Haunted Places in England I don't know about you, but when I think of places associated with ghosts and haunting, I have to think about merry old England. I can just picture those dark, drafty, old castles at night (or should I say knight) with all those mysterious sounds and sightings. Indeed, that is the stuff of ghost stories. Let’s look at some English haunted places. Where is the most haunted place in England, which castle is it? Well actually in is not a castle but a village. The name of the village is Pluckley and supposedly it is overrun with ghosts. Did you ever hear of a ghost marching band? This band has been reported. Yes, they have it along with many other ghosts including a ghost dog that runs through their church. The other noted ghosts include an old woman burned to death, a hanged school teacher, and a bandit killed with a sword among others. Another area of England that is famous for tons of ghosts is, yes you guessed it, London. Let’s look at the Tower of London for example. It is said that Margaret Ple, a Countess, who was executed in 1541 roams the tower. Her beheading was exceptionally bloody, even for those days, since she wouldn't kneel to have it chopped off. It is said in 1864 a guardsman was standing at his post when a lady in white walked right through him, scaring him so much that he fainted. There were two young princes who were killed in the late 1400s. They were said to have haunted the tower until 1674 when their bones were dug up and given a proper burial. Right after that the haunting ceased. Sir Walter Raleigh, who was executed, is said to roam the tower in solid form. Ghosts have been reported at Borehamwood's Gate Studio. Shadowy figures have been seen roaming the area. The ghost was seen by several people. It seems to appear late at night. Some people report that it is the ghost of a man wearing clothing from the 1920s. And what about the London Underground (The subway to you Yanks)? The Black Nun is said to haunt the Bank Station. Phillip Whitehead was the Nun's brother and a cashier, he was executed for forgery. The story is Sara, his sister and the Black Nun, waited outside the bank every day for forty years dressed in black. She did this until the day she died. There is a house on London Street that seems to be occupied even though it was empty. It was so bad workers from the Inner City Trust wouldn't work there alone. There were many reports of strange noises and footsteps. A tall man was sighted but his features were not distinguishable and he was dressed in dark clothes. A workman became petrified with fear as he watched the man disappear into thin air. Ordsall Hall is located in Salford, England. It is over 820 years old and is HAUNTED. Over the years it was used in many different ways. It was a home, a men’s' club and a church hall. For over 300 years the Radclyffe family resided here. In old English the name means nook or corner. We first read about this house in the year 1177 when ‘Ordeshala’ paid two marks towards a feudal tax. Around 1335 the house passed to the Radclyffe family on the death of the childless Richard de Hulton. In 1361 a license was granted to enlarge the house. In 1380 it was described as having a hall, five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. It had two stables, three granges two shippons (barn), a garner, a dovecote, an orchard and a windmill, together with 80 acres of arable land and 6 acres of meadow. In 1512 Cruck Hall was replaced by the great hall. A Radclyffe, Sir Alexander became High Sheriff of Lancashire. The house had additions added to it in the 17th century. Sir Alexander Radclyffe added a small brick house at the west end. It was joined to the main building in later years. In 1662 the house was sold to Colonel John Birch. The Oldfield family bought the house at the end of the 17th century. In 1704 John Stock purchased the home and it was sold again in 1756 to Samuel Hill who retained it for 2 years. His nephew, Samuel Egerton, inherited the home. The last owners to live in the house were the Stocks who lived in the central section while tenants lived in the wings. After the Stock family various families of substance leased the premises. In 1875 Ordsall Hall became a men’s' club. When the lease ran out on the club it became a training school for the clergy. In 1908 the school transferred. An associated men’s' club lasted until 1940. Avery is a stone circle that is almost a mile circumference. The village that was built is in the center of the stones, many of which were used for building. There is also a huge hill that was built in the area. It is so huge that it would have taken years to construct. It is the largest manmade hill in Europe. The townsfolk felt a presence in the stones of the circle. An ancient legend states the priests of Avebury stopped the devil from entering the town of Marlborough to empty a huge shovel of dirt on them and that is where the hill comes from. The problem with this legend is the hill seems to have been worked on several times. There is no doubt when people talk about a place which is famous for ghosts, the most reported haunted place has to be the country of England. Along with this is the rest of Great Britain. That seems to be followed by the Baltic States. I would say the second place after England is Transylvania. Bram Stoker can be credited with making Transylvania famous for ghosts and such when Dracula was written. This book can probably be considered one of the scariest ever written and it was written in such a way which makes it memorable. Stroker was Irish and Ireland is also a place where many consider to be haunted and full of paranormal creatures, such as fairies and leprechauns. This makes it perfect for ghost sightings.
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