St Nicholas Church, Pluckley - White Lady

St Nicholas Church in Pluckley is haunted not only by the famous Red Lady but also by a second female spirit known as the White Lady. While the Red Lady is associated with the Dering Chapel and maternal tragedy, the White Lady is seen in and around the church itself, creating a dual haunting that adds to Pluckley’s reputation as England’s most haunted village. The exact identity of the White Lady remains a subject of speculation, with various theories linking her to different historical tragedies in the area.

The White Lady appears as a luminous figure dressed in flowing white garments, sometimes described as a wedding dress or burial shroud. She is most frequently witnessed in the church graveyard, particularly near older graves dating to the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike the Red Lady’s searching behavior, the White Lady is often seen standing motionless among the gravestones, as if keeping vigil or waiting for someone who never arrives. Some witnesses report seeing her walking slowly along the path from the church toward the village, only to vanish when followed. Her appearances are often accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature and an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

Inside St Nicholas Church, the White Lady has been seen near the altar and in the nave, sometimes appearing to kneel in prayer. Church volunteers and visitors describe seeing a white-clad figure from the corner of their eye, which disappears when looked at directly. The sounds of a woman softly crying or sighing echo through the empty church, and some witnesses report the scent of flowers—particularly lilies, associated with death and funerals—manifesting without physical source. Several theories exist about the White Lady’s identity: some believe she is a bride who died before her wedding day, others suggest she is a mother who lost a child to disease, while local legend connects her to a woman who died waiting for her lover to return from war. Paranormal investigators have captured EVPs of a woman’s voice, electromagnetic anomalies, and photographs showing white mists and unexplained figures. The presence of both the Red and White Ladies makes St Nicholas Church one of England’s most actively haunted religious sites.