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Westbury White Horse
A conventional looking horse it measures 107 feet tall and 175 feet across. The horse sits below Bratton Hill Iron Age fort. The hillfort has a Bronze Age barrow within its fortifications suggesting an earlier heritage. Read More »
Whalton Baal Festival
4 July - Whalton Baal Festival is a traditional Midsummer fire festival, probably deriving from Celtic times. Baal derives from an old word for light.
Wheeler End Common
A ghostly woman attired in a red dress has been seen crossing the road near here. She is allegedly the ghost of a young woman who died 2 weeks before her wedding day in 1776. She was last seen in 1943.
Directions: To the North of Lane End off the B482.
The Wherwell Cockatrice
Nothing now remains of Wherwell Priory and a Manor House now stands in its place. The priory was founded by Queen Elfrida, widow of King Edgar the Peaceful circa 986AD. Read More »
Whispering Knights
The remains of a portal dolmen burial chamber dating from around 4100BC the Whispering Knights can be as evocative as their name suggests, looming from the mist in the cool Warwickshire morning. They stand 5 to 8 feet in height and are close to the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire with which they share folklore. Read More »
Whitby
Whitby is associated with a wealth of traditions and legends. The abbey, now a guant ruin, was built in 651AD and destroyed in a Danish raid in 870AD, it was reconstructed by the Benedictines in the 11th Century. At one time crowds used to gather at the West side of Whitby churchyard, where there was clear view of the North side of the abbey and the highest window. Read More »
Whitby Abbey
Whitby Abbey is one of the most atmospheric locations in England. The desolate ruins stand stark above steep cliffs overlooking the old whaling village of Whitby in North Yorkshire, a testament to the town's former religious significance. Read More »
White Hart, Crystal Palace
On 4th March 2009 the following article by Jennifer Heape entitled ’ Crystal Palace pub's strange basement 'haunted by girl', appeared in the Streatham Guardian
Deep beneath the White Hart pub in Crystal Palace rumours of secret tunnels, hauntings and witchcraft abound. Read More »
The White Hart, Hemel Hempstead
The White Hart is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young man who was murdered while fighting off a press gang. He is thought to have died at the bottom of the stairs, where the figure of a man has been seen with a look of terror on his face.
White Horse Sarsen Stone
Mentioned as a item of possible interest to a visitor of Alton Priors, in the village is a sarsen stone with a copy of the Alton Barnes White Horse carved upon it. Read More »
White Lady of Shooters Hill
In the years around 1830 the area surrounding the Shooters Hill and the Well Hall Road junction was said to be haunted by strange “unaccountable noises” and the apparition of a white lady. The haunting was thought be some to be connected to the skeleton of an unidentified female skeleton unearthed by a labourer on 10 June 1844. The woman had a long golden hair and a fractured skull. Read More »
Whiteleas Ghost Plane
The following account of an experience with a phantom aircraft was published in the Shields Gazzette on Wednesday 4 February 2009 in an article entitled ‘Did Dougal see a ghost plane?’ Read More »
Whitmore Park Black Dog
According to ‘The Folklore of Warwickshire’ (1976) by Roy Palmer, a Black Dog ‘with a matted, shaggy coat and green eyes roams Whitmore Park at night. People avoid the area, since to see the dog means a death in the family’ It is thought that in 1949 this creature standing about six foot tall was seen on Watery Lane. Read More »
Whittlesey Straw Man
Some sources say this festival takes place on the Monday after twelfth night (Plough Monday), the tuesday following Plough Monday or the Saturday. Either way, a man is dressed from head to foot in straw bundles and dances around the town of Whittlesey, going from house to house looking for gifts of food, money and beer. Read More »
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?
On 18th April 1943 four Stourbridge teenagers, Fred Payne, Tommy Willetts, Robert Hart and Bob Farmer discovered the remains of a woman inside a hollow Wych Elm (also known as Scots (Scotch) Elm or Ulmus glabra) in Hagley Wood. It has been suggested that ritualistic magic or even wartime espionage may have been behind this murder mystery that after sixty years is still a focus of interest. Read More »
Widow Webb of Barby
In the late 19the century a house in the village of Barby had a reputation of being haunted by a widow who could not rest until her estate and debts were settled in full. Read More »
Wievliscombe
The red sandstone Church of St Andrew in Wievliscombe was designed by Richard Carver and built between 1827-1829. It has a font and a sandstone cross which date to the 14th century, but interestingly it also has a devil legend associated with it. When the church was being built, the devil appeared riding a green dragon and started to hurl rocks at the church. Read More »
Wig & Pen, Northampton
Back in 1892 when the Wig & pen was known as The Black Lion it shared a wall with a butcher's warehouse. This warehouse was the scene of a murder, when Andrew MacRae killed Annie Pritchard and her infant child. The torso and legs of Annie Pritchard were discovered in an old sack near Althorp Railway Station on 27th August 1892. Read More »
Wigan Big Cat (2011)
On 14 February 2011 an article entitled 'Panther on the Prowl' appeared on the Wigan Today website concerning the sighting of a large black cat in Bryn and animal remains being found in a local recreation area. Read More »
Wigginton Common
During the English Civil War, Wigginton Common served as camp for some of Cromwell's troops. They used it as a base from where they could bombard Berkhamstead castle. There have been reports of Roundheads, seen on the common in the evening at twilight as the light begins to fade. Read More »
Wight Beaches
The impressive swathe of scenic sands that form the Back of the Wight Beaches, were the scene of much of the smuggling that formed an additional revenue for many islanders during the 17th 18th and early 19th century. Read More »
Wild Edric's Wife
In ‘The Science of Fairy Tales’ (1891), Edwin Sidney Hartland recounts the following tale told by the medieval writer Walter Map (Born 1140- Died c. 1208–1210). ‘Wild Edric*, of whose historic reality as one of the English rebels against William the Conqueror there is ample proof. Read More »
The Wild Hunt, A Tale From Devon
This particularly sinister folktale of the wild hunt is from Devon, and is based in the Dartmoor area, a place full of tales of the supernatural, especially the wild hunt.
One wild stormy night a farmer was returning home from Widecombe, somewhat worse the wear from the strong local beverages brewed on-site. Read More »
Wilden and Ravensden
On a minor road between Wilden and Ravensden a strange figure dressed in black has been seen in broad daylight.
The figure has been identified as a witch with a malevolent character.
Directions: The haunted road is a minor road off the B660 between Ravensden and Wilden
Will o' the Wisp
The Will o' the Wisp is the most common name given to the mysterious lights that were said to lead travellers from the well-trodden paths into treacherous marshes. The tradition exists with slight variation throughout Britain, the lights often bearing a regional name. Read More »
