Want to join us on a journey through England’s haunted heritage? We’ve unearthed the eeriest place in each of England's 48 ceremonial counties, perfect for avid ghost-hunters, history buffs and curious travellers – and not just at Halloween. Ranked from somewhat unsettling to supremely spooktacular (in our humble opinion), you’re never alone at these creepy castles, hellish hotels, chilling churches and sinister sites.

Click through this gallery to discover the most haunted place in every English county...

Kicking off with somewhere that's more haunting than haunted, Rutland Water is the UK’s largest man-made lake, and you’ll find it in England’s smallest county. Created in the 1970s to provide water to the East Midlands and now also a nature reserve, several small villages were sacrificed to make way for the reservoir. They were all evacuated beforehand and their inhabitants rehomed, but there’s still something unnerving about the drowned villages that lie in the depths of Rutland Water today. The partially submerged Normanton Church (pictured) is a particularly eerie sight, especially at dawn and dusk.

Chanctonbury Ring is an ancient hill fort within the South Downs National Park, with a notorious local reputation for strange goings-on. In the 1970s, it was rife with supposed sightings of UFOs and stories of unexplainable, unusual noises and lights in the sky. You can follow the circular walk around Chanctonbury Ring today to see what otherworldly phenomena you find. But don’t, whatever you do, run around the ring seven times anticlockwise – legend has it that this summons the devil, who entices victims with, of all things, a bowl of soup.

Built around 1400, a striking gatehouse is all that survives of the original Hylton Castle. In addition to various other uses over the years, the building served as a training camp for World War I soldiers. But its most famous ghost hails from the 16th or 17th century – the so-called Cauld Lad of Hylton. It is said to be Robert Skelton, a stable boy whose murder is shrouded in mystery. One version of the story says he was killed for courting Baron Hylton’s daughter, while another claims that the Baron flew into a murderous rage after Skelton slept while on duty.

Fed by underground springs, Silent Pool is a surprising haven for wildlife. But while the local kingfishers seem unperturbed by the lake’s alleged deadly history, it’s sure to make any human’s skin prickle. Legend states that, when the clock strikes midnight each night, the phantom of a woodcutter’s daughter returns to haunt Silent Pool. While bathing here some centuries ago, she is said to have been approached by King John, who ruled England from 1199 to 1216. As he prowled closer, she had no choice but to swim into the depths of the pool, and drowned.

Love this? Follow us on Facebook for more spooky stories

Croft Castle lies near England’s border with Wales and is the ancestral home of the influential Croft family, who were involved in British politics from the 11th-century reign of Edward the Confessor right up until the 20th century. Now cared for by the National Trust, it boasts 1,500 acres of parkland which people come from miles around to experience. But the property’s peaceful present belies the sinister shadows of its past. These shadows are said to include the ghosts of a Welsh freedom fighter, a headless coach driver and a little girl named Lily.

If you’re booking a night at the Swan Hotel in the medieval village of Lavenham, you might want to avoid Room 15. There are whispers about the restless spirit of a former housekeeper trapped in there for the past 300 years. After the father of her unborn child jilted her on their wedding day, she supposedly went into the room and collapsed into a deep depression, never to be seen alive again. Guests have apparently described feelings of unease when staying in the room, while the woman’s ghost has been known to spook security guards and tickle people’s feet.

There’s a lesson to be learned from the haunting history of Burton Agnes Hall – always honour the last requests of the dying. Anne Griffith had lived in this stunning Elizabethan manor for most of her life and loved it deeply. As she lay on her deathbed, Anne had her sisters promise to keep a part of her body in the hall so that her soul could never leave. But despite her sisters’ agreement, Anne’s intact corpse was buried in the churchyard – supposedly triggering a series of paranormal events. Legend has it that her skull was later retrieved and is kept somewhere in the house to this day.

Dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain, the Chester City Walls are the oldest, longest and most intact in Britain. At almost two millennia old, they're an ancient architectural marvel and, apparently, a hotbed of paranormal activity. One of the most haunted sections of wall lies between Newgate and the amphitheatre, where the forlorn spirit of a Roman legionary has been rumoured to wander. After pursuing a forbidden romance with a local Celtic girl, the soldier and his sentries were supposedly murdered by a local mob. You can learn more about the resident ghosts of Chester on the Dead Good Ghost Tour. 

Avebury is renowned for its magnificent Neolithic stone circles that, together with Stonehenge, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Steeped in spiritual and historical significance, the monument’s supernatural energy has apparently bled into the surrounding buildings, including the Red Lion pub. Six different spectres are thought to have found their forever home in the 17th-century inn, including a woman named Florrie, who was murdered by her jealous husband and tossed into the village well. The Red Lion has since expanded and incorporated the well, bringing the soul of Florrie with it.

The New Forest’s 13th-century Beaulieu Abbey is steeped in religious and royal history. Originally a Cistercian monastery, it was destroyed on the orders of King Henry VIII in 1538, during the dissolution of the monasteries. Now ghostly apparitions of monks allegedly roam the ruins and drift along the paths of the former cloister, while the ethereal tones of Gregorian chants have been reported around dusk and dawn. In the old refectory (today a parish church), a spectral abbot has been said to appear near the altar, only to vanish when approached.

During the English Civil War, the Commandery was the headquarters of the Royalists during the decisive Battle of Worcester in 1651, although tradition holds that it started life as a hospital in the 11th century. Now a museum to the conflict that defined it, the site is said to be inhabited by the phantom of the Duke of Hamilton. While serving as King Charles II’s commander-in-chief, Hamilton was fatally wounded in battle and brought to the Commandery, where he succumbed to his injuries. Apparently his dying moans still fill the building after dark. Ghostly monks, weeping women and clashing swordsmen have been reported here too.

Designed by renowned 17th-century architect Sir Christopher Wren, the current St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street was built to replace a predecessor that was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. When the new St Bride’s was bombed during World War II, it exposed the church’s crypt, previously sealed shut since a cholera epidemic in 1854. Inside, 227 known people were found interred, as well as some 7,000 unidentified human remains. You’ll see lines of skulls and piles of bones on a tour of the crypt today, in addition to a rare and unsettling Victorian iron coffin, created to deter body snatchers.

If you thought the scariest thing about going shopping in Northampton was the hit to your bank account – think again. The Grosvenor Centre, located in the heart of town, was built in the 1970s on a plot of land previously occupied by a medieval monastery. The complex spanned around four acres and in its day was the largest in Northampton. Now, the ghost of a monk supposedly glides about the shopping centre, mainly after hours. He was sighted in the area in the Victorian era too, with news of his presence making it into the local papers.

This abbey’s (and city’s) namesake was the first British Christian martyr. According to legend, St Alban was beheaded by the Romans in AD 304 on the hill where the abbey (also known as St Albans Cathedral) now stands. It is said the nearby stream stopped flowing when the unholy deed was done. Sightings of St Alban’s spirit, ringed in a golden halo and dressed in white, have been reported in the abbey, while others have apparently heard the music of an ethereal choir and organ.

Now a 4-star hotel, this medieval castle was completed in 1388 and is the former residence of Sir Ralph Lumley. After plotting to overthrow King Henry IV, Lumley was executed along with his son. But theirs are not the ghosts said to waft around these historic grounds. It is instead Lily of Lumley, Ralph Lumley’s secret first wife, who appears to guests. According to legend, Lily was killed when two priests threw her into the castle well for refusing to accept the Catholic faith. They told Lumley she had run off to become a nun, but her spirit very much stayed.

The birthplace of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is so beautiful that Adolf Hitler wanted to live here after invading England. The lavish estate is now home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough – and an impressive inventory of phantoms. Ghost hunters have claimed that the Dean Jones Room is a particular hub for paranormal activity. An old chaplain, thought to be the 1st Duke of Marlborough, has been spotted in the chair, thumbing through his Bible. Further sightings at the palace include a Civil War soldier and an aggressive poltergeist.

