Borley Rectory: The Most Haunted House in England

Borley Rectory, built in 1863 in the Essex village of Borley, was declared “the most haunted house in England” by paranormal investigator Harry Price. For decades, the building was the site of reported ghostly phenomena including apparitions, poltergeist activity, and mysterious messages, until it burned down under mysterious circumstances in 1939.

The Building

The rectory was built by Reverend Henry Dawson Ellis Bull to house his family. It was an imposing Victorian structure with multiple bedrooms, set on grounds that included a church dating back to the 12th century. Local legend held that a medieval monastery had once occupied the site.

Almost immediately after construction, strange events were reported. Members of the Bull family claimed to see a ghostly nun walking the grounds. Phantom footsteps echoed through empty corridors. Servants reported objects moving on their own.

The Nun and Other Apparitions

The most frequently reported apparition was a spectral nun who walked a path called the Nun’s Walk. Legend connected her to a tragic medieval romance: a nun from a nearby convent had allegedly fallen in love with a monk from Borley, and both were executed when their affair was discovered.

Other apparitions included a phantom coach driven by headless horsemen, a spectral girl in white, and the figure of Harry Bull himself, who reportedly appeared after his death in 1927.

Harry Price’s Investigation

Paranormal investigator Harry Price first visited Borley Rectory in 1929 and would remain involved with the case until his death in 1948. He conducted extensive investigations, renting the rectory in 1937 for a year-long study.

During Price’s investigations, phenomena included objects flying through the air, wall writings appearing that spelled out messages, and temperature changes. A planchette session produced messages purportedly from a spirit named Marie Lairre, who claimed to be a French nun murdered on the site.

The Fire and Aftermath

On February 27, 1939, Borley Rectory burned down in a mysterious fire. The owner at the time, Captain William Hart Gregson, claimed that books flew off a shelf and knocked over a lamp, igniting the blaze.

During excavation of the ruins, human bones were discovered beneath the cellar floor, lending possible credence to the murdered nun legend. The bones were given a Christian burial in Laindon churchyard.

Borley Rectory remains one of the most famous haunted locations in history, its reputation surviving both the building’s destruction and challenges to the evidence.