Essex Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Blurred Figure
Location: Braintree - Horse and Groom public house, Rayne Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2011
Further Comments: Ron Bowers, a medium, photographed a blurred figure within the building which looked suspiciously like a small object held close to the camera. In 2010, another medium visited the site and picked up on spirits of youngsters, soldiers, servants and a dog.
Man in Dark Grey
Location: Braintree - Kings Head public house, Bradford Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2009 onwards
Further Comments: Paranormal occurrences are reported from his pub, including a man in dark grey who watches customers from the bar (he vanishes when looked at), footsteps on the second floor, unexplained shadows in the men's toilets, doors opening and lights turning off. The ghost has earned the nickname 'Frank'.
Figure in Black
Location: Braintree - Lanes around Bocking
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October 1896
Further Comments: A hooded, gliding figure seen around the village lanes had varying descriptions to whether the ghost was male or female. The entity would disappear when/if the witness screamed.
Large Cat
Location: Braintree - Near Capel Hill Golf Course
Type: ABC
Date / Time: May 1996
Further Comments: Walkers reported seeing a large cat in the area.
Lightless Cyclist on Wrong Side of Road
Location: Braintree - Road near Faulkbourne Hall, south of Braintree
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Cycling like a madman, this ghostly rider charges at mortal cyclists and tries to knock them over!
Thirsty Carving
Location: Braintree - Six Bells public house (no longer operational)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: When this location was a pub, it housed a carved wooden figure which was said to have been found in a local river. At midnight, the figure would go back to the river for a quick drink.
Rocking Horse
Location: Braintree - Spains Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Local press reported that Jamie Oliver moved into this mansion, adding a throwaway line that the property contained a haunted rocking horse which would move unaided during the night.
Thick Mist
Location: Braintree - Stubbs Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2009
Further Comments: A woman walking her children between Stubbs Lane and Millennium Way spotted a strange mist with a vague human outline suspended around three meters in the air.
Policeman
Location: Braintree - Whethersford Road from Braintree, cottage in a dip on the left hand side of the road, overlooking meadows, called Old Lodge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1920s
Further Comments: Twice a ghostly policeman has been seen, the first dressed in Victorian attire, the second in a modern uniform. Small amounts of poltergeist activities have also been reported.
Evil Presence
Location: Brentwood - 133 High Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1953 onwards
Further Comments: Phantom laughter, areas of extreme hot and cold, and violent reactions from animals have all been reported in this building.
Shot Dog
Location: Brentwood - Churchyard near Kelvedon Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This hound haunts the churchyard after being shot on the church altar by an angry landowner.
Floating Monk
Location: Brentwood - Gateway food store, Chapel High
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1987
Further Comments: A young man working here claimed to see a hooded figure in the storeroom, floating half a metre above the ground - it vanished as he touched it.
Austrian Sheepdog
Location: Brentwood - Kelvedon Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1949 onwards
Further Comments: A favoured pet, this ghost started to appear several weeks after its death.
Opening Door
Location: Brentwood - Moat House Hotel (?)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Mid-twentieth century?
Further Comments: This hotel was subject to poltergeist activity, and it was reported that a bedroom door continually opened itself.
Whinnying
Location: Brentwood - Pond on Thriftwood Estate
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: After becoming lost at night, a farmer and his horse fell into this pond and died. It was reported that the sound of the horse whinnying could be heard at night.
Monk
Location: Brentwood - Shop in Chapel High Shopping Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1986/7
Further Comments: While in the shop stacking shelves, a worker visited the upstairs storeroom and spotted a semi-transparent, hooded monk floating a couple of feet above the ground. Not feeling threatened or scared, the worker approached the monk and came within a metre of the entity before it vanished. The worker later discovered a monastery once stood on the site.
Poltergeist Shattering Bottles
Location: Brentwood - The Fountain Head, Ingrave Rd.
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1969
Further Comments: Reportedly, several bottles exploded on their own accord, and several pieces of furniture were rearranged by an invisible presence.
Monk
Location: Brentwood - The Golden Fleece Inn, 126 London Rd.
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: The ghost of a monk has been reported in the building on several occasions, always appearing in a mirror, and disappearing when the witness turns around to investigate further.
Mrs de Rougemont, Room 14
Location: Brentwood - The New World Inn, Great Warley Street (currently De Rougemont Manor)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960s onwards
Further Comments: Said to be impossible to spend a night in, Room 14 contains the spirit of a previous owner, Mrs de Rougemont. The sound of a party has also been reported in the Inn.
Tap Twister
Location: Brentwood - The Swan Hotel. 123 High St.
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1960s onwards
Further Comments: This poltergeist has plagued the owners of the pub by turning water taps on and off, unlocking doors, hiding household items, and antagonising animals.
Footsteps and Nudging
Location: Brentwood - The White Hart, 94 High St.
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Poltergeist activity has been reported at this public house, as well as an invisible presence that taps people on the shoulder.
Bailiff
Location: Brentwood - Warley Lea Farm, near Brentwood
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Believed to be the home of a ghost of a bailiff who hanged himself, this building suffers from phantom footsteps on the staircase, and other bangs and crashes.
Knocking at the Door
Location: Broomfield - Well House, an old house just outside the village.
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1785
Further Comments: Hours after the death of an aging father, as his son lay on his own deathbed, knocking at the front door was heard several times - every time it was answered, no one was there.
Gnomes
Location: Broxted - Broxted & Tilty area
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Appearing at all times of the day and night, locals have blamed the gnomes and other fairy folk for a multitude of tricks. While several sightings have been reported, none in living memory.
Leaping Dog
Location: Buckhurst Hill - Area around local graveyard
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Summer 1989
Further Comments: After scaring three teenagers walking through the graveyard, this shuck went on to unnerve a passing motorist as the creature leapt over the churchyard wall and landed on the bonnet of a car.
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