Portchester Castle - The Roman Soldiers
The best-preserved Roman fort in Northern Europe is haunted by phantom Roman soldiers still marching their eternal patrols along the ancient walls.
Portchester Castle boasts the most complete Roman walls in Northern Europe, built around 280 AD as part of the Saxon Shore defenses. Within these 1,700-year-old walls march the ghosts of Roman soldiers, witnessed by countless visitors who report seeing formations of armored men patrolling the battlements and walking through the outer bailey. The soldiers appear in full Roman military dress, complete with helmets, shields, and spears, marching in formation as they did nearly two millennia ago.
Witnesses describe hearing the tramp of military boots, the clink of armor and weapons, and even Latin commands being shouted, despite no visible source. The phantom legion has been seen most frequently at dawn and dusk, marching along the castle walls or standing guard at the gates. Some observers report the soldiers appearing transparent or only visible from the knees up, suggesting they walk on an ancient ground level now buried beneath centuries of accumulated earth. The apparitions typically fade away after a few moments or march straight through solid walls.
The haunting at Portchester is considered one of England’s most impressive examples of residual paranormal activity, where historic events seem to replay like recordings. The dedication and discipline that characterized the Roman military appears to have left an indelible imprint on this location. Modern visitors and English Heritage staff continue to report encounters with the phantom garrison, making Portchester Castle a unique intersection of archaeology and the paranormal, where the ancient past quite literally walks among the living.