Shadows in the Nave: A Guide to the Haunted Churches of England

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Away from the desk, she enjoys trail running, hiking, outdoor swimming and cycling in the British countryside and beyond. Recorded since the 12th century, later destroyed by the Great Fire of London, and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren, the church of St James Garlickhythe is known for its medieval mayors who are buried there. The village name derives from an Old English word which means 'ridge belonging to the god Thunor or Thor'. The prison had to abandon its solitary system due to overcrowding in 1913, although the forms of punishment did not get any less severe (chaining an inmate’s tongue to his wrists is one example) before it closed for good in 1970. Take a walk down Damnation Alley, where the malicious presence of the South Bridge Entity has been seen lurking.

It's now thought this misalignment has led to some very unfortunate events at the church over the years.

Himeji Castle dates to 1333 and is regarded as one of the greatest remaining examples of Japanese castle architecture. Less than half a mile from the canals of Venice, Poveglia Island has served as a quarantine zone for bubonic plague victims, storage space for Napoleon’s weapons, and the site of an early 20th-century insane asylum. Attacked by the Vikings, apparitions of longboats have been reported sailing into the harbour at night. He had heard no footsteps on the stone floor and, furthermore, the heavy, creaking doors double doors that led from the main body of the church had been silent since he and the choristers had passed through them. Unpopular in their community and distrusted by the rest of the staff at Belvoir Castle, the sisters were dismissed for stealing.

While she walked she was allegedly soon alerted to a huge army of ghosts that marched straight through the door of the tower. People regularly reported seeing ghosts in the churchyard of St James’ Church in Lower Gornal in Staffordshire. Following 1853’s cholera epidemic in Newcastle upon Tyne, the authorities banned burials in the parish churchyards. But its remoteness in marshland and corpse-shrouded eerie setting seem to have made it the focal point for gatherings of a sinister kind. Built on the intersection of two ley lines that can be traced all the way to Stonehenge, this decrepit old building is rife with paranormal activity.Its walls have some weird carvings depicting torture, beheadings and more such gruesome visuals that throw some light on the violent, buried past of this site. There is also reportedly a phantom barking dog, as well as various hooded monks who are seen walking around the grounds. The original village of Thundridge was actually about half-a-mile to the east of the current village and close to the River Rib. During the war, many harsh interrogations, tortures, and violent executions occurred within the building’s walls—all of which contribute to its current status as one of Indonesia’s most haunted landmarks, says the country’s Ministry of Tourism. Legends and ghost stories abound, including the tale of a former slave named Chloe, who had her ear chopped off after she was caught eavesdropping.

The stranger, then revealed himself to be St Peter, and having anointed the church’s walls with holy water, proceeded to dedicate his own church. The single-most entity that survived the onslaught of dam waters is a portion of the bell tower of Makaryevsky Monastery.The small town of Whitby in Yorkshire is known as the setting of Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula.