As Halloween approaches this weekend, Jamaican Inn – immortalised in a book by Daphne Du Maurier and located on Bodmin Moor at Bolventor – has been named among the eight most haunted places in the UK by a holiday cottages company.
Placing Jamaica Inn as the second most haunted location, holidaycottages.co.uk says of the historic moorland inn overlooking the now diverted A30 which once ran right past it: ‘Jamacia Inn is believed to be haunted by a highwayman and a murdered smuggler. Situated inside the inn, the bar is rumored to be one of the most haunted areas and previous landlords have even heard footsteps which are believed to belong to a spirit who is returning to finish his drink’.
It is believed that the inn was built in around 1750 as a coaching inn where horses would be changed for stagecoaches, postchaises, carriers’ carts and those merely travelling on horseback on this remote highpoint on the Bodmin to Launceston highway dominated by the 1,122-high Tuber or Two Barrows Hill. Brown Willy, Cornwall’s highest point, and Roughtor are not far away. The inn was extended with more stables into an L-shaped plan in 1778 but legends that its name derives from the smuggling of Jamaican rum are false – the origin of the name is believed to lie in the fact that the local landowning Trelawney family had members who were governors of the Caribbean island of Jamaica.
However, Daphne Du Maurier drew on stories of the building being a stopping off point for smugglers, as well as tales of coastal wreckers luring ship’s to their destruction so they could be robbed, in her 1936 novel Jamaica Inn. It tells of the young woman Mary Yellan, who in the early 1800s moves into the inn to stay with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss after the death of her mother, and in an atmosphere of rising tension over strange nocturnal goings-on and unruly visitors, gradually becomes aware of her uncle’s shady activities, as well as the fact that the vicar of nearby Altarnun may not be all that he appears to be.
Today the inn has a museum of smuggling which also has artefacts that once belonged to Du Maurier, who lived in Fowey and whose other Cornwall-based novels, in addition to the famous Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek, include the time-travelling tale The House On The Strand – a translation of the Cornish placename Tywardreath, part of Par, where over time land along a former broad estuary has been reclaimed from the sea.
Another West Country location, the ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle between Totnes and Paignton in South Devon, also makes the most haunted list, along with Dunster Castle near Minehead in West Somerset. The whole list is:
1. Pendle Hill, Lancashire - Renowned for its links to witchcraft and devil worshipping, Pendle Hill in Lancashire is set to be a very spooky experience. This mysterious and scary space was home to the Pendle witches who were accused of ten murders back in the 17th century and were then later executed. It’s said that visitors have noticed an intense feeling of anger when exploring the grounds, so if you’re visiting, watch out for the witches.
2. Jamaica Inn, Cornwall – see details above..
3. Blickling Hall, Norfolk - Blickling Hall in Norfolk has an extremely haunted past. Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, who was born there in an earlier mansion, was famously beheaded on the King’s orders in 1536 on false charges of adultery and incest after she failed to give birth to a male heir, and it is said that every year on the anniversary of her execution, her headless ghost returns to the medieval manor. It is believed that Anne Boleyn’s father also haunts the hall due to his failure to protest against the execution of his daughter Anne and her co-accused, her brother Thomas Boleyn.
4. Berry Pomeroy Castle, Devon - You need to be brave to visit this one! Berry Pomeroy is said to be one of the most haunted castles in the UK. From the Blue Lady, who wanders the dungeons, to the White Lady - who has been seen waving to visitors of the castle, leaving them with a feeling of both fear and depression - this location is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.
5. Dunster Castle, Somerset - If it’s ghosts you want to see, Dunster Castle is a must visit. This paranormal hotspot has had many reports of strange experiences, from ghostly appearances to spine tingling sensations. Visitors have even witnessed an eerie man in green walking through the castle only to disappear right in front of their eyes! It’s also been said that men’s voices and loud footsteps echo through the castle grounds.
6. Llancaiach Fawr, Caerphilly, South Wales - Named as one of the top ten most haunted places in the UK, Llancaiach Fawr is a Tudor mansion with a haunted history. Its supernatural activity regularly spooks its visitors, with people reporting that they can hear children playing on the stairs and one boy in particular is known to mischievously tug at visitors’ sleeves and hair.
7. Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh, Scotland - The streets of Mary King’s Close hold a frightening past. There are many stories to delve into at this horrifying hotspot but one in particular tells the tale of a little girl who lost her life to the plague and was in search of a doll that she had misplaced; it is said that her presence can be felt when visiting the close.
8. Croft Castle, West Midlands - Known as the most haunted house in the Midlands, the castle is said to be home to seven spooky spectres. There have been many reports of unsettling sightings including a seven-foot figure of a man lurking in the grounds. Visitors have also heard the sound of a baby crying when exploring the haunted fortress.
Shannon Keary, Digital PR Manager at holidaycottages.co.uk, says: “The spooky season is a particularly popular time all over the UK and it’s exciting to see how many haunted hotspots there are to visit across the country. It’s a fun, yet frightening, way to explore Great Britain’s history whilst taking in some of its most beautiful architecture - that’s if you can keep your eyes open!”
To find out more details see https://www.holidaycottages.co.uk/ blog/most-haunted-places-in-the-uk
Those preparing to enjoy frights on Halloween this year should remember that the clocks go back by an hour at 2am on Sunday, October 31 - so they can have an extra hour in bed before carving the turnip and pumpkin lanterns or donning those spook-tacular and bewitching costumes.