28 Historic British Haunted Houses You Can Visit

Dark legacies, gray ladies, specters, banging and clanging, and the eerie sounds of footsteps—all kinds of ghostly doings can be encountered in Britain’s historic country homes and manors. If you have the nerve, take a tour of these allegedly haunted homes managed by the London-based Historic Houses Association. Reader beware.

1. Athelhampton House // Dorset

This famously haunted house is said to host the ghost of an ape from the 16th century, whose haunting manifests as scratching coming from the secret staircase and cellar where the animal is supposedly trapped. Other spirits, including a pair of duelists and a figure known as the Gray Lady of Athelhampton, have been reported elsewhere in the house.

2. Longleat House // Wiltshire

Longleat House is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Lady Louisa, whose husband, Thomas Thynne, killed a footman whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife. Thynne buried the footman in the basement and told his wife that the man had simply left the house unexpectedly. However, Louisa’s suspicions sent her into a frantic state and she searched every room for many days and nights following the incident. During her relentless search, she caught a cold that developed into pneumonia, then died during childbirth. She is reportedly still searching the house today.

3. Tiverton Castle // Devon

Among the spirits said to haunt Tiverton Castle is a young bride who hid in a chest during a game of hide-and-seek on her wedding day and accidentally locked herself inside. Despite an extensive search, she wasn’t found until many years later—when all that was left was a dress and skeleton. It’s said that people have seen a young bride wandering the halls of the castle, often without the witnesses having any prior knowledge of the sad legend.

4. Prideaux Place // Cornwall

Those who’ve slept in the Stair Room at Prideaux Place have reported hauntings from a vicious dog, blood streaming down the walls, a beheading, and a gathering of monks (which makes some sense, since the house is on the site of a former monastery). A former resident wanders the house, and the tunnel that goes under the public road is occupied by a mysterious “white lady” who emerges to frighten children.

5. Old Bowlish House // Somerset

During World War II, naval officers often stayed at Old Bowlish House and commonly reported seeing ghosts of a dressed-up lady as well as a young girl, who was seen shooting herself in the head with a pistol before disappearing. One officer apparently tried to fire at one of the figures, leaving a bullet hole in one of the bedroom walls, which has since been lost or covered up.

6. Peto Garden at Iford Manor // Wiltshire

The mysterious smell of incense, an apparition of a monk, a child humming, blown-out candles, and unexplained thumps and bumps are all said to occur at this haunted manor and garden.

7. Chavenage House // Gloucestershire

A headless king and a gray lady supposedly haunt this house, and one of the bedrooms was so upsetting to guests that an exorcism is said to have been performed there.

8. Powderham Castle // Devon

One of the oldest family homes in England is supposedly haunted by forces that cause dogs to refuse to cross the threshold of a particular landing. The same forces make photography tricky, if not impossible.

9. Samlesbury Hall // Lancashire

The ghosts of Lady Dorothy Southworth, a beheaded Catholic priest, and a man who killed himself in the Long Gallery over debts are among the spirits said to haunt this troubled place.

10. Astley Hall // Lancashire

A man who appears to be a country gentleman from the early 20th century and a young girl have appeared and disappeared so many times that Astley Hall staff know not to try to collect their entrance fees. There’s a spectral woman in Tudor clothing who’s been seen all around the house and yard. The phantom sounds of children laughing and Mozart being played on the grand piano have also been heard.

11. Levens Hall // Cumbria

A dying woman reportedly cursed this house. It’s now haunted by a little black ghostly dog who has been seen on the grounds and inside the house.

12. Muncaster Castle // Cumbria

The Tapestry Room in the castle is no longer used for guests because so many people reported the sounds of a child crying, doors and handles rattling, and a feeling of terrible chest pains while in it. There’s also a ghost named Tom Skelton—a resident jester who is said to have murdered a carpenter who “misbehaved” with his boss’s daughter.

