‘IF YOU GO DOWN INTO THE WOODS TODAY……’ Britain’s Most HAUNTED Woods…10 Places to visit for Halloween?
By Charlene Lowe Kemp
Can’t afford a location? Or just simply curious, then why don’t you check out some of the Most Haunted Woods in the UK?
With autumn fast approaching and Halloween only around the corner, it’s that time of the year when every investigators obsession with the paranormal peaks and when people from outside the field reach in for a peak…
So take a look at some of the Britain’s most haunted woods…and if you have been please comment how it was and if anything happened, i would love to hear your stories and ghostly tales
Screaming Woods – Dering Woods – Pluckey
Smarden Bell Road, Smarden, Ashford, TN27 0SY
Alledged to be the most haunted woods in Britain, Dering Woods, also known as Screaming woods lays between the villages of Smarden and Pluckey. The woods earned it’s title after there have been many reports of people hearing screams coming from the woods at night or footsteps and whispers during the days of fog.
It is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the people who get lost in them, in particular locals speak of a suicidal army colonel of the 18th century, a highways who was captured by the villagers, pinned to a tree and beheaded. Many from nearby villages claim to have seen black shadows following them while they were travelling across the woods. The wood is also famous for presenting one of the oldest Neolithic sites in the world.
FOR A LOOK AROUND THE WOODS AT NIGHT, CHECK THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO OUT….
One of the most strangest phenomena for these woods took place on 1st November, 1948. 20 people from Maltman’s area was found dead, 11 whom was children.
Many witnessed reported seeing strange lights coming from the woods on Halloween night when the massacre would have taken place.
Autopsies couldn’t determine the cause of death of these 20 and after a few weeks the local authorities ended their investigation into their deaths claiming that the cause was carbon monoxide poisoning. These raised questions of the police involvement regarding the case.
In 1964, Robert Collins, a private investigator, conducted in-depth witness interviews to uncover possible links about the alleged activity of an unknown religious cult in the village of Smarden. His research came to a halt, when he died in a tragic car accident the following year.
On the same night, 50 years later in 1998, 4 college students went missing from the woods, witnesses came forward to say they had experienced seeing strange lights again in the sky. The 4 college students bodies was never found and the investigation into their where bouts stopped after 3 weeks.
Check out this EVP some locals caught a while investigating the area
Bradley Woods – Lincolnshire
Bradley Road, South of Grimsby, DN33 1Qw
The ghost named as the Black Lady is said to haunt these woods. Eye witnesses have claimed to have described her as a young and pretty female, around 5 ‘6 tall and is dressed in a flowing black cloak and a black hood that obscures her hair but reveals her mournful, pale, tear soaked face.
There are many stories where the ghost of the Black Lady is from, one being that she is a nun, another, that she was a spinster who lived her life alone in a cottage in the woods and the last that a woodsman and his wife lived in Bradley Woods in a cottage, the woodsman went off to fight at war, and everyday the wife would wander the woods to meet her husband at the edge with her child to see if he had come back…one day, however, the enemy army crossed the Humber and marched through the area on the way to attack Lincoln. As the wife left her cottage, three hobilars brutally raped her and snatched her baby boy and rided off laughing their heads off into the woods. Heartbroken and humiliated, she wandered the woods searching for her boy and husband. After her death people reported still seeing her wandering the woods, carrying on her never-ending search. It is said that who ever ventures into the woods on Christmas Eve and shouts ‘ Black lady, black lady, I’ve stolen your baby’ three times, the lady will appear to take her child back……
Hoober Stand – Rotherham
Hoober Hill, Wentworth, S62 7SA
Hoober Stand is a 30 metre high tower on a ridge in Wentworth. Hoober Stand has a large woodland surrounding the area and is reported that a monk has been seen. Light anomalies are often caught and voices are often heard and feelings of being surrounded are often felt. There is a cave within the woods, which is now closed off, it is alleged that an angry spirit haunts this area and has claimed to scare many away.
A massive claim to this area is black arts and witch craft takes place here, butchered crows pinned to trees have been spotted and white hooded men chasing investigators out of the woods …there is also more recent evidence to suggest that this does exists, please see the two articles below….
