UK Haunted Locations Database
Welcome to my haunted locations database project, a geographic mapping project displaying many haunted places in the UK. You can zoom in and out, drag the view and also click on the ghostly icons to display more information about the alleged spectral behaviour associated with the location. This is an on-going task and I aim to include new or update existing locations every few days.
Currently, there are 5553 different locations in the database. The number of ghost locations per square mile is 0.059, or 0.023 per square kilometre.
2 locations have been modified in the last day. Please view the drop-down menu:
| Anniversary ghosts in the next 21 days (updated regularly): | Anniversary ghosts for Spring (Next update: 21st June): |
Relocate the centre of the map to: (you may need to add "UK" after your location in the search box)
Relocate to the centroid of ghost sightings, which is recalculated occasionally - please refresh your window:
To see how the centroid changes over time, click here. The skull indicates the central point.The purpose of the map is twofold: firstly, to interactively catalogue the haunted locales; and secondly, to list places that you could potentially visit, either for tourism or for your own paranormal research projects.
Given the abundance of data, I have had to be a little selective in choosing which to incorporate. Obviously, locations (usually private homes) with no disclosed address could not be included. Conversely, I have also had to exclude data where the given area is vague, or could not be localised. For instance, Mill Lane in Wimborne Minster and Amery St in Alton were deemed suitable for inclusion as the roads were only a few hundred feet long; but a major road several miles long was not acceptable.
I have had to reject stories for which no recent activity has been recorded (although, based on the writing style of some authors it is difficult to tell if this is indeed the case), or where the building is closed. You could "visit" these places, but it is doubtful you would experience anything! Also, I have tried to excluded "one-off" reports since there is no indication that reported sightings would, or indeed have recurred. Sometimes one feels aggrieved not to include such stories, especially when they are famous and in these instances I have made an executive decision to either omit or include them. If you feel your favourite story has been inadvertently excluded, please contact me.
If you want to see a listing of locations ordered by latitude and then longitude, click here.
There are no classic poltergeist cases either, since these are people-centric. However, I have included "poltergeist-like" behaviour, which seems to be focussed on the building itself. Famous "Black Dogs" (Black Shuck etc.) are also not infocporated in the database as there is some debate as to whether they are "ghostly" anyway; they mostly also fall in the category of being unlocalised too. Also rejected is the unverified "proof" uttered by psychics, or some of the more excitable amateur paranormal groups and their proclamations on the dubious evidence of EVP, orbs etc. For the same reason, I have not included subjective anecdotes where someone felt that they were being watched or that they were not alone; interesting yes, but not proof of anything.
Undoubtedly, many of the stories are fraudulent and feel more like "local legends." The number of stories that are similar are suspicious; a wayward squire or lord being driven in a coach at midnight to hell, and a servant girl who kills herself after discovering that she is pregnant are two that recur with depressing regularity. Who is to tell if the stories are true? It would consume many lifetime's worth of research to ascertain the veracity of the accounts - a thankless task if the original historical documentation was found to be lost.
We, sadly, are at the mercy of Google map's inherent inaccuracy in determining locations and this, unfortunately, has meant that some tales have been to be rejected. Where Google's data has gone awry (and it is spectacularly bad in some instances), I have used Wikipedia and the British Listed Buildings website. Even so, determing an accurate position was a struggle, with the Anchor Church in Derbyshire being undoubtedly the worst to find! But this extensive cross-checking of data enabled the names of buildings to be confirmed and corrected in some cases. It also highlighted shortcomings in Google's own business directory; for instance, a few pubs that were not on their maps are happily alive and well and even running recent events according to their Facebook pages. Similarly, George Bernard Shaw's cottage was referred to as "permanently closed" - but a check of the official website revealed that it would be closed until August 2015 due to rewiring work. The Niddry Street Vaults in Edinburgh, likewise, are listed as closed, but there are ghost tours listing dates for excursions. In another perplexing incident, a labourious search for the "High Street" in the village of Crondall revealed that it is now called "The Borough" - at least comparing photos of the street with an overhead view in Google maps! Unfortunately, it is a sad truism that pubs, restaurants and so do close - and some do re-open later, with different names sometimes. Therefore I can only guarantee that the data as presented on this application is correct at the time I compiled it.
If there any mistakes or you have any additional data on any locations, please contact me.
So, what do we make of the tales as collected by authors? First of all, we have to rely on their honesty and that the data has been collected accurately, without embellishment. Even so, some ghost stories do arouse suspicion. At least two tales (one in Ramsgate and the other in Bury St Edmunds) are geographically dubious and prudently, I have rejected them. Then, as another example, there is the famous story of the Biggin Hill Spitfire. It would be a little awry of myself to exclude it when the airfield is included - but when does the aircraft appear? Some say all year around, others say in January. Caveat lector! And then there is the ghostly rower of Lake Windermere who exacted vengeance on the man who cruelly jilted her - but there were no other witnesses at the climax of the gruesome tale, so how is it we know what happened??
What does one do when a business has relocated? Ironbridge Tourist Information is a good example; it is no longer in the location listed in the books (which were obviously published some years ago). A bookstore in Guildford has moved down the street, and across the road - anyone not knowing this would be led astray when doing an internet search and relying on books printed long ago. How does one ascertain a correct address? The research overheads of tracing companies as they relocate would be prohibitely immense. And what does one do when one finds that a building is "open" but now occupied by new owners? Does one mention this fact, wary of the fact that the new occupiers may know nothing of the past history and worse yet, be besieged by ghost hunters? Emotionally sensitive new owners may be placed under a nervous strain knowing there could be a spook in the building they knew nothing about. In this instance, I have been cautious in the data presented here.
Astute readers may be dismayed to learn that some of the more famous ghost cases are not in evidence. For instance, where is Hampton Court? Why is Pluckley not better represented as one of the most "haunted villages"? Recent research has helped to eliminate spurious locations. In the case of Hampton, tour guide Ian Franklin ascertained that most of the reported sightings were inventions dating back to Victorian times. Neil Arnold's meticulous research into Kent ghosts has convinced him (and me) that Pluckley's ghosts are not as spectacular as has been oft repeated - most are seemingly low key, and the village's reputation has been based on long repeated, dubious legends, much to the chagrin of the villagers who have to endure dozens of ghost chasers descending upon them, particularly at Hallowe'en time.
To return to my ghost page, click here