#pluckley

In the quiet reaches of the Kent countryside in England, surrounded by rolling fields, ancient woodland, and winding country lanes, lies a village whose serene appearance contrasts sharply with the unsettling legends attached to it. This village has long drawn attention for its atmospheric charm: timber‑framed cottages, a centuries‑old churchyard, and narrow roads bordered by hedgerows that seem to close in as dusk approaches. Yet beneath this postcard beauty runs a persistent current of folklore. For years, the settlement has been associated with an unusually high number of ghostly tales, earning a reputation that set it apart from other rural communities. Reports of strange cries drifting through the night and unexplained apparitions appearing along the lanes have contributed to its longstanding notoriety.

I remember the first time I went to Pluckley. 

I *think* it was the summer of 2017, so it was one of those long, university summers where I did feck all for 3 months. I had just started exploring the world of the paranormal, so, of course, Kent’s most haunted village was on my to-do list.

I came armed with a screenshot of a village map on my phone, some sunscreen and a best mate in-tow.

Pluckley is legendary amongst us paranormalists, with no less than 12 ghosts laying claim to the small village - which only has a living population of around 1000. But we didn’t bump into the Red Lady in the local churchyard, or the ghostly monk wandering the local roads. Instead, we spent about and hour and a half walking along 60mph roads in 27 degree heat, trying to find out where the haunted pub was and how far was it to Dering Woods and holy shit the next train home is in 23 minutes!

Frustrating as the experience was, it resonated with something I had uncovered in my earlier research of the area.

The residents of Pluckley hate people like me visiting their village. They hate randoms traipsing round the gravestones of their relatives looking to catch a glimpse of a ghost at St Nick’s. They hate people clogging up the local pub and inquiring about the spirits lingering there. And they hate the wave of tourists that crash onto their shores in the week preceding Halloween.

"It's a nice village and these stories ruin it and give us hassle we don't need." Source

Over the years, journalists have trooped to the village just outside of Ashford and asked locals what they think of the legends. They typically claim they joined in on the fun as kids, pulling pranks and sharing stories to keep the dead, well, alive, or had no idea their hometown was famous around the world for its legends.

Even the beating heart of the village - their local pub, The Black Horse - has been recently taken over by owners determined to distance themselves from its paranormal past. That being said, even as the renovated their latest purchase, they experienced a series of strange occurrences. Most notably, equipment mysteriously breaking.

Whether these legends are to be believed is of course up to you. And of course, you do have a right to park up, wander ‘round and harass locals about these ghost stories until they tell you to f*ck off. But Pluckley, like so many other supposedly haunted locations, is just a place. It’s sleepy, it’s small and it’s not that enjoyable to wander around its residential areas for an entire day.

(Don’t get me wrong, it does have some lovely footpaths, but most of the time I was stuck walking at the side of the road trying to find the spookiest places.)

So, here’s some of my top tips for being respectful when you visit paranormal places like Pluckley.

‘Whatever the truth of such claims Pluckley has become something of a Mecca for ghost hunters…’

Pluckley: The Old Mill; Greystones; The Old Bakery

Ghosts of Kent (1985) Free tomorrow

Spooky Saturday: The Most Haunted Village in England

By Holly Davies.

We haven’t done into depth about a case of ghosts or hauntings for a while now on Spooky Saturday, so today I’m bringing you the lowdown on what the Guinness Book of Records called “the most haunted village in Britain”.

Pluckley, a small agricultural village in Kent, may have a relatively small living population but the population that reside there from beyond the grave is definitely higher than average. Boasting at least 12 confirmed ghosts (some locals claim that there are up to 16); the neighbourhood has apparently been rife with paranormal activity that spans centuries.  

The Red Lady (Lady Dering)

This spirit is thought to be the ghost of Lady Dering, a woman who belonged to a wealthy family who lived in the Surrenden manor, and is recalled by many as a figure in a deep red dress, with starkly contrasting black hair. Her history is not known for sure but it is speculated that her death was either as a result of complications in childbirth, or tied to the death of her child. As a result she wanders the graveyard of St. Nicholas’s Church in the dead of night to search for the grave of her son. What is most interesting about the Red Lady is the her appearance, as it is unlikely that the vibrant red dress that witnesses report could be an illusion born out of any natural light phenomena.

The White Lady (a relative of Lady Dering by the same name)

Her husband, a baron of the Dering family, was so tormented by his wife’s death that in an attempt to stave off the effects of decomposition, he buried her in four layered coffins, three made of lead and one of oak. She now also haunts St. Nicholas’s Churchyard along with the Red Lady who is believed to be a close relative.

The Highway Man

The actual identity of this ghost in unconfirmed, some say that his name was Robert DuBois, but to most he was simply know as the highwayman of “Fright Corner” where he startled victims and in their frightened stupor he would rob them of their belongings. Eventually, it was decided that someone had to put an end to DuBois’ antics and he impaled to his hiding tree by a spear. Although the tree is long gone, it still reappears along with the ghost of DuBois to scare travellers on the road.

Watercress woman

Her namesake comes from the area where she used to make her living selling watercress to passersby; she now haunts the bridge after a concoction of whisky drinking and pipe smoking led to her accidental combustion and death.

The Dering Woods

A section of woodlands nearby the village that in some circles is referred to as the Screaming Woods. If the name wasn’t spooky enough for you in itself, it is known for the mysterious noises that ring through the trees at night and the apparitions that have been seen in misty daylight. You would never catch me exploring a creepy forest at night but imagine the terror of being in dark, thick woodland only to hear disembodied screams as you stumble over tree roots and brush past what could simply branches or something much more sinister. There are rumours online of a ‘Halloween Massacre’ that took place here but don’t worry, those news articles are likely doctored. Not that the woods needed to be any scarier!

Other spirits include: the Lady of Rose Court, a woman who killed herself by eating poisonous berries and now haunts the gardens of Rose Court with her canine friends; the Screaming Man of the Brickworks, who met his end when he was crushed by a clay wall; the Phantom Monk of Greystones; the Colonel of Park Woods who can be seen stomping through the underbrush in full military garb; Henry Turff, a schoolmaster who has been seen swinging from the tree where he tragically hung himself; and a horse and carriage which has been known to mysteriously hurtle through the village.

It is not known why so many spirits are present in this village, some have linked it to the geological landscape and the magnetism of the ground can attracting these spirits, or perhaps it is simply that the history of the former inhabitants of the area that lends itself to unsettled energy.

The truth is out there,

Join us over on YouTube if you are brave enough as we explore The Most Haunted Village In The UK - Pluckley in Kent.