Hoober stand, Rotherham, A second Alter Found? Possible Evidence of WitchCraft?
https://paranormal-magazine.com/2016/09/19/hoober-stand-rotherham-a-second-alter-found/
SACRIFICE ALTER FOUND AT HOOBER STAND, ROTHERHAM?
https://paranormal-magazine.com/2016/09/13/sacrifice-alter-found-at-hoober-stand-rotherham/
Below is an investigation with myself in that we did at Hoober…i have also included another local teams investigation of the area
But don’t just take my word for it…it is also rated on trip advisor with one reviewer stating
‘My dad and I went ghost hunting at night, after hearing stories about it being haunted. After me being terrified that we would actually find something, I decided to not turn our SB-7 spirit box. Something moved in the bushes, the emf detector went off and we legged it.’
Parsonage Woods – Kent
Benenden, Kent, TN17 4LD
Parsonage Wood is a beautiful place to take a stroll with its lush foliage, majestic trees and bubbling streams. However, when night falls the woods become a much more scary place. It is said that those who have braved the woods after dark have come back with many ghostly tales of disembodied voices among the trees. Disturbingly, all of the accounts are similar and they do not tell of spirits talking, but rather the sounds of a ritual happening. The voices are said to chatter excitedly, getting louder and louder until they reach a high-pitched point then a spine chilling scream which seems like it can only belong to someone in pain follows. Then silence. No-one knows what this relates to and few who have experienced it are keen to return to investigate the area more.
Epping Forest – London
This postcode will take you to hang man’s hill IG10 4AB
Most of the history of the forest may have been lost with time. However, there is still evidence of “Iron Age” forts; stories of Iceni Warriors; Roman battles; Saxon saints; Norman invaders; Tudor hunting grounds; notorious highwaymen; a place to escape war and plague, and a retreat for famous artists and writers.
Epping Forest is also notorious for its link with crime. The famous highwayman Dick Turpin had a hideout there, he lived for many years in a cave at High Beach. He and his partner Tom King would rob most people who would pass by. Because of its proximity to the city of London, the forest is also a notorious burial area for murder victims, another reason why this forest is notorious for its ghost stories. People have reported apparitions, lights and there’s even a spot called the Hangman’s Hill at High Beach where some claims that when you put your car in neutral, your car gets pulled uphill.
It is said that if you park on the hill the car will roll up it instead of down as you reach the top and look straight ahead you will see a bare field with just a tree in it which is apparently where a man was hung, supposedly you are being pulled up the hill by the hangman.
Wychwood Forest – Oxfordshire – OX7 3BN
Located in rural Oxfordshire, this dark forest is known for many mysterious happenings. One in particular tree is a known hotspot for activity. It is believed to have been used as a ‘hanging tree’, believed to have been used to hang criminals sentenced to death by the local courts. Many have reported the sensation of a male presence around the tree and having feelings of oppression and dread. The sounds of thundering hooves has also been heard with no evidence of any animals nearby. People have claimed to have been touched on their shoulders while through.
It is also alleged to be home to the aristocratic ghost known as Amy Robsart. In life, she was married to the Earl of Leicester and after her death it is said that her apparition confronted her husband while he was out hunting in the woods and proclaimed that he would be joining her in the afterlife in 10 days time. He soon fell ill and died within 10 days. Its believed that anyone who meets Amy’s appartition in the woods will suffer a similar fate.
Cannock Chase
Lady Hill, Birches Valley, Rugeley, Staffordshire, Can knock, WS15 2UQ
Cannock chase is a large location noted for its outstanding beauty and ancient history. It is also one of the most paranormally active areas in the U.K also. Not just ghosts have been witnessed here. Both strange lights and unusual shaped aircrafts have been witnessed within this area also. In addition, there have literally been thousands of observations over the years of a large black cat, frequently described as panther like – that stalks the Cannock Chase Woods and the surrounding country side. One of the weirdest entities is a demonic dog that is believed to haunt the area. Witnessed by numerous people, the description seems to be the same – huge and muscular, with abnormally pointed ears and glowing eyes. This terrifying spectacle is often seen at night. Another strange creature has been observed at night but also during the day is of an entity has been described as being like a werewolf. When eyewitnesses who first come across this creature thought it was an unusually large dog. On closer inspection, and for some reason unknown to the witnesses, they started to become very uneasy. When the creature became aware of them, it rears onto its hind legs and moved like lightning into the woods, running not on all fours, but only on its hind legs. This creature has been witnessed by many credible people – many who will not give their name publicly for fear of ridicule – but are adamant about what they have seen.