After the Church of St Mary the Virgin fell into disuse in the 1840s, vandals and troublemakers moved into its ruins. But it was during the 1960s that it is said to have become a preferred spot for local satanists to perform unsavoury rituals and practice black magic, leaving a dark mark at the site that has prompted reports of tall moving shadows and the apparitions of monks. But these could apparently be attributed to the church’s very foundations; it faces west (most churches face east, towards the sun), which can supposedly open a door to hell.

Believed to be the birthplace of Anne Boleyn, Blickling Estate comprises an imposing Jacobean mansion, manicured gardens and 4,600 acres of grounds. Around the anniversary of her execution (which took place on 19 May 1536), the former queen’s ghost has been rumoured to arrive at Blickling in a coach driven by a headless horseman and four headless steeds. Clutching her severed head, Anne then enters the house and hopelessly floats from room to room until sunrise. Her father, who was also beheaded, is condemned to haunt the surrounding countryside.

Discover the royal residences you can actually visit

Leading up to Lincoln Cathedral, the Greestone Steps date back to the 12th century and are entangled in a few creepy tales. Most famously, the disembodied head of St Hugh of Lincoln has apparently been heard rolling down them. Upon his death, St Hugh's body parts were placed into reliquaries and delivered to cathedrals across the country. His head stayed in Lincoln, but was stolen while stored in a chest full of treasure. The thieves dropped the chest during their escape, and St Hugh’s head went tumbling down the stairway. Look out for a ghostly cleric and the spirits of a mother and baby too.

Still a gathering place for modern pagans, especially on the solstices, Glastonbury Tor is an ancient conical hill overlooking the Somerset Levels. Crowned with a lonely 15th-century tower, the hill is at the centre of grisly stories, spiritual traditions and local lore. It was where the last abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Richard Whiting, was hung, drawn and quartered in the 16th century, and is the supposed site of the healing Isle of Avalon in Arthurian legend. There is also rumoured to be a hidden passage beneath the tor to the fairy realm of Annwn, home to the lord of the Celtic underworld.

Overlooking the shortest crossing point between England and France, the site of Dover Castle has been a strategic location since Roman times. Its formidable walls, said to be haunted by a headless drummer boy, have long kept pirates and armies at bay. Beneath the castle, there are secret underground tunnels (pictured) that played a key role in the Dunkirk evacuations of Allied troops from France during World War II. Some visitors have attributed a chill in the tunnels to the ghosts of soldiers from that era, who have occasionally been seen going about their duties.

There’s something about theatres, with all those shadowy crevices, that seems to breed stories of the supernatural – and the Bristol Old Vic is no exception. Built in 1766, it is the oldest continuously running theatre in the English-speaking world. One of its past managers, Sarah Macready, is said to haunt the front-of-house areas and the auditorium, where a security guard and his dog reportedly encountered her one night. Macready worked here over 200 years ago and passed away in 1853, after almost 20 years in the theatre’s employ. Her ghostly presence is often accompanied by the faint scent of lavender perfume.

Little has changed at the Steel City’s oldest pub since it first opened as an inn in the 1600s, save for its clientele and its surroundings. The Old Queen’s Head gets its name from Mary, Queen of Scots, who was locked up in Sheffield for 14 years in the 16th century before her infamous execution. Inside, there have been reported sightings of a Civil War soldier toasting himself by the fire, a 1970s pub regular and a cheeky medieval child pulling women’s hair (he prefers blondes, apparently). Patrons have also been known to buy pints of beer for one of the spirits.

It could have been the most remarkable stately home in the county, but now Berry Pomeroy Castle lies in ruins. Originally built in the 15th century, it was later expanded, with plans to raise a grand Elizabethan mansion within the castle walls. But before the project could be finished, Berry Pomeroy was abandoned. Since opening for tourism in the late 1700s, sinister stories about its past inhabitants have swirled. The souls of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who allegedly starved to death in the castle dungeons, and two Pomeroy brothers who took their own lives to avoid enemy capture, are thought to linger here.

