*Blickling Hall in Norfolk is the undisputed most haunted country house in Britian. The birthplace of Anne Boleyn, it’s said her ghost returns on the anniversary of her beheading, but she is not the only ghoul said to frequent this splendid Jacobean Hall’s corridors. Dying groans from the loser at a duel, or Sir John Fastolfe, a 15th century knight who it said to revisit his old home from time to time.
*Cotehele in Cornwall comes as number three, with a multitude of dark, stone-built rooms where hazy figures are often seen, alongside the sound of music and strange, herbal smells.
* East Riddlesden Hall in West Yorkshire is haunted by any number of ghosts, including a woman in white, a grey lady, who was starved to death by her husband for being unfaithful.
*Buckland Abbey in Devon comes second in our chart, as the Abbey is said to be haunted by Sir Frances Drake, and his accompanying ‘hell hounds’
*Belton House in Lincolnshire is home to a black clad ghost, who is supposed to enjoy stalking the Queen’s bedroom
*Ham House in Surrey is haunted by Elizabeth, the Duchess of Lauderdale, who was a renowned political schemer during the 1670s. Apparently she lingers in the beautiful rooms and passages, sometimes with her King Charles Spaniel.
* Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire has not one but three apparitions, the most frequent of whom is the ghost of Elizabeth Hesketh, who, when she fell ill, vowed not to leave this world without saying goodbye to her husband, who was at war overseas. He never came back.
*Hughenden Manor is said to be haunted by the ghost of Benjamin Disraeli, who smiles at people on the stairs.
*Dunster Castle in Somerset (pictured) is haunted by a man in green, who can be seen walking past the shop and then disappearing into space
*Lyme Park in Cheshire is haunted by a spectacular phantom funeral procession, including a white-clad woman weeping.
For further information, the National Trust is a fantastic place to start. Their properties have more ghosts than most. You can contact them via www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
