Harvington Hall
A moated manor with the finest surviving priest holes in England, haunted by spectral Catholic priests who once hid within its walls.
Harvington Hall is a remarkable Elizabethan moated manor house that possesses the finest series of priest holes in the country—seven in total, ingeniously concealed within the fabric of the building. These hiding places were constructed during the dangerous years of Catholic persecution under Elizabeth I, designed by the legendary Jesuit carpenter Nicholas Owen to shelter priests celebrating illegal Masses. The risks were mortal: discovery meant torture and execution for both priest and those who harbored them.
The hall is haunted by several phantom priests, their ghostly presences a testament to the fear and devotion that permeated these walls. Visitors report seeing figures in dark robes moving silently through corridors, only to vanish when approached. The most active area is near the priest holes themselves, where witnesses describe feelings of claustrophobia, anxiety, and the sensation of being trapped—perhaps residual emotions from priests who waited in terrified silence as searchers prowled the house. Some have heard whispered Latin prayers emanating from empty rooms and the sound of floorboards creaking under invisible feet.
The chapel and upper chambers are particularly active. Staff and paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained temperature drops, shadow figures, and the distinct scent of incense where none has been burned. One recurring apparition is that of a young priest, seen kneeling in prayer near the staircase priest hole. Harvington Hall’s ghosts seem bound to the building by the intensity of their faith and the terror of their circumstances, making it one of England’s most historically significant and genuinely haunted manor houses.