20 Most Haunted Places In The South West Of England

Lying five miles south of Newton Abbot is the 13th century Old Church House, a building that is believed to have once played host to Henry VIII. The inn was built by the same men that went on to build the parish church across the road, hence the name, and the two are linked underground via a secret tunnel.

There have been strange occurrences all over the building including faces appear in wood panelling taken from a Spanish Armada ship, candles relight themselves, and cold spots have been felt. A dark monk-like figure has been seen in the main bar and in the lounge, where a dark figure has been seen descending a set of stairs which were taken out years ago.

Poltergeist activity is prevalent in all rooms, and unexplained noises are her heard throughout the building, including in the guest bedrooms. Apparently many guests have left so frightened that they will not return. Bar staff have been chased and the owner has even been forced to hunt down a suspected burglar from his home, only to find that they disappeared into thin air.

The Grade II listed fort, which is one of the best preserved of its kind in the country, earned the title of one of the spookiest places in the UK in a nationwide poll conducted in 2007, and staff and volunteers refuse to enter certain areas alone.

There's been sightings of a figure in white walking around the top of the fort at night, when the location should be locked up and empty. Others have reported phantom footsteps, the mysterious smell of cigar smoke and slamming doors.

The historic and atmospheric attraction's most famous spook is the whistling gunner. For decades his tooting has been heard echoing around the fort's underground tunnels and empty magazines.

The Tudor mansion has been the residence of the Fulford family since the reign of King Richard I, making them Devon's oldest recorded family still in their original seat. The house and land was gifted to the family as a gesture of gratitude for the their sacrifice during the English Civil War.

With notable members of the family being killed at the Siege of Exeter during the war in 1643, and so many years as a place of birth, life and death, it's no surprise the grand building boasts so many ghosts stories. The family hear unexplained noises, witness doors banging and have even seen apparitions and ghostly figures. The family's dog also seems to frequently react to things that no one else can see.

The famous show caves are said to be haunted due to their colourful past, most famously its former, a resident witch.

She is said to have cursed a monk from nearby Glastonbury, he came to the caves in search of the witch in an attempt to break the curse. He splashed holy water on the cave walls, which is believed to have turned into the impressive stalagmites visitors can see in the caves today.

On the south-west side of the Avon Gorge, overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge, one of Bristol’s most iconic landmarks, is Leigh Woods. It is said to be the most haunted part of the city. In fact the nature reserve is home to one of the most famous people to be connected to Bristol throughout history, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Along with the legendary SS Great Britain, Brunel designed the suspension bridge, but sadly he never got to see the finished bridge as he died of a stroke during construction at the age of 53.

Walkers in the woods have reported seeing the ghost of Brunel wearing his famous tall hat and cloak at a vantage point in the woods, which overlooks the bridge. It's believed Brunel would have come here to oversee the work of his beloved bridge and after his death he returned here to see it finished.

Despite its architectural beauty, Clifton Suspension Bridge has a dark side. The bridge has always been and still is to this day a hotspot for suicides, a fact that the Samaritans signs plastered over the bridge alludes to.

As a result of these tragic deaths, there have been many sites of those who ended their lives by jumping from the bridge in to the gorge below. The most notable is the ghost of a young man, a modern looking man who in often seen wandering through the woods, always heading to the end of the suspension bridge.

This haunted hotspot in South Devon is a Tudor mansion built within the walls of an earlier castle. An English Heritage guidebook once named the castle as the most haunted in England.

Perhaps its most famous ghost is that of the White Lady, who is said to haunts the dungeons, having been imprisoned and is believed to be the spirit of Margaret Pomeroy. A Blue Lady is also said to haunt the castle and tried to lure passers-by into her tower, those who respond to her calls are said to fall from the tower to their death.

In 2018, a ghost hunter at captured a video of what appeared to be two spirits riding horseback past the castle at night. Some think that the video could show the spirits of the Pomeroy brothers, who rode their horses off the battlements to their deaths to prevent themselves from being captured by enemies in the 17th Century.

The first burial took place at Arnos Vale Cemetery in 1839, it's a Grade II listed site of special historic interest.

The cemetery is haunted by two female ghosts and many people who visit the grounds have reported feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness.

One of the women is reported to be a black female figure who is often spotted crying over the death of her husband who was killed in the First World War.

The other apparition seen at the cemetery, is seen crying and panicked after she was supposedly buried alive there.

HM Prison Gloucester in the West of England opened in 1791 to house some of the UK's most notorious criminals. In the prison's early days, over 100 executions were carried out, and the prisoners bodies were buried within the prison, to this day, not all have been found.

Many visitors claim the prison is haunted by a woman called Jenny. It is said she was murdered in the 15th century on the land where the prison was later built. Now her spirit roams that land in search of her killer, her ghost is said to have been seen by many prisoners and guards.

