Back home in South Africa, some “dominees” still preach fire and brimstone against it, but no matter how you view it, celebrating Halloween has become a festivity most adults and children enjoy alike.
The name Halloween is derived from Old Irish and means “summer’s end” – no wonder it doesn’t make so much sense in the southern hemisphere. But here in Britain you can really indulge in Halloween with the country offering various outings and haunted places.
Chill those bones
Fancy encouraging your loved one to hold onto you more tightly? Then take them to one of several supposedly haunted houses in the East of England. On offer is the 18th Century Woburn Abbey, home of the Dukes of Bedford where you should see a figure in a brown habit and doors that mysteriously open and shut on their own. Or brave the Magnificent Blickling Hall haunted by Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn. Her father’s former home stood on the site of the current building. If you don’t see her during Halloween, be sure to return next year on 19 May – the anniversary of her execution in 1536 – when her ghost should return in a coach driven by headless horses.
Another location that should get the shivers down hour down your spine going, is Knebworth House near Stevenage. The gothic style building with turrets and gargoyles was the home of Edward Bulwer-Lytton (the writer who coined the phrase ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’, who also had a keen interest in the occult. The sound of ‘Jenny’ working on her spinning wheel is a sign of a forthcoming death in the house.
On the border of Essex and Suffolk near Sudbury is the village of Borley – once home of Britain’s most haunted house. Built in 1863, the rectory was reputed to have several different ghosts – the most famous being the phantom nun. It was later investigated by the paranormal expert Harry Price. The rectory was destroyed by fire in 1939, but ghostly activities are still reported at the neighbouring church.
At The Broads, Rising Castle near King’s Lynn, the man-made waterways hide some chilling tales. Watch out for a coach driven by skeletons on the bridge at Potter Heigham. They are taking Lady Carew to meet the devil after she sold her soul to him, and he demanded his prize on her wedding day. At nearby Hickling Broad, a local girl used to secretly meet her true love – a drummer boy home on leave during the Napoleonic Wars. He used to skate across the frozen broad, banging his drum to announce his arrival. But one day the ice gave way, and he plunged to his death in the frozen waters. On Halloween evening you should be able to hear the beating of his drum.
The University city of Cambridge is also full of ghosts. At Corpus Christi College, look out for Dr Henry Butts staring mournfully from a window. He was a former master whohanged himself in 1632. In the same street, the stone lions outside the Fitzwilliam Museum are said to come alive at midnight. The Abbey House at Barnwell is said to be haunted by several spectres – including a grey lady and former 18th century squire.
In St. Albans you can listen at the cries of the phantom warriors as they recreate the first ‘Wars of the Roses’ in 1455; whilst the magnificent Cathedral and Abbey Church is the haunt of ghostly monks. Watch out on Holywell Hill for a coach with headless horses.
Mersea Island (nr. Colchester) is the scene of one of England’s oldest ghost
stories. Here a phantom army of Roman soldiers has been seen marching across
the causeway at dusk. On Boxmoor Common (nr. Hemel Hempstead) is a stone
marking the grave of Robert Snooks – the last highwayman to be hanged in
England in 1802. Reputedly if you dance around his grave three times at midnight,
he is said to join you for the final waltz. Listen for the shrieks of Queen Isabella
at Castle Rising Castle (nr. King’s Lynn) where she was imprisoned by her son in
1331. Seek out the cannons on Gun Hill at Southwold – the area haunted by a
headless man who literally lost his head when one of them exploded.
Coggeshall is said to be the most unluckiest place in Britain. It sits on ley lines
(powerful beams of energy linked to the earth’s magnetic pull) that cross here
creating friction. Black cats have been found bricked up in walls and several
ghosts haunt the place, such as a 16th C. woodcutter called ‘Robin’.
Have a drink with the ghosts
Fancy a ghost chilled pint? Then enjoy a drink in some haunted inns – and stay overnight on a dare.
The Old Ferry Boat Inn at Holywell near St. Ives is the haunt of 11th century Juliet who hung herself from a riverside tree following an unsuccessful love affair.
Buried at this spot – the site later became the location for the inn – where you can see a slab marking her grave. Every year on the 17 March her ghost returns, but during Halloween she also makes a guest appearance – if you are lucky.
Norwich is the most complete medieval city in Britain. Visit the 14th century Adam and Eve, where the headless phantom of Lord Sheffield may join you for a pint. Or head south to the 17th century Scole Inn near Diss where White Lady who was killed by her jealous husband will chill your beer for you.
The village of Bildeston near Hadleigh is home to the Crown Inn, noted for its poltergeist phenomena. Don’t phone Gost Busters, because that just agitates the evil spirits at work there.
Another mean spook resides at the Bull Hotel in Long Melford. His presence is probably related to the murder of Richard Evered in 1648.
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
In Essex more witches were hanged than in any other English county. The town of Manningtree was the home of Matthew Hopkins. During the English Civil War, he found fame as the notorious Witchfinder General (1645-46) – travelling throughout the eastern counties hunting out suspected witches. The Mistley Thorn stands on the site of an earlier pub where Hopkins would meet and plot. He was responsible for the death of at least 200 people during his lifetime. Visit the Castle Museum at Colchester where they were imprisoned and interrogated by Hopkins.
The village of Warboys (nr. Huntingdon) was the scene of one of the most notable events in English witch-hunting. Alice, Agnes and John Samuel were hanged in 1593 for casting a spell on the children of the local Throgmorton family. Margaret Read was one of the few witches in Britain to suffer death by fire in 1590. Tied to a stake in the Tuesday Market Place at King’s Lynn, it is said that her heart literally burst from her chest and hit a nearby wall. The spot is marked on a house by a diamo