Another strange occurrence is a ghost like figure known as ‘The Lady of the Chase’. This female apparition has been seen on numerous occasions around Cannock Chase Woods and the surrounding area. However, this spectre does not seem to be an ordinary woman. Witnesses describe her as being tall and slender and having a female shape. However, she has no breasts nor any sign of genitalia. But the eyes are described as being extremely large, dark and very hypnotic. There is also reports of black-eyed children believed by some to be the murder victims of Raymond Leslie Morris in the 1960’s and many also reporting to have seen The Slenderman.
Hermit’s Wood – Derbyshire
Dale Abbey, Ilkeston DE7 4PJ
Located near Ilkeston in Derbyshire, the area which Hermit cave sits in is an area of ancient woodland. One of the most common paranormal reports here is strange banging noises often followed by an oppressive atmosphere. Many have claimed they begin to get the overwhelming sensation of bring watched and then followed. Many have also reported seeing an apparition of a monk or some other hooded figure.
Legend states that a monk, who was properly from the nearby Abbey of dale, hung himself in the cave and continues to haunt the area to this day.
Pembrey Woods – Wales – SA16 0EJ
Human activities in Pembrey Woods dates back to at least 400 B.C. when a fort was established there. The area is better known for what the locals call the “little hatchet men of Pembrey” who would lure ships with their lanterns close to a coast line that was filled with dangerous rocks, ultimately wrecking the ships. The little hatchet men would then slaughter the survivors and rob everything they could. From the 19th century, gun powder and dynamite was produced in the forest. Close by, was a RAF air field and during the second world war, many damaged planes crashed in the area trying to make it home. Many ghosts are seen roaming in the forest as well as on the shores, from the little hatchet men to the ghost of a second world war air man, people have also seen ghost ships with dead sailors on board.
Clapham Wood – West Sussex – BN13 3XR
Clapham Wood is a woodland area in Clapham, West Sussex, which Fortean authors and paranormal enthusiasts believe to be a focus of UFO sightings, Satanic cult activity, deaths, and lost or sick pets.
According to Nick Brownlow’s article in Fortean Times magazine, reports of UFO sightings, claims of nausea, sudden patches of grey mist, and sensations of being pushed or followed have been made since the 1960s, as well as a number of reports of pets being sick or lost in the area.
Four deaths have occurred either in or close to the woods. In 1972, Police Constable Peter Goldsmith went missing, and body was found hidden in a patch of thick bramble at Clapham Wood some six months later. In August 1975, missing pensioner Leon Foster was found in the woods by a couple searching for a lost horse. In 1978, the missing Reverend Harry Neil Snelling’s body was found by a Canadian tourist. In September 1981, the body of Jillian Matthews, a homeless individual with schizophrenia was discovered, having been raped and strangled. It is believed that these woods are used for rituals by a satanic cult . Both the woods and Chanctonbury ring have been linked with possible cult activity and are believed to be sites of dark mystical powers. Bramber castle lies to the East where the crumbling ruins are alleged to be haunted by ghostly apparitions. Some believe that Clapham woods could even be cursed……
To see a blog from someone who has visited this area please click the below link
https://sjhstrangetales.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/the-clapham-wood-mystery/
Share this:
Red Ridge X Curiosity Corner – Item #2 Shrunken head.
The above picture is of a Shrunken Head that currently sits in Red Ridge X`s Curiosity Corner.
Item Number 2.
The second item we have decided to look at in our Curiosity Corner is a Shrunken Head. This Shrunken Head is one of five that was made to replicate a Shrunken Head in a museum that went on tour to various locations in the UK to avoid the real item becoming damaged.
The Story.
Red Ridge X members have come across shrunken heads in the past real and fake and when we have we always think how do they do that. We came to buy this item after visiting the 2017 Horror Con in Sheffield, at the time we were checking out our stall the team we were part of (Project Paranormal) was holding to see how things were going. After this we had a walk around the other stalls…
View original post 271 more words
Share this:
The Einfield poltergeist.
