
Stage folk believe that seeing the Man in Grey is a good omen. He’s not the only ghost to haunt the Theatre Royal, however. There are helpful spirits known to push, pull, and tap actors here and there, as well as ghostly noises and things that could be described as poltergeist activity.
2The Ancient Ram Inn, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire
Unlike the other haunted buildings listed here, The Ancient Ram Inn only came to my attention relatively recently after much TV coverage. Built in 1145, on top of the intersection of two ley lines and, allegedly, a pagan burial ground, some claim The Ancient Ram to be one of the most haunted buildings in the country. It is no longer a pub but still a popular site for ghost hunts. People have said they’ve felt dread, menace, or melancholy upon entering the building. A previous owner even claimed to have found the skeletons of children hidden under a staircase.
A monk haunts one of the bedrooms many customers refuse to sleep in. Other customers braved the room, but some then ran out during the night due to either the monk or one of the other spirits who had said to haunt it. A ghostly shepherd, a cavalier, and a number of bishops are said to inhabit this one room and one or two other monks. A woman who was tried and murdered as a witch in the 1500s haunts another room, while a Roman centurion on horseback has been seen moving through the walls. More common are noises throughout the inn – doors slamming, windows being banged on, and heavy invisible objects being dragged through empty rooms.
3Borley Rectory, Borley, Essex
Nowadays, Borley Rectory is regarded in some circles as an example of a haunting being heavily faked or embellished—largely by the top investigator of the time, Harry Price—but it was once heralded as the most haunted house in England. Price still has his defenders, though, and I’m including this here as the story of the rectory continues to be a source of high weirdness and creepiness.
Built in 1862, across the road from Borley Church (which itself possibly dates back to the 11th century and is also said to be haunted), the figure of a nun was witnessed from the start – though some reports claim her ghostly figure had been present long before the rectory was built. She would be seen walking along what was known as the Nun’s Path and, once built, witnesses saw her in the gardens of the rectory – only to disappear if approached or spoken to – or peering in through the windows, a sad look on her face.
Apparently, the rectory owner, Henry Bull, had one of the dining room windows bricked up because he was fed up with the nun looking in on him and his family while they were eating. Bodiless voices, pacing footsteps, disconnected servant bells ringing, lights appearing in windows, and smells were also reported about the rectory.
Investigator Harry Price was introduced to the rectory in 1929, and it was a case that made him famous but has also thrown up many questions regarding its legitimacy. One occupant, Marianne Foyster, admitted having made up some of the incidents during her tenure (1930-35) to hide her affair with a lodger from her husband. Nevertheless, in March 1938, a séance was held in which two spirits made contact – one was that of a French nun named Marie Lairre, who had allegedly been murdered on the site of the building many years before in 1667.
In February 1939, Captain Gregson, the new owner of the rectory, knocked over an oil lamp while unpacking. The resulting fire quickly spread, and the building was damaged beyond repair. Some villagers claimed to have seen ghosts in the garden watching the flames, and a nun was seen peering out of an upstairs window. Borley Rectory was finally completely demolished in 1944, though some people claim the sad nun Marie Lairre still haunts the area.
5Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
I mentioned pig-men, and I will deliver pig-men! Or, a singular pig-man, at least. Cannock Chase, a 26 square mile area of woodland, farmland, and rolling, grassy hills—designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty—is home to the Pig-Man. Not quite as romantic as Mothman, the Pig-Man was supposedly a rumour started by the army to keep local residents away from an army base way back in the 1940s. However, sightings continue to this day, and a rhyme is alleged to be told by locals:
When night falls, enter the woods at your peril
For inside, lurks something worse than the devil
Avoid at all costs, the gathering place
Where at midnight, the pig-man roams on Cannock Chase
Supposedly 7 feet tall and looking like a man with the head of a large pig, Pig-Man isn’t the only unusual resident of The Chase. Other elements of the weird and the damned spotted here include UFOs, werewolves, alien big cats, spectral black-eyed children and, heck, even Bigfoot has been spotted on vacation here!
The area is not without its troubled past, either – three young girls were murdered and dumped in The Chase in the 1960s: Margaret Reynolds (6), Diana Joy Tift (5), and Christine Darby (7). Some believe they still haunt the area, as ghostly girls have been spotted by hikers walking the trails. There’s certainly no doubt the area has become a focal point for the weird.
Feature image by Olle August from Pixabay.