Discover Haunted Heritage on Halloween

Whitby Abbey - English Heritage at Halloween

With Halloween nearly upon us, English Heritage has launched an interactive map detailing some of the most spine-tingling tales in English history. Informed by tales of spooky sightings from visitors and English Heritage's own staff, the map highlights some of the scariest sights in the country.

Explore the dungeons of doom at Kenilworth, discover the gothic abbey that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula and find out which Devon castle has a past so terrifying that even dogs hate to walk near it. Several properties have special events over Halloween both for adults only and families, check out the website for more information.

Like many of English Heritage's properties, Whitby Abbey (pictured above) that looks so magnificent by day, is transformed at night into a spine tingling backdrop, suitable for any horror movie. Complete with a phantom choir that can be heard at the beginning of each year on January 6th and sightings of a coach pulled by headless horses, I defy anyone not to visit on Halloween and be just the tiniest bit frightened.

According to Emily Burns, Head of Events, English Heritage staff regularly encounter strange goings on, "Only recently, a member of staff at Pendennis Castle was locking up at night when he heard a sudden piercing scream from the stairs. If that wasn't disconcerting enough, he later discovered that a young scullery maid had lost her footing on the steep stone stairs and fallen to her death on the very same spot."

Fancy being just a little bit spooked? Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk