From phantom monks to the Devil himself, Britain’s most haunted spots are said to come alive each Halloween when, legend claims, the veil between worlds is at its thinnest.
Chilling ghost sightings only on Halloween from devil floating on air to child rising from grave
Across the UK, legends tell of spirits that emerge only once a year, when the veil between worlds is said to be at its thinnest.
The Paranormal Database records dozens of eerie occurrences said to awaken every October 31 – from phantom monks gliding through abbey ruins to spectral pigs roaming misty fields.
In some towns, locals speak of the echo of sunken church bells or the devil himself seen floating in mid-air.
Passed down through generations, these chilling tales form part of Britain’s Halloween folklore, where history, myth and mystery meet under the glow of the October autumn moon.
One of the eeriest is said to occur in Bournemouth Town Hall, where each Halloween night a soldier from the First World War reportedly appears to drink from the water supply. Said to be of Indian heritage, the ghostly figure is joined by other apparitions – phantom horses and carriages clattering outside the building, and even a ghostly cat that roams the rooms.
In Great Maplestead, Essex, the spirit known as Polly is remembered not by sightings, but by flowers. Locals say that every Halloween, fresh blooms appear mysteriously at the crossroads where she was buried centuries ago. Polly Mills was accused of witchcraft after her body was found in a castle lake. Her burial at a crossroads, an old custom once thought to keep witches’ souls from rising again, has only deepened the mystery.
Further north, in Hindlip Hall, Hereford and Worcester, the phantom of Lady Hobbingdon is said to walk again each October 31. Once in life she helped priests hide from persecution by leading them to secret chambers in her home. In death, her ghost supposedly performs the same duty, guiding invisible footsteps through the grounds with an eerie white calf at her side. Witnesses over the years have also described a young girl in a tartan dress, wandering the estate and softly crying for her mother.
Every Halloween, Hertfordshire seems to stir with spectral activity. In Abbots Langley, a maid who died suddenly centuries ago is said to rise from her grave and return to the vicarage she once served. Some stories call her a vicar’s daughter, others a mistreated servant, but all agree she appears once a year – a fleeting figure of sorrow making her way through the churchyard.
Not far away in Hitchin, the ruined Minsden Chapel draws ghost hunters and photographers alike. The site is said to be haunted by a phantom monk – or perhaps a corrupt priest – who materialises on Halloween. In the early 20th century, local historian Reginald Hine claimed to love the chapel so much he would haunt it himself to prevent redevelopment. After his death, visitors swore to see two figures in the dark: one in robes, one in spectacles, both watching over the ruin.
Lancashire’s legends are equally unnerving. At Cliviger Gorge, near Burnley, Lord William Towneley is said to appear on horseback with his loyal hound, forever chasing a doe across the moors. Some say the hunter is not Towneley at all, but a cursed spirit named Gabriel Ratchets, condemned to lead a spectral pack through the night skies. At Rossall School in Fleetwood, a pale woman known as Lady Fleetwood reportedly walks the grounds on Halloween, her figure vanishing as dawn breaks.
Lincolnshire adds its own spectral twist. Along Bonnewells Lane in Bransby, witnesses have spoken of a ghostly sow leading her young down the road on October 31. The same lane is haunted, locals claim, by a woman in a rustling silken dress – perhaps a residual echo of some long-forgotten tragedy.
Far to the north, at Whitby’s coast off the shore near Black Nab, it’s said a ship carrying bells stolen from Whitby Abbey sank beneath the waves centuries ago. On Halloween night, those who call their true love’s name near the rocks might hear the wind whisper it back – followed by the faint ringing of those submerged bells.
Northumberland, too, has its share of hauntings. At Amble, a spectral woman is said to leap from the cliffs near Cliff House every October 31, disappearing before she touches the sea. In North Shields, a ghostly black dog prowls the docks – the tormented spirit of a sailor murdered by his own parents after they failed to recognise him on his return from sea.
Some hauntings take a darker turn. In Chirbury, Shropshire, legend holds that anyone who walks 12 times around the church at midnight on Halloween will hear the names of villagers fated to die within the coming year. In Crowcombe, Somerset, a similar ritual is said to reveal the same grim knowledge – the spirits of those destined to die appear briefly before vanishing into the night.
In Warminster, Wiltshire, fires are seen burning on top of Cley Hill on Halloween and again on November 2. Witnesses describe figures dancing and chanting in a strange language, though when locals climb the hill, they find only darkness and silence. Folklore claims the hill itself was created by the Devil, who dropped a mound of earth there after being tricked on his way to Devizes.
Now, around the northern lakes of Cumbria, at Thirlmere, witnesses once reported seeing glowing candles moving across the submerged ruins of Armboth Hall – said to have been cursed after the murder of a bride. Bells have been heard ringing from beneath the water, and some say all the ghosts of the region meet each year at the long-lost Ambroth House near Keswick.
In Netley Abbey, Hampshire, the ghosts come in crowds. On Halloween night, three misty women reportedly walk along the crumbling walls while phantom bells toll in the distance. The ruins are also home to a figure called Blind Peter, and a legend of an explorer who entered a sealed tunnel, emerged screaming for it to be “blocked up,” and dropped dead on the spot.
From the West Midlands comes a mischievous haunting. The phantom known as Corky is said to make himself known every October 31 at the Court Oak pub in Harborne, smashing bottles of cheap wine in the cellar and occasionally appearing behind the bar as a man in his sixties.
Scotland contributes some of the most dramatic stories. In Dollar, Clackmannanshire, a floating stone known as the Deil’s Cradle reportedly hangs in mid-air on Halloween night while the Devil sits upon it, surrounded by witches until dawn.
