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

Product Information

Port Arthur began as a penal colony in 1833, housing British convicts until it was abandoned in 1877. The Stanley Hotel’s stately Georgian architecture and world-renowned whiskey bar have lured travelers to Estes Park since opening in 1909, but the hotel reached new levels of fame after inspiring Stephen King to create The Shining’s fictional Overlook Hotel. The city of Long Beach purchased the ship in 1967 and turned it into a hotel, and it still serves that purpose today—although the reported ghosts of the deceased passengers get to stay for free. A ghostly figure with black hair and wearing a serge cassock with a cowl, has been seen on several occasions both near the tomb and in other places in the church. The town now consists of dirt roads, 13 mosques, and more than 300 coral-and-mud houses—and, of course, some resident spirits.

Penwith is, at its heart, a wild and isolated moorland even at the peak of summer but, like many uplands, it reserves its most macabre and spine-tingling moments for autumn.

Another theory explored the idea that a murderer and their victim had been buried side-by-side in the vault. Oddly enough, when workmen were doing work in the church, they uncovered a secret door at exactly the place the ghost vanishes. The settlement has been a destination for curious tourists since the time of its abandonment, and it was officially preserved as a historical site in 1979. But even if you’re guided more by scholarly than spectral pursuits, some of the spookiest locations are still worth your time—whether for their beautiful architecture, jaw-dropping locations, or fascinating histories.

If that was not enough, word has it that the abandoned church and its premises are vandalised and haunted by ghosts. People regularly reported seeing ghosts in the churchyard of St James’ Church in Lower Gornal in Staffordshire.A Victorian chapel constructed over 1848 to 1849, the church was established to meet the needs of Clophill’s growing population.

A simple tin tabernacle structure, it is well-known for a ghostly story involving two builders, who were repairing the corrugated iron roof in 1980. Ghosts and ghouls aside, these ancient castles, churches and pubs remain historic places of interest and are fascinating sites to visit during a countryside walk or day out.Today the remains of the church still lie there as does its graveyard and the 15th-century church bell.