Strolling through the pretty town of Manningtree today, you’d struggle to believe it harboured such dark secrets. But in the 17th century, it was at the centre of the East Anglia witch trials, which saw hundreds of people accused of and executed for witchcraft. The man behind the Manningtree witch hunt was self-proclaimed 'Witchfinder General' Matthew Hopkins, who lived in the town and supposedly haunts its streets. On a full moon he’s also said to appear in Mistley, the next village over, where he dwells by the pond in which he drowned many innocent victims.

As the fourth-oldest university in the world, it’s no wonder that Cambridge is home to more than a few unearthly stories. Corpus Christi College (pictured) is the alleged haunt of a pair of tragic lovers, who hopelessly stalk the halls in search of one another. The story goes that James Betts and Catherine Spencer met here in the 1730s, while he was a student and she was the college master’s daughter. When James passed away, Catherine couldn’t live without him and died within a few months. Christ’s College, Emmanuel College and King’s College are among other university buildings thought to be haunted.

Oozing historic charm and paranormal energy, this 17th-century coaching inn has welcomed political gatherings, raucous revellers and Civil War soldiers through its 400-year life. Still a functioning hotel, The Feathers has been the subject of several obscure occurrences. There is apparently a notoriously jealous spirit loitering in Room 211, who allegedly tore an unsuspecting guest from her bed by her hair before dousing her in water. A gentleman and his faithful canine companion have been reported in Rooms 232 and 233, while an undressed woman in clogs is rumoured to wander the car park.

At more than 820 years old, is it any wonder that Ordsall Hall is purportedly crawling with paranormal activity? Salford’s most historic building has functioned as a family home, a working men’s club, a church hall and now a tourist attraction, where recurring tales of enigmatic spectres echo. The property’s most prolific ghost is the White Lady, thought to be the spirit of Lady Margaret Radclyffe, who died of a broken heart. Former lords of the manor and little girls smelling of roses have been sighted too. If you fancy meeting the resident spooks, sign up for one of the 'ghost nights' hosted here.

Reportedly haunted by myriad British monarchs, including Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth I and George III, Windsor Castle has been a royal residence since the latter half of the 11th century. Both visitors and staff here have claimed to have seen and heard things from beyond this world. From Henry’s ghost groaning and dragging his ulcerated leg behind him, to Elizabeth’s high-heeled footsteps tottering on the floorboards, the historic site is supposedly saturated with the supernatural. Queen Victoria’s soul is also said to have been so disgruntled by the modern renovations at Windsor that she interfered with the work.

Stepping inside this 600-year-old former smugglers' pub is like falling through time. With clandestine passageways and creaking wooden floors, it’s both a unique hotel and a living museum to the medieval town of Rye’s colourful past. Numerous rooms are haunted here, so good luck sleeping if you’re booked in for the night. From shadowy figures duelling in Room 16 and a lady in white possessing Room 5, to sightings of ghostly men in Rooms 10 and 19, the Mermaid Inn is incredibly popular with the paranormal.

With falconry shows and family-friendly attractions accompanying most visits to Warwick Castle, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not only seriously spooky – but allegedly cursed too. After a servant named Moll Bloxham was caught stealing from the Earl of Warwick and publicly disgraced, it’s thought she hexed the castle and sent a demon dog to terrorise the estate. Though the dog was subsequently dispatched, its red-eyed ghost reportedly lingers. There’s something wicked wandering the dungeons too, with several accounts of people feeling threatened and attacked by an invisible, malevolent force.

Formerly known as the Galleries of Justice Museum, Nottingham’s National Justice Museum has been a courthouse, a prison and a police station in the 600-plus years that it has stood. Back when capital punishment was legal in England, many of the criminals who passed through here were condemned to death for their transgressions. Previously voted the most haunted building in the UK, the echoes of blood-curdling screams, slamming doors and other unexplained sounds have been reported by some visitors. Purportedly, the museum’s cleaners even refuse to work alone in case they get a nasty fright.

