Pluckley Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Screaming
Location: Pluckley - Area around the Brickworks, Pluckley Heath
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1991, and 09 October 2021
Further Comments: To hear the screaming ghost is not uncommon in this area and is reported to be quite bloodcurdling. A witness who heard the scream in 1991 said that they were familiar with fox noises and the ghost's cries did not resemble those of the creature. In 2021 two witnesses were left 'spooked' as they drove past the Brickworks and passed through a localised mist which contained pocket-like holes.
Flickering Light
Location: Pluckley - Church of St Nicholas
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Sounds of knocking can be heard coming from beneath the church at night, often accompanied by a flickering and fluttering light inside the empty building. Some say the light belongs to Lady Dering, buried within three lead coffins to prevent her decay. The churchyard is reputed to be haunted by a red lady, wandering the area in search of her missing baby. Finally, the inside of the church is also said to be haunted by a woman in mid-twentieth century clothing.
Victorian Woman
Location: Pluckley - Dering Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This pub is said to be home to a phantom woman in Victorian clothing who lurks by the bar.
Pleased to Meet you...
Location: Pluckley - Devil's Bush
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: An unknown bush in the village can be used to summon the Devil, by dancing three (or thirteen) times around it, and/or saying (or not saying) a spell.
Headmaster
Location: Pluckley - Dicky Buss's Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1965
Further Comments: Taking his own life in the 1800's, the phantom headmaster was observed by an author in the mid-twentieth century; the entity wore stripy trousers and an old coat.
Walker
Location: Pluckley - Elvey Farm Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Blamed for poltergeist activity, a phantom walker was once said to frequent the farmhouse. There are also reports of a haunting smell (burning yarn or wool) and the ghost of Old Bill, who sits on the end of a bed and talks to himself.
Dying Highwayman
Location: Pluckley - Fright (aka Frith) Corner
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A large spectral tree has been seen here, together with a highwayman pinned to it by several swords. On other occasions, an elderly phantom woman is spotted; thought to be a gypsy woman, she accidentally set herself on fire with her pipe while sleeping.
Miller
Location: Pluckley - Mill Hill, location where ruined mill once stood, near the Pinnock
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This location is haunted by both a miller and a gypsy woman, the latter said to have burnt to death on the site.
Colonel
Location: Pluckley - Park Wood (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-1965?
Further Comments: This woodland, levelled in 1965, was home to a phantom officer who had hanged himself on the site.
Alarm
Location: Pluckley - Private residence
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1989
Further Comments: Two employees would be woken at 02:15h by their alarms over a two week period, although neither had set their devices. The figure of a young woman quickly vanished after being spotted by one employee, and a cat would appear in the building before disappearing in areas with no possible exist. Finally, men (but never women) would find one room particularly disturbing, with builders refusing to work within and guests leaving during the night.
Tutor Lady
Location: Pluckley - Rose Court
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This reputed female phantom could be heard calling out for her hounds, although it is said that she has not been heard for many years. The woman is said to have committed suicide by eating poisonous berries.
Screams
Location: Pluckley - Screaming Woods
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A local legend says that the screams which emerge from the woodland belong to those who became lost and died amongst the trees.
Dog Walkers
Location: Pluckley - Station Road, area around Greystones House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Couple unknown, monk reported seen in 1971
Further Comments: Victims of the all-too-common love triangle that ends in suicide, this couple and their little dog can be heard walking and chatting down this area of the road. Greystones itself is reputedly home to a phantom monk.
Flaming Woman
Location: Pluckley - Surrenden House (original house no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1904
Further Comments: Contemporary newspapers reported that a visitor to the house spotted a burning woman holding a baby running along the driveway. The witness fainted, and by the time she had recovered, the figure had vanished. Another entity, possibly later the same day, was said to have tried to strangle another woman in her bed (although the newspaper speculated this event occurred because of the day's excitement).
Invisible Hand
Location: Pluckley - The Black Horse Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s onwards
Further Comments: This non-alcoholic spirit moves items across the bar, tidies, and sometimes hides coats and wallets. The site is also home to disembodied screaming.
Horses & Carriage
Location: Pluckley - The main village street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Seen trotting down the main street, the history of the carriage pulled by two horses (or four, depending on the source) is unknown.
Taxi Fare
Location: Pluckley - Unnamed road in village
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A taxi driver reported seeing a man on the roadside who flagged the taxi down. The fare climbed into the back of the cab, but when the driver turned around to ask his passenger where he was heading, he found the car empty.
Records 1 - 17 of 17
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