Supernatural England (PDF)

These chilling sightings from the bestselling book Supernatural England certainly give support to the claim that England is the most haunted place on earth. No one can say for certain that there is no such thing as a ghost, and this eerie collection of the unexplained will give even the most hardened sceptic pause for thought. They range from a noisy and scary poltergeist in Lincolnshire, a vampire in Cumbria and an exorcism in Herefordshire, to a love so strong that it spanned the centuries between the Victorian Lucy Lightfoot and her Crusader knight. There are also famous royal ghosts at Hampton Court, where thousands of visitors have reported a sudden drop in temperature and a feeling of dizziness while walking in the Long Gallery. This was the spot where a distraught Catherine Howard, the pretty young wife of Henry VIII, ran to her husband to plead for her life to be spared. Unfortunately for her, the guards caught her before she could speak to Henry and she was dragged screaming back to her rooms to await her execution. Perhaps this emotionally powerful event has become imprinted on its surroundings? A belief in ghosts goes back to earliest history, when our ancestors sought answers to the eternal enigma of what happens after death. Ghost tales have always fascinated us as they offer a tantalising glimpse into the mysteries of the afterlife. Here is an astonishing variety of sightings, many written from first-hand accounts, others so strange and terrifying that they have remained unforgettable over time, making for truly chilling reading.