Everyone’s heard of the Enfield haunting right?!, well if not here is what it’s about. The Enfield haunting occurred in August 1977 when Peggy Hodgson called the police reporting that furniture started moving and knocking sounds were heard on the walls. Peggy has 4 children Margaret aged 14, Janet aged 11, Johnny aged 10 and the youngest Billy who was 7 years old. Incidents kept happening in the house such as demonic voices, thrown toys, loud noises and banging of all which couldn’t be explained. The young girl Janet and Margaret spoke in a deep voice resembling an old man, and would say things about a man named Bill Wilkins who had previously died in the home. Although Janet was mainly affected, with most paranormal occurrences happening around the youngest girl. Many believe this was an elaborate hoax to capture media attention.
The Hodgson family below.
Below I will list reasons which suggest it could be a hoax and then reasons which suggest it could have been real because of the difficulty to explain them.
Was it all a hoax?
⚫There is a video that was done by the BBC of the girls being interviewed about the so called hauntings. They begin talking about what happens in the house when a reporter asks the girls “What do you think about your house being haunted?”. Janet then responds very quickly by saying “It isn’t haunted!”. Margaret her older sister quickly tells her to Shh! This could suggest they know it really isn’t haunted and maybe that was a slip up. There is a video on YouTube of this particular interview.
⚫ In the same interview I speak about above Janet starts speaking in a croaked man’s voice were she says she feels the voice coming from behind the back of her head and neck. As the young girl speaks you can see Janet’s mouth fidgeting and her fingers keep moving in front of her mouth. She also keeps moving her mouth, could she be acting as a ventriloquist? Many believe she is and if you see the interview you can easily see why.
⚫ When Janet is speaking as Bill she tells a lot of details about how he died, where he died and when he died. All which the girls could have heard from neighbours or even found out themselves.
⚫Maurice Grosse the paranormal investigator for this case supposedly witnessed most of the activity reported by the girls. We see footage online of Maurice standing at the girls bedroom door where he has a shoe thrown at him. Although we don’t see where the shoe has been thrown from, could it have been someone behind the camera? *BBC Einfield poltergeist interview on YouTube to witness all clips spoken about *.
⚫ Maurice Grosse himself admitted the girls were caught making up some of the ‘ paranormal activity’ such as bending spoons and throwing objects and blaming the ghost. If the activity is real, is their really a need to fake anything or was it perhaps them just being children and playing tricks because they felt they had too.
⚫Peggy Hodgson lived out the rest of her days in the Einfield home where she eventually passed away. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d continue to live somewhere like that.
⚫The very well known pictures of Janet being lifted into the air by the so called poltergeist. Many have suggested it looks like she’s just jumping of her bed and as you’ll see in the picture below, it’s easy to see why people would think this.
Perhaps it did happen. Let’s look at reasons why below.
⚫ Over 15 people witnessed different types of unexplained activity in the home such as Lego being thrown across the room when no one is there. A neighbour looked above at Janet’s window where she allegedly saw the young girl levitating. It’s highly unlikely all these people would make this up.
⚫Peggy was described as a caring, loving mother so would she really allow her kids to make this up or even worse help them along with a made up story.
⚫ Maurice Grosse did a test on Janet where he made her take in some water, taped her mouth and then Bill speaks through her. He watches her do this as do many others, afterwards she spits out the water. If it was faked, how did she still have that amount of water left in her mouth?
⚫ On the first night of activity in August 1977 the police were called as furniture moved etc. Whilst the police were there a chair moved across the room then down were it came to rest, as if that isn’t strange enough they checked for wires and any explanation and their was none.
⚫ There are many recordings made of the girls speaking with Bill’s voice for a very long time with no breaks whatsoever. Professionals have said this is impossible to do without suffering vocal chord damage. The girls never had this.
⚫ Ed and Lorraine Warren arrived to the Einfield home where they reportedly told the family and Maurice Grosse they could make them a lot of money, they all said no. If money was a factor they would say yes, especially as The Warren’s had become very well known by this point.
⚫ Until this very day the girls still insist it happened and it’s very rare you will see them do an interview. Surely if they wanted attention they would say it’s a hoax, they would certainly get attention then.
⚫ The woman are still damaged about it even today and very emotional, they don’t like to talk about it and I believe that suggests some trauma of the event.
What do you think? Did an 11 year old girl really fool the whole country and numerous witnesses for a long time, or was there really an Einfield Poltergeist. Leave your comments below.
Share this:
The Closest Catch To Something Truly Paranormal???
The Closest Catch To Something truly Paranormal???
Its rare that i am WOWED.. and I must admit i love this footage, whether it is a ghost, spirit or not.. it defiantly caught my attention. Here is the STORY!
The team was contacted by: Micky Fitzpatrick who asked if he could send us a video for us to look at for explanations, he went onto say within his opinion “its the best footage of a spirit I’ve ever seen in my life”
“Actual CCTV footage and this came after his upstairs neighbour told him of knocking at his window there’s is 4 separate incidents caught on footage and on each one the spirit is moving freely and heading for his neighbours window and then proceeds to go over the fence and change direction..”
“there is more footage also where it stops still and changes its direction I personally love the one where it goes up the wall we would love to hear what you think”
“we know who the ghost is it’s my grandad Allan who passed last year I’ve just been to the location his old house where my uncle now lives and watched all the footage and I’m honestly speechless hope you feel that this is really something special”
LEES REPLY AND VIEWS…
When it comes to videos the most common we receive are orbs, and sounds, maybe the odd shadow, this video is very interesting to me.. at first glance when watching the footage, i thought this looks to be stream coming from the houses.. at face value what we see is a mist like object, which is white, which is moving around something of which i have seen before but then it stops in its tracks and wow… its interesting. i cant personally begin to throw an explanation because i first through stream simply travelling.. but this “steam like object” just stops still and then Carry’s on moving. also i like how its recorded from the CCTV system most you tube videos out there are hard to identify “from china”. i replied back with my views and simply said i cant explane why it would stop still and thanked micky for sharing.
MICKY REPLY.
“my uncle lives in a ground floor flat his neighbour upstairs alerted him the next day that he heard his windows being hit by stones or knocking sound at around 12-1 at night, So with my uncle being keen to investigate for possible criminal damage occurring, he stumbled across this at the exact time on one of the clips the spirit or whatever it is heads for his neighbours bedroom window, and to completly stop the steam claim, there is extra footage of this and in one the matter comes in from the right hand side and goes up the wall or through the wall, where my uncle lives is his passed fathers house, and he passed last year… The spirit is a big mass and my passed grandad was a big bloke, also the neighbour has told of weird noise from within and also my uncles has had doors wedged shut from the other side and also slammed on his finger, it’s all very, very strange and this footage is amazing”
“And yes that is the straight footage from his cctv program no editing involved it’s the original footage, we are genuinely in disbelief”
“this happens over a series of two nights, different angles, and travelling different directions, you can also say a man from Newcastle has captured. The footage, his name is Jimmy 🙂, we would also like to mention the most important factor and that is how the video was found as it ties in perfectly and hence how were so blown away by this footage,.. so the neighbour complained of stones being thrown or a knocking sound on his window at around 12-2 in the morning, fearing possible criminal damage the cameras were looked through, when I send you all the footage if you could include the first part of the video or the first clip as when the matter/spirit moves in front of the camera and then proceeds up the wall to the neighbours window”
Micky and his uncle would love your feedback.
all rights of video are strictly limited to my uncle and micky, feel free to share this post.
Charlene Lowe Kemp – Beliver- After this footage was posted, some suggested that this may be a bug on the lens of the camera within, I can see why people may think this has a logical approach, I have to argue against this explanation though, this appears to float like a substance, it appears to be some kind of fog if anything, I have looked at numerous footage of bugs on a lens of a CCTV camera and I cant find anything that looks remotely similar, if you have any evidence to back this up please send it in order to debunk. I have looked in numerous forums also, regarding camera mites, each person who has had camera mites have stated that these appear to crawl across the screen and legs can be seen.
I have posted some of these forums to have a look what people have said to make your minds up for yourself.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54137172
Here is also an example of many I have looked through, which shows how bugs look like on camera…
if I was to debunk this footage in any way it would be in support of this article below and to say that the illumination has caused a reflective effect on the image, from maybe a porch light? a neighbour entering in or out the house? therefore if the neighbour was hearing sounds like stones being thrown, maybe they did go outside to check a few times? This is common in the cheaper night vision cameras available on the market…. The below article is interesting and some explain the same floating phenomenon. This doesn’t explain why it stops and starts again though and without seeing the surrounding area it is hard to tell if this is truly paranormal or just a IR reflection.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/55800-7-strange-floating-specks-infrared-camera
Paranormal Magazine UK 