10 Most Haunted Places In Stratford-Upon-Avon

Stratford-Upon-Avon lies at the northern tip of the Cotswold countryside a town unspoilt by time and a place that inspired the greatest love story ever told.

Below are the 10 places in the spiritual home of poetry, romance and mystery where we think you are most likely to encounter paranormal activity, perhaps even the ghost of Shakespeare himself.

Magic Alley & The Creaky Cauldron on Henley Street is a magical museum based around the unusual premise 'what if Shakespeare had been a time-travelling wizard?'. The museum and shop is spread over three floors in the only remaining part of Stratford's historic White Lion Inn. The staff claim that the top floor of the attraction is haunted by a six-year-old boy named Jack.

Parts of Shottery Manor date back to the 14th century and was once a location investigated by the 'Most Haunted' team. The manor still stands and today makes up part of the Stratford Girls' Grammar School and is used as a sixth form centre. Teach staff still say to this day the this part of the school is haunted.

The Grade I listed Holy Trinity Church sits on the bank of the river in Stratford-upon-Avon, the church is most famous as the burial place of William Shakespeare. Above his grave, which is said to be cursed, an eroded stone slab reads "good friend for Jesus sake forebear, to digg the dvst enclosed here. Bleste be ye man yt spares these stones, and curse be he yt moves my bones."

In Shakespeare's time, it wasn't uncommon for the remains of the dead to be exhumed, either to make room for new burials or to obtain bones for medical experimentation.

The churchyard is also believed to be the scene of a murder. As recently as 1954, a woman named Olive was killed after a night out. Her woollen scarf had been used to tie her body to a heavy tombstone that had been uprooted from the graveyard of the church and was thrown into the river. It said that her ghost has been seen standing in the river near the church, her murder remains unsolved.

A stunning 4-star Tudor hotel located right in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon in one of the most historic buildings in the town. The hotel, which is now owned by Mercure, changed its name to The Shakespeare in the 18th century in honour of the local Bard.

The hotel is supposed to be home to several spooks, including the apparition of a cavalier, and the ghost of an elderly man who is often see wandering the corridors. House keeping staff claim to have mistaken the man for a guest. The hotel is also haunted by the ghost of a girl named Lucy. She's said to have hung herself after an assault and now haunts room 203. Her apparition has been spotted by a member of staff and she's said to move guests' belongings around in the night.

The River Avon is the heart of Stratford and it has plenty of ghost stories associated. It's on the banks that Olive Bennet walked her last steps, before being found strangled on the bed of the river, weighed down by a grave stone stolen from the local church. Her killer was never found. The area is known for its paranormal activity, with ghosts being sighted on the water as well as on the towpath.

Clopton House is a 17th-century country mansion to the north of the town. It was here that Margaret Clopton, abandoned by her lover, ventured out into the night and drowned herself in the ancient well in the house's grounds.

It is thought that her story influenced the story of Hamlet's Ophelia, it's said that her ghostly figure is still seen kneeling by the well.

A twelve-roomed former farmhouse on the outskirts of Stratford-Upon-Avon where the wife of William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway, lived as a child. The cottage has been in the hands of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust since 1892 and was damaged by fire in 1969. The house is now open to the public as a museum.

The house is said to have a sinister presence in one of the upstairs bedrooms and passers-by have seen what they believe to be the ghost of a female through one of the upstairs windows. The apparition was seen late at night after guests had lift and staff had locked up for the night.

An antique chair is said to move around overnight, as if being returned to its proper place, and an old Bible in the house has on many occasions opened by itself while still in its glass display case.

When Yvette Fielding and the 'Most Haunted' team visited the cottage for their live show entitled, 'The Life And Loves Of William Shakespeare' in 2004. During their investigation a cradle was seen rocking of its own accord.

Ettington Park has been a luxury hotel since 1983, but was once home to the Shirleys, one of Warwickshire's oldest families. The house is said to be haunted by various ghosts. Staff and guests have reported icy chills, disembodied voices, footsteps, and even a candle which appeared to float through the air. The ghost of an old woman in Victorian clothing has been seen walking around the building. There's also as spirit of a man and his dog who haunt the library.

The hotel's two most famous spook are a woman in white and a woman in grey. The lady spotted in the white gown has been seen around dusk and throughout the night walking along the corridors, before passing through a wall. While the grey lady is seen floating at the foot of the stairs where she's believed to have fallen to her death at some point in the building's past.

Hall's Croft is one of the more prominent buildings in the centre of Stratford-Upon-Avon. It is also regarded as one of the most haunted. It is here where William Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her husband lived before taking over New Place in 1619.

Some have reported seeing a blue ghost on the stairs, believed to be the spirit of Betty Leggett who fell to her death here, and the ghost of a young child has been seen skipping through the corridors, as well as the spirit of two American females.

Shrieves House is one of the oldest structures in Stratford-Upon-Avon having survived the plague, civil war, world war and four major fires. It was for a time known as the Falstaff Experience Museum, and is now the Tudor World Museum, depicting the gruesome past of the town. Elizabeth Rogers lived in the house from 1578 and her nephew was known to be Shakespeare's godson. Her husband, William Rogers, is also thought to have inspired the character of Falstaff.

Visitors have reported seeing phantom soldiers standing on the stairs and a ghostly French maid seen wandering the darkened corridors. People have also reported being pushed and grabbed on the stairs by an unseen force.