'We live in Britian's most haunted place - every home has a ghost'
- 7 months ago
Welcome to Britain's most haunted place where 'every home has a ghost' - including the spirits of monks, soldiers, witches and animals.
The ancient village of Dunster in Somerset is filled with stories of the undead stalking the houses, castle, pubs and hills.
It was once home to a large Benedictine chapel which was destroyed when Henry VIII was King - which apparently saw it flooded with ghosts.
Some locals say almost every building is haunted - by everything from Civil War troops to 'grey ladies' and horses.
Locals have today described the various spooky goings on in Dunster.
Sues Toogood, 55, a pharmacy dispenser, bought a cottage there.
She said: “It was a wreck, the heating didn’t work at all and a tiny fireplace was the only source of heat.
''I soon realised that all the smoke from the fire was coming out of a crack in the chimney in the upstairs bedroom.
''I had nowhere else to go so I slept in the spare room.
“In the early hours of the morning I woke up in the middle of the night to voices. I was a bit scared at first but I walked through and realised it was the radio.
''It was a battery radio that I had put out for the builders. I thought it was strange but I switched it off and went back to bed, but then it happened again the next night.
''I realised that if I had stayed asleep I might not have woken up because of the smoke and carbon monoxide coming in from the other room.
“I felt like the ghost was saving me from dying, it was a kind presence. I truly believe the ghost was saving me.”
Local Carol Bowden added: “My husband and I have been coming to stay in the village for years and our dachshund Doogle was only a puppy.
''For the first four days we would walk down to the river past the mound and he would start barking at the trees, although he couldn’t see anything.
“Also when we were in the little snug of the hotel he would start barking at the mantel piece which wasn’t like him as he was usually quite a calm dog.
''The following night it happened again, and the receptionist said the old lady stands there by the mantle place at that time.
“The manager then asked where the dog had been barking and I said about the mound and he said that was where the roundhead and cavaliers were buried.''
Janie Deeming, 59 and Nigel Deeming, 57, run the 15th century Stags Head Inn, the oldest pub in Dunster, which has it own resident ghost.
Janie said: “Nearly every building in Dunster is believed to have a ghost or two.
“The house that we live in is very active, and we’ve only just managed to settle it down.
''I nearly didn’t move in here because they gave me merry hell, but now they’ve started to work with me rather than against me.
“Before we moved here five months ago we stayed in a particular house in the area, and the last time we went, let’s just say the spirits were awake.
“On the first night, a door on the dresser clicked open, and we didn’t think much of it but then it opened two or three more times.
The ancient village of Dunster in Somerset is filled with stories of the undead stalking the houses, castle, pubs and hills.
It was once home to a large Benedictine chapel which was destroyed when Henry VIII was King - which apparently saw it flooded with ghosts.
Some locals say almost every building is haunted - by everything from Civil War troops to 'grey ladies' and horses.
Locals have today described the various spooky goings on in Dunster.
Sues Toogood, 55, a pharmacy dispenser, bought a cottage there.
She said: “It was a wreck, the heating didn’t work at all and a tiny fireplace was the only source of heat.
''I soon realised that all the smoke from the fire was coming out of a crack in the chimney in the upstairs bedroom.
''I had nowhere else to go so I slept in the spare room.
“In the early hours of the morning I woke up in the middle of the night to voices. I was a bit scared at first but I walked through and realised it was the radio.
''It was a battery radio that I had put out for the builders. I thought it was strange but I switched it off and went back to bed, but then it happened again the next night.
''I realised that if I had stayed asleep I might not have woken up because of the smoke and carbon monoxide coming in from the other room.
“I felt like the ghost was saving me from dying, it was a kind presence. I truly believe the ghost was saving me.”
Local Carol Bowden added: “My husband and I have been coming to stay in the village for years and our dachshund Doogle was only a puppy.
''For the first four days we would walk down to the river past the mound and he would start barking at the trees, although he couldn’t see anything.
“Also when we were in the little snug of the hotel he would start barking at the mantel piece which wasn’t like him as he was usually quite a calm dog.
''The following night it happened again, and the receptionist said the old lady stands there by the mantle place at that time.
“The manager then asked where the dog had been barking and I said about the mound and he said that was where the roundhead and cavaliers were buried.''
Janie Deeming, 59 and Nigel Deeming, 57, run the 15th century Stags Head Inn, the oldest pub in Dunster, which has it own resident ghost.
Janie said: “Nearly every building in Dunster is believed to have a ghost or two.
“The house that we live in is very active, and we’ve only just managed to settle it down.
''I nearly didn’t move in here because they gave me merry hell, but now they’ve started to work with me rather than against me.
“Before we moved here five months ago we stayed in a particular house in the area, and the last time we went, let’s just say the spirits were awake.
“On the first night, a door on the dresser clicked open, and we didn’t think much of it but then it opened two or three more times.