In 1969, a group of inmates conducted a séance in cell 25 of A Wing in an attempt to contact the ghost of Jenny and got more than they bargained for when books and even a flowerpot were thrown around the cell by a supernatural force.

This wasn't the last time the inmates saw Jenny, just a few days later, her disembodied hand appeared to the convict inhabiting cell 25, it pointed directly at him before vanishing as suddenly as it appeared, earning cell 25 the reputation of being the most haunted part of the 200-year-old building.

Staff and prisoners have reported hearing knocks and bangs throughout the prison's buildings, as well as slamming doors and shadowy figures, which have mostly been sighted in C Wing, a newer part of the prison that was built in the 1970s.

The Odeon cinema on Union Street is one of the cities oldest cinemas but for the last 70 years screen three has been haunted by a former manager of the cinema. One Wednesday night in 1946, Rudyard Kipling’s 'The Light That Failed’ played to a full house of 2,000 cinema-goers. At one point in the movie five gun shots were fired on screen, but unbeknown to the cinema audience, a sixth but very real shot was fired in the manager's office and drowned out by the movie.

The manager was killed and the killer was never found, but it’s believed to be a man named Billy "The Fish" Fisher, who confessed the killing on his deathbed.

Screen three is now one of the most haunted rooms in Bristol and many staff have reported seeing the ghost of the murdered manager. Most frequently they’ve seen people walking around the auditorium who disappear if approached. A seat in the third row of screen three is said to be home to a shadowy apparition, he often remains seated after the movie ends and when staff approach him he vanishes.

Today Bodmin Jail is a tourist attraction, but for almost 150 years it was prison, in which time it saw over 50 public hangings. The jail is a popular location for paranormal researchers, including the 'Most Haunted' team who visited in their sixth series.

This was the location of the legendary incident that involved the show's producers feeding medium Derek Acorah false information, which saw him get possessed by a named Kreed Kafer. It came to light after the show that the spirit was fictionally and was in fact an anagram of the phrase "Derek Faker."

The 17th century coaching inn stands alongside the ancient stone circle in Avebury and is home to a spirit named Florrie. She's said to be a former landlady who was murdered and pushed down the village well during the civil war.

There's also the tale of the violent murder of a local man in the cellar. So, it's no surprise the pub has its fair share of ghost stories.

Bristol Cathedral is one of England's most famous medieval churches, it dates back to 1140 when it was founded as an Augustinian abbey and as you’d expect of a building which has seen so much, it has a ghost. The ghost of a monk is often seen walking in and around the cathedral, he’s always seen wearing a grey habit. Most stories from witnesses tell of the monk wandering out of the church's main door on to College Green, before disappearing in to the library next door. The library stands on the site of an old Augustinian priory and while the Augustinians wore black habits, some believe this grey monk may have been visiting the priory in life. He's also spotted in the library itself going through theological documents. The monk entered the library through a bricked up door way which is one of the original entrances to the priory.

This fortified Manor House located between the villages of Germoe and Praa Sands is sand to be one of the most haunted buildings in Cornwall. It's been occupied by the Pengersick family since the 12th century and boasts quite a haunted past with over 20 resident spooks.

Sightings include the ghost of a monk who has been seen wandering around the medieval gardens, guests have reported seeing a woman standing at one of the windows staring out at night. There's also the ghost of a young girl who haunts the basement, strange light anomalies have been caught on camera, electrical equipment inexplicably fails, and there's even said to be the ghost of a cat and a dog.

The Theatre Royal, home of the Bristol Old Vic since 1946, is one the oldest continually-operating theatres in the world.

The theatre on King Street was built between 1764–66, it’s now a Grade I listed building and Daniel Day-Lewis called it "the most beautiful theatre in England."

The theatre is said to be haunted by a young actress called Sarah Siddon’s. Sarah's boyfriend hanged himself at this theatre, and her ghost is thought to continue to mourn the loss.

When the Old Vic was redeveloped in 2010, the architect Andrzej Blonski reported seeing Sarah's ghost, wearing a long, white crinoline dress. Staff working at the theatre have reported hearing a female voice telling them to "get out."

But Sarah isn't alone, the ghost of a scenic painter named Richard who died in an accident while working is said to still haunt the building and if often blamed for continually moving props around.

One of the oldest coaching hotels in Cornwall, it dates back to the 17th century but was sadly damaged in the flood which devastated the village in 2004, but has since been restored to its former glory.

As well opening its doors to thousands of guests over the year, the hotel has also played host to plenty of spooked. Guests have reported seeing the ghost of a coachman walking the corridors. There's also the ghost of a little girl, and a spirit of an old lady has also been spotted walking through solid walls.

Room nine is said to be the most haunted part of the hotel, many guests have reported icy blasts, shadowy figures and even a presence stood over their bed in the dead of night.

Woodchester Mansion is an unfinished, Gothic revival house in Woodchester Park near Nympsfield. It was abandoned by its builders in the middle of construction, leaving behind a building that appears complete from the outside but has floors, plaster, and whole rooms missing inside.

