Ghostly encounters at National Trust estate ideal for ‘Dark Tourism’ enthusiasts

A historical estate, famed for ghostly legends and eerie sightings, is simply a apical 'Dark Tourism' destination featuring spectral monks, mysterious apparitions and spine-chilling experiences alongside affluent history

A National Trust property successful Devon has go a notable spot for 'dark tourism' enthusiasts for its ghostly sightings, including a celebrated explorer.

National Trust properties are often known for their quality and prestigious backgrounds, but determination are immoderate with acheronian pasts and abnormal sightings making them perfect for Halloween.

Buckland Abbey successful Devon is not the accepted Halloween destination. Dating backmost to the 13th period arsenic a monastery, the abbey has a wealthiness of humanities stories. Its astir well-known resident, Sir Francis Drake, lived astatine Buckland Abbey during the 1500s and famously helped to decision the Spanish Armada successful 1588.

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Many individuals astatine the clip helium was alive, adjacent believed Sir Francis had made a pact with the devil. In 1596, during the raids connected Panama, Central America, Sir Francis fell sick with dysentery and soon earlier helium died, helium ordered the drum that ever accompanied him beryllium taken backmost to Buckland Abbey and vowed that if England were ever successful danger, idiosyncratic should bushed the drum and helium would instrumentality to support the country.

According to legend, the drum was heard astatine times of war, the past clip being successful 1939.

Some assertion to person besides seen Drake's shade thrust crossed Dartmoor in a achromatic coach, drawn by headless horses and frantically chased by a battalion of hounds and 12 goblins. According to legend, the hounds are searching for the souls of unbaptised infants and immoderate canine that barks astatine the commotion is said to dice immediately.

Other paranormal activities person been noted astatine Buckland Abbey including 'sightings' of monks walking the staircases added agelong aft the clip they resided successful the abbey. The monks are besides often supposedly seen successful the Great Hall, which was erstwhile astatine the bosom of the abbey and wherever the nave would person been.

There person besides been reported sightings of a well-dressed pistillate resembling erstwhile nonmigratory Elizabeth Beatrice Drake (Lady Seaton), who uncovered and restored the abbey’s chapel during the 1920s.

Eleanor Hopkinson, visitant operations and acquisition manager at Buckland Abbey, said determination had been different reports of immoderate different unusual events thought to beryllium linked to Lady Seaton. Flower petals person been seen connected the apical level successful the Long Gallery. After they were cleared up, the petals kept reappearing adjacent though determination are nary angiosperm displays connected the apical floor.

“’When I archetypal started moving here, I felt that the gathering was apprehensive of maine but aft I’d been present a portion it seemed to judge me. I deliberation it knows we’re present to look aft it. There are unusual things that hap present but nary of it feels malicious,” said Eleanor.

Author of 'Britain’s Ghosts: A Spine-chilling Tour of Our Most Haunted Places', Anna Grove said: “Many of america are drawn to places with a affluent history. The cloth of the gathering and the things it contains tin delight the oculus but what galore of america want, myself included, is to cognize arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin astir the radical who lived there.

"That’s what truly fires the imagination, and that imaginative effect is the ground of galore sightings."

Buckland Abbey is unfastened to the nationalist and is location to galore antithetic things to research including the abbey itself, the Great Barn, gardens, estate, a edifice and a shop. Admission costs £15 per adult, but betwixt November 4 and 29 and January 1 and February 15, admittance is lone £9 per adult.

The spot besides offers galore seasonal events including guided tours of the gardens oregon orchard, Tudor cooking oregon tiny barn mini markets. If you privation to walk much clip there, you tin besides cheque retired the Cider Cottage and enactment astatine The Cider House and Starbed Hideaways.