From Jamaica to England, France to India,
explore some of the world's most haunted locations. Castles, manors and
even underground tombs made this list of the scariest places you'll find
on the planet, all of which can still be visited today, if you dare.
Tower of London
London, England
Construction on the Tower of London began in the 1080's by England's
William The Conqueror, though many future monarchs would eventually add
to the structure. Used throughout history as a prison and a palace, many
horrifying events have occurred within the near millennium's old
building, lending it a ghostly reputation. Also known as the bloody
tower, King Henry VI and two of King Henry VIII's wives were executed
here, with the wooden block used still visible to the public. One of the
most frightening events to occur at The Tower of London was the
execution of the Countess of Salisbury. Sentenced to death on the
scaffold, the Countess managed to escape, though was quickly chased down
and axed to death in the Tower Green.
Parisian Catacombs
Paris, France
The Catacombs of Paris were built from quarries far below the city's
streets, and store many of the city's former residents. In the late
1780's the cemeteries of Paris began to fill up, leaving no place for
the dead within the city's limits. Quarries running below the streets
were decided to be used as a final resting place for those already
buried, and nightly processions began relocating bodies from overcrowded
cemeteries to the winding corridors below. The quarries were blessed
before receiving the bodies, and the process was kept relatively quiet,
done only at night by inconspicuous carts. Bodies continued to be stored
here until 1814, and up to seven million bodies currently remain to
this day.
The Skirrid Inn
Llanfihangel Crucorney, Wales, UK
This 900 year old building is thought to have once been a courthouse,
though is now used as a hotel. It is believed that up to 180 people
have died here, hung from a wooden beam still intact today. Most likely
victims of their courthouse verdict, guests to the inn now claim they
are haunted by the spirits of the Skirrid Inn dead. Objects have been
witnessed floating through the air on their own, faces have been seen in
the windows of empty rooms and guest shave even claimed to feel the
soft tug of a phantom noose around their neck.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
Considered one of the most haunted locations in Scotland, a country
known for its paranormal activity, Edinburgh Castle boasts a bloody
900-year history, though evidence of settlements on the large rocky
outcropping now supporting the castle date back to 600 AD. After
changing hands from the Scottish to English many times over gruesome
battles, the castle is thought to be home to the spirits of soldiers,
prisoners and even a ghost dog that roams the on-site canine cemetery.
Rose Hall
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Built in the 1770's for owner John Palmer, this plantation was once
the home to suspected voodoo priestess Annie Palmer. After the
suspicious death of three of her husbands, Annie supposedly began
torturing and murdering slaves on her plantation. She was eventually
murdered by her slaves, and is buried on the home's grounds. Currently,
Rose Hall is open for tours, where guests have reportedly seen strange
images appear in photographs taken inside the home, as well as
apparitions in mirrors.
Raynham Hall
Norfolk, England
This home, built in 1619 for the Townshends, remains in their family
to this day. Set on a 7,000 acre estate, Raynham Hall is said to be
haunted by one of its former residents, Lady Dorothy Townshend. Though
her death was recorded in 1726, some suggest she was actually held
captive inside the home, and died later. Her ghost, now known as the
"Brown Lady" was reportedly caught on film in 1936 by two reporters from
Country Life Magazine. The picture shows the misty figure of a woman
descending a staircase inside the home, and remains one of the most
widely seen ghost photographs of all time. Prior to the picture of
Dorothy's spirit being captured in the 1930's, Colonel Loftus also
claimed to see her. One week in 1835, the colonel claims he came across
her ghost twice, and noted she wore a brown satin dress, and appeared to
have empty eye sockets.
Bhangarh Fort
Alwar, India
An abandoned city in itself, Bhangarh Fort is said to have been
cursed, and was soon after destroyed, though historians claim a famine
in 1783 left the town deserted. Completely avoided by locals,
authorities warn visitors not to visit Bhangarh after dusk, and have
even refused to enter its grounds after dark themselves. Comprised of a
fort and temple, many say that even the local wildlife avoid the
deserted city, and no one has yet been able to spend a full night there. A new village of Bangarh
with a population of 1,306 in 200 households has developed outside the
limits of the fort as there is fear of ghosts haunting the old city. The
fort and its precincts though ruined are well preserved.
Mohatta Palace
Karachi, Pakistan
The
Mohatta Palace is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was built by
Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, a Hindu Marwari businessman from modern day Rajasthan in India, as his summer home in 1927. The architect of the palace was Agha Ahmed Hussain. However, Mohatta could enjoy this building for only about two decades before the independence, after which he left Karachi for India. He built the Palace in the tradition of stone palaces in Rajasthan, using pink Jodhpur
stone in combination with the local yellow stone from Gizri. The
amalgam gave the palace a distinctive presence in an elegant
neighbourhood, characterised by Indo-Saracenic architecture which was located not far from the sea.