A Tudor manor tormented by a phantom primate? That’s some hefty nightmare fuel right there. Owned for over 400 years by the Martyn family, Athelhampton House is said to be one of England’s most haunted residences, plagued as it is by all manner of apparitions. Perhaps most disturbing is the tale of the Martyn Ape, the family’s exotic pet. After following one of the Martyn daughters into her secret hiding place behind some panelling in the Great Chamber (pictured), the ape got stuck and tragically died. It is believed, by some, that he can still be heard trying to scratch his way out.

The first owners of 18th-century Belgrave Hall only lived here for two years before both passing away, and their deaths left a mark on the old house. Now a museum, it’s a hotspot for believers in the supernatural, having hit the headlines in 1998 when CCTV footage appeared to show a large spectral entity standing outside. Belgrave Hall also featured on an episode of Most Haunted in 2003, which showed spiritual medium Derek Acorah sensing various ghostly residents and seemingly becoming possessed. One frequent apparition reported here is the 'Victorian Lady', who is typically encountered on the stairs.

Ghost stories might be the last things that the Cotswolds call to mind. But at the Ancient Ram Inn, in the charming market town of Wotton-under-edge, you could well find yourself in one. Laying claim to the title of 'most haunted building in England', the inn was apparently founded on the site of a pagan burial ground in 1145. More than eight centuries later, in the 1960s, the inn’s owner claimed to have been dragged from his bed by demonic forces. He is later said to have found evidence of ancient ritual sacrifices and devil worship within the grounds, which might explain the spooky energy swarming about the place.

It’s not hard to see how the skeletal remains of 13th-century Whitby Abbey inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The clifftop structure, weakened by erosion from wind and rain, endured several collapses throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Further damage during World War I rendered the abbey even more of a ruin, and it has unsurprisingly found itself the setting for numerous supernatural stories in the years since. The ghost of a nun, supposedly bricked into the abbey walls after breaking her vows, is said to haunt the site, along with the abbey’s founder St Hilda.

Hidden within the chalky bowels of the Chiltern Hills, this 18th-century labyrinth of tunnels, temples and chambers was the meeting place of the notorious Hellfire Club. Founded by politician Sir Francis Dashwood, it was an exclusive membership for aristocrats and elite gentlemen, who apparently gathered to indulge in illicit behaviours and rituals. Among the club's most illustrious guests was US Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, who allegedly still stalks the caves’ corridors today. He is often joined by the restless spectre of Paul Whitehead, a steward of the club whose heart (stored in an urn at a nearby mausoleum after his death) was supposedly stolen.

This timber-framed manor house is one of the UK’s most exquisite examples of Tudor architecture. Built in 1530, Speke Hall appears to harbour a colony of otherworldly lodgers that just won’t (or can’t) leave. Some rooms are more active than others, including the Great Hall, where guests and staff have found themselves overcome by an oppressive sense of gloom and attacks of nausea. A shadowy presence has also been reported in the Blue Room, ordering visitors to 'get out' in a ghostly whisper. In the Tapestry Room, a female spirit has apparently been witnessed vanishing into the walls.

Reputedly among the country's most haunted castles, Muncaster lies on the western reaches of the Lake District National Park. While some supposedly haunted locations prefer to distance themselves from paranormal chatter, Muncaster fully leans into its eerie reputation – even offering 'ghost sit' all-nighter experiences. Among the otherworldly menagerie occupying the castle is Tom Fool, who plays pranks on staff and visitors, and a little girl ghost called Margaret Pennington. Most inexplicable happenings occur in the Tapestry Room, where disembodied crying, singing and footsteps have been heard, among other uncanny antics.

Once the finest mansion on the Isle of Wight, Appuldurcombe House is now one of its most haunted places. The manor was completed in 1772 and later converted into a hotel, a school and a Benedictine monastery before its abandonment in 1909. After being struck by a stray German mine in World War II, much of the building was damaged beyond repair. Today, Appuldurcombe is mostly a shell, haunted by the lost souls of exiled monks, mysterious women, laughing boys and weeping babies. A phantom carriage has also been reported to pull up outside.