The house has been featured in many paranormal investigation television shows, including 'Most Haunted Live', 'Hauntings', 'Scariest Places On Earth', and 'Ghost Hunters International'.

Bangs and knocking sounds have been heard in the building, and poltergeist activity such as stones being thrown has been witnessed by guests. In 2005, a local paranormal group spent the night in the mansion and captured what appeared to be a hooded apparition on CCTV.

The Llandoger Trow is without a doubt the most haunted location in Bristol, boasting 15 ghosts, most famously the ghost of a young boy. The historic pub is located on King Street near the old city centre docks and was named by a sailor who owned the pub. Llandoger is a village in Wales which built a type of flat bottom boat known as a trow.

The pub was legendary in its heyday and is the place where Daniel Defoe was inspired to write Robinson Crusoe and the pub which Robert Louis Stevenson based the the inn on in Treasure Island.

Many staff and guests to the pub have reported seeing the ghost of a young boy, even more have heard his footsteps. Some say he was murdered in the inn and has been heard wandering around the building ever since. They hear his footsteps going along the landing and up and down an all staircase in the heart of the old building. The boy was said to be disabled which made the sound of his feet clomping on the wooden floor boards even more apparent.

On certain occasions the little boy has been seen coming down the staircase carrying a white enamel pale in his hands.

Built in 1750, the Jamaica Inn is historic, atmospheric, welcoming and supposedly very haunted. The traditional coaching inn is setback from the busy A30 in Bolventor, overlooking Brown Willy, the highest point on Bodmin Moor.

Due to its history of hosting smugglers the pub has been the subject of books, television shows and an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The paranormal activity at the inn includes the disembodied sound of footsteps throughout the building, unexplained tapping, the sound of children playing and babies crying, and most famously the sound of horses and carts moving in the courtyard.

Room 5, which is said to be one of the most haunted rooms is said to be haunted by the ghost of a mother and child. The young girl is often referred to as Hannah. The ghost of a murdered man has been seen in the main bar and sat on a wall outside the inn.

Guests and staff have reported seeing dark shadowy figures moving through corridors, the restaurant and the kitchen and many visitors have reported being touched by unseen hands while sleeping or having their hair pulled.

The grade II listed prison, also known as Cornhill was the oldest operating prison in the UK when it closed in 2013. At this time it was home to almost 200 inmates severing the final years of their life sentences.

Dating back to 1625, the prison has a pretty grim past. Originally men, women and children were packed into Shepton Mallet together, apparently in dreadful conditions. The cells held debtors, thieves, vagrants and people with mental health disorders. Poor amenities and primitive sanitation led to frequent outbreaks of ulcers, jaundice, asthma and venereal diseases.

Over the years there were plenty of deaths in this formidable prison, including murders, suicide, accidents and judicial executions. The total number of hangings at the prison is unknown, but some of the documented execution include a local man who battered a 10-year-old girl to death, a man who drowned his wife in the River Avon, and a man who cut his 37-year-old girlfriend's throat.

The body's of executed criminals weren't allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, so they were laid to rest in unmarked graves within the walls of the prison.

With almost 400 years of detaining murderers, violent criminals and notorious gangsters, plus a history of brutal executions, cruel punishments, suicides, and countless dead in unmarked graves within the prison walls, it's no wonder HMP Shepton Mallet is said to be the most haunted prison in the country.

The areas of the prison which are said to be the most active are the prison's eerie kitchens, the general's office, and the exercise yard, which is reportedly haunted by a former inmate, Captain Philip William Ryal, who climbed onto the roof of the prison and took his own life in 1914. Ever since his final words, "get back," have been heard echoing around the yard by inmates.

A cell in A Wing is reportedly haunted by a former inmate who was murdered here, while in B Wing visitors report the most negative energy in the whole of the three-acre site.

C Wing has a regular spook too in the form of a 'white lady', it's said she was wrongly convicted of murdering her fiancé, and sentenced to death in the 17th century. She's seen wearing her wedding dress, which she apparently wore in the condemned cell the night before her execution.

The prison is also said to be haunted by spirit of an American serviceman. He's been seen walking through walls in the prison in his uniform. He's thought to have been killed in the yard by a stray bullet from American army firing squad while overseeing an execution.

The Ancient Ram Inn is a Grade II-listed building in Wotton-under-Edge. The pub has been investigated by many paranormal researchers, including the television shows 'Ghost Adventures' and 'Most Haunted'. The building is no longer open as a pub but welcomes thousands of ghost hunters to paranormal events each year.

Some of the most commonly reported activity includes highly localised cold spots, temperature drops, and unexplained icy blasts of air. There's also activity in the form of light anomalies seen with the naked eye and caught on camera. Doors are said to slam on their own, footsteps are frequently heard, furniture is heard sliding around, and mysterious knocking is witnessed.