13. Hoghton Tower // Lancashire

Countless paranormal events have been reported here, and ghost tours have been introducing tourists to the resident spirits since 1955.

14. Ripley CastleI // Yorkshire

This castle is said to be occupied by the spirits of the Ingleby family, who owned and occupied the building for hundreds of years, back to the 16th century.

15.  Newby Hall and Gardens // Yorkshire

The Church of Christ the Consoler on the grounds of Newby Hall is the site of a well-known ghost photo. The image is considered to have been staged by the reverend or caused by water damage. Or, you know, it could be a real and terrifying spirit from the great beyond.

16. Kiplin Hall // Yorkshire

Kiplin Hall was used by officers in the Army and Royal Air Force during World War II, and since then, people have reported smelling phantom cigar and pipe smoke. Paranormal investigators have seen apparitions of men in the house and noted the same smells.

17. Burton Agnes Hall // Yorkshire

Anne Griffith, the daughter of Sir Henry Griffith (who built the hall), was attacked and robbed before construction on the building was complete. As she was dying from her injuries, she requested for her head to remain in the house after her passing. Her family buried her in the churchyard, and the haunting supposedly began immediately, with slammed doors and the sound of someone running up and down the corridors frequently reported. Her skull was brought into house, where it’s possibly still located, though no one knows where.

18. Norton Conyers // Yorkshire

According to legend, a woman known as “Mad Mary” was imprisoned in the attic here in the 18th century. Her spirit might still reside in the house.

19. Inveraray Castle and Garden // Argyll

Many ghosts are said to haunt this Scottish castle, but perhaps the most unusual is the apparition of the Galley of Lorne, a ship that is said to sail over land all the way to the castle to take its victims.

20. Glamis Castle // Angus

The hauntings at this Scottish castle are apparently thanks to an ancient curse brought on by Sir John Lyon, who removed an ancestral chalice from a spot where it was supposed to reside forever, and opened the door to a slew of spirits. They include an unidentified woman with no tongue who runs around pointing at her face, and another who was burned at the stake for suspected witchcraft.

21. Dorney Court // Berkshire

The spectre of a bald woman appears only to men in this residence, which is known for frequent supernatural occurrences.  

22. Beaulieu // Hampshire

In 1928, four coffins were discovered on the grounds of the abbey, one of which contained the remains of a man with a hole through his skull and a crown on his head. Arthur Conan Doyle himself held a séance there with the help of a psychic, where the spirit of the crowned body reportedly rose. All that is just the beginning when it comes to Beaulieu's long and storied history of paranormal activity.

23. Knebworth House // Hertfordshire

This Gothic mansion is said to be inhabited by the ghost of Jenny Spinner, who was imprisoned in the east wing by Lady Lytton after her son fell in love with Jenny. It's also home to other spirits who have appeared to guests throughout the years.

24. Harlington Manor // Bedfordshire

A spectral lady in a silk gown—possible a friend of Lady Anne, daughter of the first Earl of Anglesey—is said to haunt the residence.

25. Woburn Abbey // Bedfordshire

Robert Hobbes, the last abbot of Woburn Abbey, was hanged from a great oak outside the abbey during King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. He is said to haunt the grounds along with the spirit of 1920s adventurer Lady Mary Tribe and a duchess who lived at Woburn in the 19th century.

26. Tissington Hall // Derbyshire

Wilhelmina FitzHerbert, an ancestor of the current owners of Tissington Hall, died tragically in 1862 and now haunts her former bedroom. Spirits also inhabit the library and a ghostly man dressed in black resides in the cellar.

27. Fulham Palace // London

Fulham Palace was the bishop of London’s country home for over 12 centuries, and is still haunted by one to this day.

28. Chillingham Castle // Northumberland

Hundreds of paranormal events have been recorded at Chillingham Castle. It's said to be haunted by former prisoners, a famous torturer, a woman in white, and Lady Mary Berkeley, among others.

Read More Stories About Haunted Houses:

A version of this story was published in 2015; it has been updated for 2024.