The wild and weather-beaten expanse of Bodmin Moor has inspired countless legends and chilling tales, including the terrifying Beast of Bodmin. The cryptid is typically described as a phantom black cat, roughly the size of a puma, who creeps across the moor and feasts on local livestock. If that didn’t sound eerie enough, there’s also a haunted coaching inn sat on the edge of the moor. The Jamaica Inn (pictured), immortalised by Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel of the same name, was a favoured watering hole among smugglers. Present-day visitors can take part in paranormal investigation nights and sleepover events here.

With seven centuries of history preserved within its walls, Samlesbury Hall has been touted as one of Britain’s most haunted houses. It’s thought to be the dwelling place of 13 friendly ghosts that have been mentioned by hundreds of visitors over the years. The Ghost Room exhibition tells the tale of the hall’s best-known apparition, the Lady in White, and sightings of her date back to the Elizabethan era. There are 'torchlight tours' held at Samlesbury Hall on dark winter evenings, as well as plenty of other opportunities to commune with the house’s unearthly occupants through the rest of the year.

Fully fortified in 1344, Chillingham Castle has witnessed many battles and bloody feuds in its time. Labelling itself 'Britain's most haunted historic castle', it claims to boast some of the highest levels of spectral activity in the country. One recent visitor claimed to feel an apparition touching them on the arm, while another heard ghostly whispers in the King Edward Room. A pale and frail female ghost has also been said to stalk the inner pantry, begging for water. Chillingham hosts ghost tours and hunts all year round, and brave visitors can spend the night too.

Since its completion in the 1630s, Aston Hall has been collecting souls like loose change – to the extent that in 2019 it was named the most haunted historic site in the UK. Ghosts are as much a part of this house’s fabric as the bricks of its foundations, ranging from an all-seeing housekeeper in a green gown to the tragic figure of Mary Holte. The daughter of Aston Hall’s tyrannical first tenant, Sir Thomas Holte, Mary was purportedly locked up here for 16 years after her father caught her trying to elope with a servant. She died in captivity, though her spirit now roams free.

A purpose-built palace, a royal mint, an observatory, an arsenal and a zoo – the Tower of London has worn many guises since its earliest parts were completed in the 11th century. Most famously, it served as a prison for almost 800 years, right up until the 1950s. Most of the inmates sentenced to death met their fates elsewhere, but there were a select few executions (22, to be exact) carried out on Tower grounds. Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey were among them, and their bodies are buried in the on-site chapel. Both of their ghosts are among the dozens reported to roam the site.

Once rated the spookiest English Heritage site by staff across the charity’s 400-plus historic properties, Bolsover Castle was the pleasure palace of 17th-century duke and playboy poet William Cavendish. Built atop an ancient burial ground, it’ll come as no surprise that more than a few unusual sounds and sights have occurred here. Ominous footsteps, muffled voices, physical pushing and pinching, doors slamming, sudden cold sensations, mysterious screams, orbs of light and glimpses of Cavendish's ghost are just some of the things staff members have reported at Bolsover.

It might not look that frightening, but 30 East Drive in Pontefract is the stuff of nightmares. It all started when the Pritchard family moved in in 1966, and were targeted by a mischievous and increasingly menacing poltergeist. Referred to as 'Fred', the spirit appeared to take a particular dislike towards the Pritchards' daughter Diane. She was apparently assaulted on multiple occasions, culminating in an incident that saw her dragged up the stairs and left with visible finger-mark bruising on her throat. The current owner of the house, despite opening it up to the public, recommends that you do not visit.   

Known to locals as 'the Chase', this 17,000-acre swathe of forest and heathland is unsettling on even the sunniest days. Its ancient oaks and evergreens are the custodians of chilling stories that range from real-life horror, such as a trio of murders in the 1960s, to eerie folklore. Some say that Cannock Chase is a portal, where unearthly phenomena such as werewolves, UFOs and the famous 'black-eyed girl' have supposedly slipped through from other realms. It’s also the alleged domain of various ghosts, including soldiers, a monk and a phantom cyclist.

Now check out the eeriest attraction in every European country