The UK's Most Popular Paranormal Hotspots Of 2023

The most haunted church in the UK is a Grade I listed building in Surry, with surviving parts of the structure that date back to the Middle Ages.

The most commonly reported ghost at the church is that of an old lady who is seen walking through the main entrance on the north side of the building at exactly 6 o'clock when the church bells are ringing. So clear is her apparition, that most witnesses don't realise they've seen a ghost until they too step into the church and find she's completely vanished, as her spirit is never seen within the building.

One of the oldest claims of paranormal activity dates back to World War II, when fire guards were stationed at the church. They claim to have heard the disembodied sounds of a group of men chanting in Latin and say they saw strange lights moving in the darkness around the church from the tower.

And it's from this tower that visitors have reported seeing the ghost of a lady in white throw herself. Nobody has been able to shed any light on the identity of this White Lady who is presumed to have died as a result of the fall.

More recently, a former priest reported hearing the unexplained sound of horses at the back of the church, could this be connected to claims that Oliver Cromwell once stabled his horses at the church?

Many visitors have reported witnessing a strange semi-transparent curtain drop in between the altar and congregation during services, this was followed by strange lights and shadowy figures, which were visible behind the curtain.

One visitor even witnessed a ghostly church service while the building was empty. The vision of a pre-reformation mass took place at the altar and lasted for several minutes, complete with Latin chanting, swinging thuribles and the scent of incense smoke. The vision came to a sudden end when the rector and church warden arrived.

The original part of Woolton Hall was built in 1704 for the Molyneux family. Since then, the hall has been home to several notable figures, including the Earl of Sefton and Liverpool shipowner Frederick Richard Leylands. Later in its 300-year history the hall was used as a hospital during WWII, then became a meeting place for the Freemasons, before eventually becoming a school. Today the Grade I-listed mansion is abandoned and decaying.

Paranormal investigators who have ventured into the property have reported an overwhelming feeling of unease and have even heard a sinister growl. The aggressive noise is believed to have been the spirit of a Freemason threatening a female ghost hunter as he tries to enforce the Mason's strict 'no women' rule from beyond the grave.

After the the incident, the investigator, Rebecca Palmer said, "I genuinely feared for my safety. I could tell there was some kind of negative presence around and I was worried it would try to take hold of me."

There is also a report that over 100 years ago, a pregnant lady sadly fell down the stairs inside the home and lost her baby. It is believed that she still walks up and down the stairs, perhaps reliving the tragic accident.

The now derelict building is now a popular location for amateur paranormal investigators as well as urban explorers who document their visits to the property on YouTube.

Built in 1879, the Nunnery is a sprawling building which was once home to 250 nuns complete with its own vast chapel. Although not lived in by nuns for over thirty years, the building has been used at times over the last few decades for various purposes.

The dilapidated convent has an eerie basement where visitors have reported seeing shadow figures, witnessed objects being moved, and heard unexplained sounds. Stories of ghosts, shadow figures, disembodied voices, ghostly children and paranormal activity have been witnessed here over the years.

Codnor Castle near Derby is a medieval castle which sits right on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The castle is now in ruins after it was nearly completely dismantled in 1643 and is surrounded by countryside that has been parkland for a hundreds of years.

The castle grounds are said to be haunted. The most famous story is that of a soldier of the Knight's Templar who was injured in battle and took refuge in the castle over night. The soldier died during the night, and ever since, his rather aggressive ghost has been seen wearing a dull metal helmet in the castle grounds outside the cottage. He's also seen running through the ruin of the great hall.

The grounds are also said to be haunted by a spirit known as the Grey Lady, the name could be linked to the De Grey family who occupied the castle for centuries. It's said she was a heavily pregnant French woman, and died following an accident while out riding her horse. She has since been seen gliding around the estate and the echoes of a French woman singing have been heard.

