The United Kingdom is known for its haunted areas all over, but here I list the 10 most scary sightings in Britain as recently noted by the Daily Star newspaper.
THE ENFIELD POLTERGIEST-
In August 1977, single parent Peggy Hodgson called police to her rented home in Enfield after two of her four children claimed that furniture was moving and knocking sounds were heard on walls. The children included Margaret, age 13, Johnny, age 10 and Billy, age 7. Peggy’s 11-year old daughter Janet, age 11, was discovered levitating and seemingly possessed by the spirit of Bill Wilkins, a man who had died in the house. A female police constable saw a chair slide on the floor but couldn’t determine if it moved by itself or was pushed by someone. Janet later said: “I felt used by a force that nobody understands”.
THE BROWN LADY OF RAYNHAM HALL-
The photograph of a ghostly female figure on a staircase at Raynham Hall in Norfolk is thought to be of the so-called Brown Lady, the spirit of Lady Dorothy Walpole. The photo was taken Captain Provand, a professional photographer, who was taking snapshots of the house for Britain’s Country Life magazine in September 1936. His assistant, Indre Shira, actually saw the apparition coming down the staircase and directed Provand to take the photo, even though the other man saw nothing at the time. The resulting image has been examined by experts many times, although no explanation for it has ever been given.
THE HAMPTON COURT GHOUL-
In 2003 security staff at 16th-century Hampton Court Palace heard alarms ringing near an exhibition hall indicating that fire doors had been opened, but found the doors closed. Mystified, they examined CCTV footage and were astonished when the cameras showed the heavy doors opening, apparently of their own volition. Suddenly, a figure wearing a long coat appeared and proceeded to pull the doors shut. The identity of this figure, which was nicknamed Skeletor, became the subject of intense debate with some even claiming it might be the ghost of one of Hampton Court’s most famous former residents, Henry VIII.
REAL LIFE ‘BLAIR WITCH’-
In May 2014, two campers in Bristol had an experience just like the 1999 movie The Blair Witch Project. Lola Swan and Kate Channon set up camp in a dense woodland but soon noticed strange noises such as twigs snapping and their equipment going missing. But they packed up and fled in terror after hearing a chilling child’s voice at 1am. It wasn’t until the following morning when Lola, 28, flicked through their pictures of the night before that she noticed the spooky apparition among the trees. I immediately threw the phone to the ground,” she said. “I knew we were being watched, and that picture proves it.
THE MACKENZIE MYSTERY-
In 1999, a homeless man stumbled into a mausoleum in Greyfairs Churchyard, Edinburgh. The tomb containing Sir George Mackenzie, who was notorious for having had a large number of people executed nearby in the 17th century, collapsed on the petrified vagrant.
TANTALLON CASTLE-
In 2009, a photography taken at Tantallon Castle in Scotland was named the world’s best ghost picture. It captured an eerie female figure high up in the ruins wearing a period costume which included a frilly ruff. Three photographic experts have confirmed that the image had not been manipulated.
THE BLACK MONK OF PONTEFRACT-
A council house in Pontefract, West Yorks, was terrorized by a poltergeist linked to a monk who had raped and murdered a young girl 500 years before. Legend has it the paranormal activity started on September 1 1966, when Joe and Jean Pritchard, along with their 12-year-old daughter Diane went on holiday, leaving their son Phillip, 15, behind with his grandmother, Sarah Scholes. While alone in the house, the pair allegedly saw white powder falling around the living room and puddles of water forming in the kitchen, while cold gusts of air sliced through the warm summer evening. It wasn’t until two years later that the ghost turned his violent attentions to Diane, often throwing her from her bed and dragging her upstairs by her hair. It is recognized as the most violent poltergeist haunting in European history.
THE GREENWICH GHOST-
In June 1966, the Reverend R.W. Hardy photographed a staircase at the historic Queen’s House in Greenwich, south London. Although nothing was seen at the time, when examining image later it clearly shows a shrouded figure, bent over and climbing the stairs. The photo and original negative were examined at length by Kodak and by other photographic experts. They were unable to explain the figure and are sure the photo was not double-exposed.
REAL LIFE ‘THE OTHERS’-
Anwar Rashid compared his family’s experience to the 2001 horror film The Others, starring Nicole Kidman. Anwar Rashid, 32, described how he, his wife and their four young children lived in fear after they began hearing screams in the corridors shortly after moving into Clifton Hall. They also claim to have seen apparitions and heard knocking on the wall of the 17-bedroom mansion in Nottinghamshire. it was the sight of blood spots on their 18-month-old son’s bed clothes that finally forced the family to abandon their luxury home, Mr Rashid said, comparing his experience to Nicole Kidman’s film The Others.
THE PENDLE WITCHES-
At Halloween 2004, TV’s Most Haunted team headed to Pendle Hill in Lancashire, famous for tales of witches since the 17th century. The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. Members of Most Haunted crew reported being strangled by unseen hands. In 2011, a mummified cat bricked up in a cottage was discovered in the area.
Have you ever spotted any paranormal activity or noticed something strange in a picture after you have taken it? Let us know in the comments box provided below!
