St Nicholas Church, Pluckley: Heart of the Ghost Village

Pluckley in Kent holds the Guinness World Record for the most haunted village in Britain, with at least 12 documented ghosts. At the village’s heart stands St Nicholas Church, where the most famous spirit—the Red Lady—was buried and from which she emerged. The church and its graveyard are the epicenter of Pluckley’s remarkable supernatural activity.

The History

Medieval Church

St Nicholas dates from the 12th century, serving the Dering family who owned the village. The Dering Chapel contains elaborate family tombs.

The Dering Family

The Derings dominated Pluckley for centuries. Their ghosts are prominent among the village’s spectral population.

The Red Lady

The most famous ghost is the Red Lady of the Dering family, buried in the church in the 1800s. She was interred in at least three coffins—one of lead, one of oak, and one of cedar—supposedly to preserve her beauty.

The Hauntings

The Red Lady

Lady Dering appears both inside and outside the church:

• Dressed in red (her favorite color in life)
• Seen walking in the churchyard
• Standing by her tomb
• Her appearances are frequently reported
• She seems to be searching for something

The White Lady

Another spectral woman, dressed in white, also haunts the church:

• She appears in the Dering Chapel
• Walking through the churchyard
• Her relationship to the Red Lady is unclear
• Some believe they are mother and daughter

The Spectral Monk

A monk has been seen near the church:

• In the graveyard
• Walking toward the church
• His origins are unknown
• May predate the current building

Graveyard Activity

The churchyard is intensely haunted:

• Lights among the graves
• Figures walking between stones
• Cold spots even in summer
• Photographs capture anomalies
• The Red Lady’s grave is a focal point

The Church Interior

Inside St Nicholas:

• Temperature drops suddenly
• Footsteps are heard
• Figures appear in pews
• The organ plays notes by itself
• The Dering Chapel is particularly active

Pluckley’s Other Ghosts

The village has many more ghosts:

• The Screaming Man at Fright Corner
• The Highwayman
• The Schoolmaster
• The Watercress Woman
• The Miller
• And more…

The church is at the heart of this ghostly ecosystem.

Modern Activity

Pluckley is a major paranormal destination:

• Ghost tours are conducted year-round
• Halloween sees thousands of visitors
• The church is consistently active
• Research teams have documented phenomena
• The Guinness record attracts interest

Visiting

St Nicholas Church is a working parish church. Pluckley itself is a picturesque Kentish village—with an unusually crowded afterlife.

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Pluckley earned its title as Britain’s most haunted village through centuries of ghostly activity. St Nicholas Church, where the Red Lady emerged from her elaborate grave, remains the supernatural heart of this extraordinary place.