A 16th century, farmhouse known as Codnor Castle Cottage was built on the grounds of the Codnor Castle estate, it has its own history of murder, suicide and witchcraft. In the foreboding attic space there are several unusual markings, which are believed to have been created to ward off evil spirits.

The paranormal occurrences at cottage range from dark shadows, to poltergeist activity like doors slamming, furniture being moved across rooms, and glasses thrown. There have been countless reports of disembodied voices including singing, laughter, the voices of children, and blood-curdling screams.

Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean house built between 1618 and 1635, today it is used as a museum. The mansion is said to be haunted by Sir Thomas Holte, who built the hall, as well as several other regularly sighted ghosts.

There's been multiple sightings of a female spirit, a white lady, who is thought to be Holte's daughter, Mary. Holte imprisoned her in a room for years as he didn't approve of her choice of lover. The story goes that she went mad and died 16 years later.

There's also the spirit of a servant boy called Dick, who's said to have hung himself in the staff quarters in the attic due to the fear of the repercussions after being accused of theft.

Other visitors to the building have reported seeing a green lady sitting on a chair in the great hall, who is said to be Holte's housekeeper. Records show that Holte was charged with her murder, but he wasn't found guilty of the crime.

The hotel was one of the grand railway hotels to be built in the UK and is said to be haunted by the ghost of a little girl. She's most frequently spotted on the second floor in an area that was said to have once been a nursery, and people have reported hearing her tricycle in the corridors at night. Her ghost is said to sneak up on female guests as they fill up the baths in the hotel rooms. Some have even claimed that the mischievous spook has pulled their hair.

Culross Palace stands in Fife in what is said to be the most haunted town in Scotland with connections to witchcraft. It is the former home Sir George Bruce, who supported the local witch trials. Some have blamed the spirit of this powerful Scottish merchant for the strange paranormal activity that occurs in the historic building to this day, which includes dark shadow, unexplained noises and even Bruce's ghostly apparition. A dark presence is said to prey upon women.

The medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, was the seat of the Grey and Bennet families from the 15th century until the 1980s when it became the home of Sir Humphry Wakefield Bt. Sir Humphry has spent the last few decades restoring the Grade I listed castle, it is now a tourist attraction offering self-catering apartments.

The castle's haunted reputation is well known and it has played host to the 'Most Haunted' team as well as other paranormal television shows. The most prevalent at the castle include the ghost of a Spanish witch who is said to have put a curse on the castle which is said to bring bad luck on anyone who steals from the castle.

There's also the ghost of Lady Mary Berkeley, she was a former resident of the castle whose husband had an affair with her sister, she died of heartbreak in the Grey Apartment. There's now a painting of her in the room which guests have claimed to see her come out of, other visitors to the castle say they have heard her grey dress rustling in the dead of night.

You might also want to look out for the ghost of a little girl who has been caught on camera in the castle's great hall. And the ghost of John Sage, a soldier who served under King Edward, but after taking a spear to his leg in battle with the Scots, was forced to retreat from the frontline and took up the role of the castle's torture in its fully equipped dungeon.

The castle's most famous ghost is the Blue Boy, it's said that guests see blue flashes of light above their beds or coming from within the castles walls. It turns out that these flashes are the ghost of a boy who was bricked up alive inside one of the walls.

During renovations at the castle the skeleton of a boy with blue clothes was found inside a three meter thick wall, the bones on his fingers were worn away from his attempts at scratching at the wall in a desperate bid for freedom.

The grand hotel, which now stand abandoned on the seafront, was built in 1895 by Edmond Park, the luxury hotel attracted England's wealthiest and most influential, but it was rumoured that after hours Park held séances and strange occult rituals. He mysteriously disappeared in 1899, never to be seen again. Many think that he was murdered in the hotel, cursing the property and his spirit has never left. The story of the curse it well known throughout the town.

Locals say a young soldier drowned in the sea and was brought back to the hotel, where he was pronounced dead. They also tell the tale of a woman named Emma Manson, who was murdered by her husband on the second floor and his body was found hanging in the tower. Another man took his life on the tower too, hanging himself from the outside.

