Whilst in Exe have you ever had a chill down the back of your spine, felt like you were being watched, or spotted something you just can’t explain? After having read this article you may just understand why… once rated as ‘the most haunted city in the Country’, with sightings of apparitions ranging from murdered choristers at Exeter Cathedral to troublesome Romans in Marks and Spencer’s, Her Campus has taken the opportunity to discover some of the most haunted spots around the city for Halloween.
At number one has to be the Cathedral Green which was once the city’s largest burial site. Bodies were apparently buried 10 deep, with the ground level rising to height of the cathedral windows and so it has been rumoured that the spooks here wander around in crowds and jostle for space. It was also here that the “unpleasant and dishonest” cathedral choir leader, Walter Lechlade, was murdered on his way to his lodgings in 1283. His spirit has apparently been spotted in the top vestry…
The former Elephant Inn, in North Street, which is now part of Sainsbury’s Guildhall is supposedly haunted by an American GI. It is said that he was killed by the betrayed husband of a local woman he was having an affair with and that following his death, people would hear footsteps upstairs, doors opening and closing without explanation and objects would be moved from one place to another. Guildhall is also rumoured to be haunted by a female ghost who vanishes as quickly as she appears, and is blamed for knocking over displays at Ernest Jones and setting off the fire alarm…
If you take a walk down by Exeter Quay, Prospect Inn is said to have a festive ghost. On Christmas Eve a little girl carrying a rag doll is said to appear in the upstairs’ living area. She smiles sweetly at any witnesses, before quickly fading away. The story dates back to 1870 and has captured the interest of the country’s biggest ghost hunting company which says the sighting is one of the most intriguing it’s ever come across.
Finally, Exeter’s Marks & Spencer’s is said to be built on an old Roman burial ground, phantom heavy breathing has been reported from staff, as have light poltergeist-like behaviour, leading to the majority of workers apparently refusing to venture downstairs to the cash office alone in fear of an ice-cold sensation running down the backs of their necks and the deadlock closing by itself.
If any Her Campus readers are interested in an alternative Hallows eve, ghost tours are run from 6:15pm from the Abode hotel where you can tour around Exeter’s most haunted locations and listen to the chilling tales about their ghostly residents…
photo credit: flickr