Beyond the Veil Magazine

Halloween Special: Britain's Most Terrifying Hauntings

Issue #22: October 1980

Last year, we presented Britain’s Most Haunted Locations. This year, we narrow our focus to the most terrifying: places where the phenomena are not merely strange but actively frightening, where witnesses have fled in panic, where even hardened researchers have refused to return.

These are Britain’s most spine-chilling hauntings.

The Cage, St Osyth, Essex

This sixteenth-century cottage was once used to imprison those accused of witchcraft. At least fourteen women were held here awaiting trial during the witch-hunting frenzy of 1582. Several were hanged.

Modern occupants report phenomena of disturbing intensity. Doors slam repeatedly. Objects are thrown with force. Disembodied voices whisper obscenities. One resident photographed scratch marks appearing on her daughter’s skin, marks that formed patterns resembling letters.

The atmosphere is consistently described as oppressive and malevolent. Unlike many hauntings, which fade with familiarity, the phenomena at The Cage appear to intensify over time. Multiple tenants have abandoned the property, unable to bear the nightly disturbances.

50 Berkeley Square, London

This Georgian townhouse in Mayfair was, for decades, considered the most haunted house in London. The upper floors were left vacant for years; police were stationed outside to prevent entry.

According to legend, a young woman threw herself from an upper window after being assaulted by her uncle. Her spirit remained, manifesting in a form so terrifying that those who encountered it were driven mad or died of fright.

In 1872, a nobleman took a wager that he could spend a night in the haunted room. He was found dead the next morning, his face frozen in an expression of absolute terror. No cause of death was determined.

The building is now occupied by an antiquarian book dealer. The upper floors, by long-standing policy, are not used.

Chillingham Castle, Northumberland

This medieval fortress served as a base for English operations against Scotland and witnessed centuries of violence. Its dungeons contained torture chambers where countless prisoners suffered and died.

The Blue Boy is Chillingham’s most famous ghost: a child whose cries are heard at midnight, whose glowing blue form has been seen near the fireplace in the Pink Room. When renovators discovered the bones of a child walled up behind that fireplace, the manifestations reportedly ceased.

But other entities remain. Visitors report being touched by invisible hands, pushed on staircases, and confronted by apparitions so terrifying they have fled the castle. Staff refuse to work certain areas alone, particularly after dark.

The Treasurer’s House, York

This medieval building, now owned by the National Trust, sits atop buried Roman roads. In 1953, a plumber working in the cellar witnessed a Roman legion march through the wall, cross the room, and disappear into the opposite wall.

The soldiers appeared to be walking on their knees, because the Roman road lay eighteen inches below the modern floor. Later excavation confirmed the road’s existence and level.

The plumber, Harry Martindale, was so disturbed by the experience that he sat frozen in the cellar for hours. His hair, witnesses reported, turned white within days. For a full account, see our feature in Issue #18.

The Tower of London

As we noted last year, the Tower is among Britain’s most haunted locations. What we did not emphasise was the terror experienced by those who encounter its ghosts.

Guards have collapsed after seeing apparitions. Sentries have fled their posts. In 1864, a guard was court-martialled for fainting while challenging a ghostly woman; he was acquitted when two other witnesses corroborated his account.

The most disturbing manifestations occur in the Salt Tower, where a figure appears without warning: a dark, hooded shape that advances on witnesses without a sound. Those who have seen it describe paralysing fear, an inability to move or cry out, until the figure disappears.

The Ancient Ram Inn, Gloucestershire

Featured in last year’s list, the Ancient Ram Inn deserves special mention for the sheer malevolence of its phenomena.

Guests report being dragged from beds by unseen forces. Women describe being physically assaulted by an incubus. Objects fly across rooms. Electronic equipment fails consistently. The atmosphere is described as actively hostile.

The owner, John Humphries, has documented over twenty distinct entities, including a witch, a high priestess, and demonic presences. He believes the inn was built on a pagan burial ground and that its foundations conceal terrible secrets.

Borley Rectory, Essex

Though the rectory itself was destroyed by fire in 1939, the site remains haunted. For a full account of the original phenomena, see our feature in Issue #1.

What distinguishes Borley is not merely the variety of its ghosts but the persistence of phenomena even after the building’s destruction. The spectral nun continues to walk. Investigators report cold spots, voices, and sightings on grounds where nothing now stands but foundations.

Harry Price, who investigated Borley extensively, called it “the most haunted house in England.” The title may apply to its ruins as well.

A Final Warning

These locations attract thrill-seekers and ghost hunters. We urge caution.

The phenomena described here are not entertainment. Witnesses have been physically injured, psychologically damaged, and in extreme cases, driven to breakdown. Visiting these sites should not be undertaken lightly.

The dead, if dead they are, deserve respect. And whatever walks in Britain’s most terrifying hauntings may not welcome the curious.

Readers with experiences at any of these locations are invited to write to our research department.