Given the infamous title of "The most haunted house in England", the Borley Rectory burned to the ground in 1939, taking with it secrets that to this day still amaze even the most hardened skeptics. Though initially the site held a monastery for Benedictine monks, the Rectory was purchased by the Waldergraves, whom lived on the property for nearly three centuries. Towards the end of the 1800's, the Waldergraves had a new monastery built on the site. Soon after, paranormal phenomenon became commonplace at this previously tranquil estate. One legend claims that a nun and a monk who attempted to flee the monastery by horse and carriage after eloping were caught and sentenced to death. The monk, who is said to roam the grounds, was hung from a nearby tree, while the nun, who now can be seen wandering throughout the estate, was sealed inside one of the Borleys walls while still alive.
Witnesses also report seeing the ghostly image of a horse and carriage traveling around the Borley. Reverend Hally Bull, a descendant of the original Waldergraves, is known to haunt the monastery in the silver jacket he was buried wearing. In the late 1920's through the 1930's, the Reverend Lionel Foyster, who had purchased the estate, tried to rid the Rectory of its ghostly inhabitants. It was during this time the hauntings were at their most intense. The reverend's wife was often thrown from her bed, items around the house were smashed and broken, and mysterious writings appeared on the walls (picture 2). As a final note, human remains were found on the site of the Rectory after the fire, which consumed it - the skeletal body of the walled in nun?