Staff and visitors in the hotel have heard disembodied screams, seen phantom apparitions in the hallways and witnessed a child spirit roaming the building. Lights are said to turn themselves on and off and the property's manager has even caught a demonic face on CCTV.

With a reputation as one of the North East's most haunted pubs, the Ship Isis has become a regular haunt for local paranormal investigation teams. The pubs is said to be haunted by the spirit of the infamous serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton and her unfortunate victims. It's said that in the mid 19th-century she killed as many as 21 people, most of which she poisoned with arsenic.

It's said that she buried the bodies of two of her own murdered children in the tunnels lead down to the river Wear from the pub's basement. The spirits make their presences known through disembodied cries, screams and singing and staff, and drinkers have reported seeing the ghost of a woman wearing Victorian-era clothing and a young girl.

The Three Pilchards is the oldest pub in the costal village Polperro, it takes its name from the village's tradition of fishing. The paranormal activity at this pub include sightings of the ghost of a woman, who's seen milking a cow in the backyard. Some drinkers have reported the mysterious smell of violets wafting through the pub despite no flowers being present. The pub is also said to be haunted by a family who lived there in the 19th century, plus the ghost of an elderly woman upstairs.

Bishton Hall started its life in the 18th century as a family home, but later became one of the last few family owned and run prep schools in the country. It is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Staffordshire thanks to frequent reports of unexplained phantom footsteps, and disembodied voices.

Other unexplained happenings to occur in the hall include window shutters slamming on the upper floors, door knobs rattling and doors opening and closing themselves, sudden drops in temperature, the haunting sound of a woman screaming, as well as reports of people being touched and pushed.

There has also been sightings of dark mists, shadowy figures and even an apparition of a woman wearing period clothing who has often been seen looking out a window on the upper floor.

Luibeilt is a remote cottage in the Highlands, known in Scotland as a bothy, a building that provides shelter for walkers and climbers. The bothy is now completely abandoned and in ruins, but was brought to prominence as a haunted location in Danny Robin's paranormal podcast, 'Uncanny'.

In 1973 two young climbers planned to spend the night in the isolated bothy, upon arrival they found it had been abandoned despite being prepared for Christmas. After bedding down for the night, they experienced a series of strange noises including the sound of objects moving in the upstairs rooms, footsteps and even the clatter of objects being thrown around the room in the darkness with them. There are also reports of a strange dragging sound coming along the gravel path and into the house.

Over the years the house has fallen into a state of disrepair. At one point graffiti seemed to confirm the haunting, with phrases like "do not sleep in this house", "this house is haunted" and "this house is evil" scrawled across the wall.

One possible explanation for haunting is the suicide of John McAlpine, a dear stalker who lived in Luibeilt. The incident was reported in the Aberdeen Weekly News on April 26, 1890. It says McAlpine went out for a walk in the morning in his usual health, but later in the day his wife found in hanging from a rope tied to a cross beam.

The current owner of this small house, Vanessa Mitchell, who bought the house in 2004, had her first odd experience on the day she moved in to the house. While unpacking, she saw a dark shadow figure, on another occasion she said she was pushed by an unseen force.

The house earned its nickname due to its historical use as a holding cell for witches in the 16th century. 12 local women accused of witchcraft were locked up there, including a witch by the name of Ursula Kemp. She was one of the three women who were eventually found guilty of witch craft, she was hanged for her crimes in 1582.

Some have blamed the ghost of Ursula Kemp for the paranormal activity in the spine chilling house or think that it might be the tortured souls of the plague victims that are coming back to haunt the building. The ghost of the children could be explained by the fact that the witches' offspring would have been locked up with them in The Cage.

Others suspect that the dark energy could be a result of the former resident who took his own life a year before Vanessa moved in to The Cage. Not long after moving in, the former owner who'd hanged himself's death certificate mysteriously appeared in the kitchen while Vanessa was out.

