Haunted Places in England

From LoveToKnow Paranormal

While North America certainly harbors a great deal of haunted activity, there are also many haunted places in England. Read on to learn about some of the most famous haunted places in this country with its ancient history and storied past.

About Haunted Places in England

Due to the very long history of England, it stands to reason that there could potentially be a large number of locations that might hold some residual energies or "memories" of the past. England is a country with an ancient past, violent Middle Ages and a very eventful recent history including two World Wars and a great deal of intense human emotion and death.

WWII Airfields

During World War II, there were deaths both on and off airfields. Sometimes accidents took place on the airfields that were scattered across this embattled country during the war. There were car accidents, plane crashes and other violent deaths of the airmen who lived and served at these bases. The following airfields are famous for haunted activity.

Bircham Newton Airfield: This airfield was constructed for World War I and reused during World War II. Since the war, the airfield has been renovated for other uses, but the area continues to provide paranormal experiences to visitors. The most active spot is the squash court behind the building that's now a hotel. A few of the phenomena that visitors report here include an apparition of a man in an Air Force uniform and sounds of banging and footsteps. The sounds of an active airfield were actually recorded on audio tape by two men playing in the squash court. Significant accidents at the airfield included a drunken driving accident at one of the hangers and a bomber crash on the landing strip.
East Kirkby Airfield: This airfield is located in Lincolnshire. It opened at the very beginning of WWII and served as a bomber command station. This location was featured on the show Most Haunted on Discovery channel. The airfield features one of the scariest examples of paranormal activity with a presence that haunts the control tower. Witnesses describe it as "malign". One significant disaster at Kirkby was a bomber, the Lancaster, that caught fire during munitions loading. The fire set off the bombs resulting in the death of four people, six bombers destroyed and fourteen other bombers damaged.
Elsham Wolds Airfield: This airfield was originally built for World War I and sits just northeast of Brigg, near Elsham village. The location was reconstructed as a heavy bomber airfield in 1940. The airfield closed operations in 1947. Reported hauntings at this airfield include phantom Lancaster bombers taking off into the night sky, apparitions of crew walking the runway, Morse code coming from the control tower and an apparition of an officer. This base suffered the highest number of bomber losses during WWII with 248 lost. Apparently, many of the crew decided to return to base anyway.

Blue Bell Hill

In Kent, there is a very famous haunted hill named Blue Bell Hill. On November 19, 1965, four young women were riding in a Ford Cortina towards Maidstone to meet with their boyfriends at the Running Horse Pub. The driver of the car was an Australian woman who was scheduled to be married the very next day. As the car rounded a curve, it ran directly into an oncoming Jaguar. All but one of the young ladies died from injuries sustained in the accident, and one of the girls died instantly.

Hardly a year passed when reports started coming in from drivers who reported seeing ghosts on the hill. Unlike other regional folklore with legends of ghostly hitchhikers, the ghost of Blue Bell Hill comes with supporting historical evidence and witness accounts. One investigator who interviewed the family of one of the girls who lived in Maidstone learned that the family could confirm that drivers would sometimes arrive at their home and ask about a female hitchhiker they just picked up.

Some of the most popular witness accounts of the ghost of Blue Hill include the following:

In 1974, a Rochester man hit a girl on Blue Hill. He wrapped the girl in a blanket and racing to the police station for help. Upon returning, the man and the police found only the blanket. An area search with dogs didn't turn up anything.
In 1977, two men spotted a woman in a white dress standing by the side of the road.
In 1992, a man slammed his brakes as a young lady walked in front of his car and disappeared underneath. Upon stopping and searching, he couldn't find the body or any trace of the girl.
In 1993, one of the families of the deceased girls passed an old woman on the hill walking across the road. As they approached, she turned and hissed at them. Amazingly, police confirmed the story.

Pluckley Village of Kent

In 1998, the Guinness Book of World Records listed Pluckley as "Europe's most haunted village". The reason for this is likely due to the fact that over a dozen ghosts and other phenomena have been reported throughout the village, including those of:

A murdered highwayman
A gypsy
A hanging schoolmaster
A screaming brick worker
"The Lady of Rose Court"
"The Phantom Monk of Greystones"
"The White Lady of Dering"
"The Screaming Woods"

Ghost Hunters International conducted several investigations of the town. In fact, the town is so overrun by "ghost hunters" that they've begun shutting down all celebrations and activities during Halloween to discourage ghost enthusiasts from visiting.

Visiting Haunted Places in England

England's long history provides ghost hunters in the UK with a plethora of opportunities to experience haunted places. Before visiting any haunted location in England, always determine whether the place is public or private. If it is privately owned, always call ahead and politely ask for permission to conduct your own professional investigation of the area.

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