Charterhouse School

Charterhouse School, one of England’s original nine public schools, was founded in 1611 on the site of a former Carthusian monastery in London before relocating to Godalming, Surrey in 1872. The school’s original London location was built atop a plague pit from the Black Death of 1348-1349, where over 50,000 victims were buried in mass graves. This grim foundation has given rise to centuries of paranormal reports, with many believing the restless spirits of plague victims continue to manifest both at the original Charterhouse site in London and at the Surrey campus, which incorporated stones and architectural elements from the original buildings.

The most frequently reported phenomena include the apparition of hooded monastic figures gliding through the school’s older corridors and chapel, believed to be the ghosts of Carthusian monks who once inhabited the monastery. Students and staff have reported hearing agonized moans and the sound of medieval prayers echoing through empty halls, particularly in buildings constructed with materials from the original London site. The school library, housed in one of the oldest sections of the campus, is known for books mysteriously falling from shelves, cold spots that defy explanation, and the sensation of unseen presences watching over studying pupils.

Perhaps most disturbing are the reports of shadowy figures appearing in dormitory windows late at night, staring down at the grounds with hollow, plague-ravaged faces. During renovations in the 1990s, construction workers reported tools going missing, unexplained knocking sounds from within sealed walls, and the overwhelming smell of death and decay in certain areas despite thorough cleaning. The school’s chapel has been the site of numerous sightings of a translucent monk kneeling in prayer, who vanishes when approached. These manifestations, documented across four centuries, have made Charterhouse one of Britain’s most haunted educational institutions.