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.

Seafield House in Westward Ho! has stunning views over the Atlantic but neighbours claim they hear strange noises coming from the property at night, and an elderly lady has been spotted sitting at the window and waving.

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.

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.

This former textile mill has been used as office space for the past few decades, but that hasn't stopped the reports of paranormal activity in the four mill buildings. The mill dates back to 1784 and is said to be built on top of a network of Stone Age caves in the middle of an ancient woodland. The mill played host to the 'Most Haunted' team in 2004. The mill is said to have a negative and oppressive atmosphere, enough to drive some visitors to tears, causing them to feel disorientated or nauseous. One of the most haunted areas of the building is the dye room on the first floor where the ghost of a former boss at the mill is said to haunt. He is described as an intimidating and abusive entity, not surprising since in life he is said to have murdered one of the mill workers.

Built in the 1950s, Heol Fanog is a farmhouse in Wales that for six years from 1989 was the focus of a disturbing haunting and underwent more exorcisms than any other in British history, which resulted in the house being dubbed "Hellfire Farm." The family living in the home reported unsettling activity that began shortly after they moved in, which included disembodied footsteps and an exorbitant electricity bill due to what they believed to be a supernatural power drain.

Over the next few years they experienced banging and thumping, objects moving around the house, farm animals mysteriously dying, unexplained putrid smells, doors slamming in empty rooms and sudden temperature drops. The haunting also had a negative effect on the family's personalities and lifestyles. There were several reports of apparitions including sightings of dark shadowy figures, a hooded figure, a man with head injuries, and an old woman with a hooked nose, who was believed to be a former resident who had died at the property.

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.

It's claimed that the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley has been linked to the dilapidated Carn Cottage on the hill overlooking the village of Zennor in Cornwall. The very whisper of any association has led some locals to believe that the building is haunted, perhaps due to claims that Crowley attempted to summon up the Devil himself there.

A stretch of the A22 between London and the Eastbourne area of the East Sussex coast, known as Caterham Bypass, is said to be extremely haunted .

The reports include drivers witnessing the ghost of a dishevelled looking girl who is seen running run across the road, before vanishing into the woods on the other side. Some witnesses have described the girl's clothing as a Victorian dress or nightdress, while others say they've seen the figure wearing 1960s clothing.

She is most often seen in the early hours of the mornings and some say the apparition is the ghost of a girl who lived near Tillingdown Farm and was killed whilst crossing the road.

The Enfield Poltergeist case might have topped this list, if it weren't for the fact that after the family at the centre of the case moved out of the property, reports of haunted happenings stopped. But during the peak of the paranormal activity between 1977 and 1978, the house played host to one of the most famous cases of its kind anywhere in the world.

284 Green Street in Enfield in north London is a three bedroom council house and was home to the Hodgson family. During the case, paranormal investigators, mediums and journalists witnessed and logged more incidents of paranormal activity than at any other haunting, making the Enfield case one of the most well documented incidents of its kind ever.

Reports of poltergeist activity at 30 East Drive, a typical three-bedroom, semi-detached house on the Chequerfield Estate in Pontefract, started after the Pritchard family moved in to the house in 1966.

The first creepy occurrence was when the family noticed a cascade of chalk-like dust falling from just below the ceiling. This was follow by pools of water that spontaneously appeared in the kitchen, all attempts to dry them up failed.

The family also experienced lights turning themselves on and off, green foam was said to have oozed out of the taps, cupboards shook violently, doors banged, photographs were slashed by sharp blades, and countless object were witnessed levitating or being thrown.

On one occasion a large grandfather clock on the landing toppled over and tumbled down the stairs and smash. And most terrifyingly, the youngest member of the family, Dianne was dragged up the stairs by an invisible force, after the event, red hand marks were clearly visible on her neck.

The house is now a popular venue for ghost hunters and paranormal researchers who visit the property still log countless paranormal occurrences to this day.