Notoriously haunted
Each issue we investigate the most ghostly places in Britain. Here we take a look at Britain’s most haunted village — Dunster, Somerset
Can you imagine living in a place where almost every building is haunted?
The residents of Dunster in Somerset can, because most of the village’s houses, cafés, shops and pubs are said to be home to a spectre.
In fact, so many phantoms lurk in Dunster, it’s been dubbed Britain’s most haunted village. A disembodied human foot, a book flying through the air, and a ghostly horse are just some of the spooky sightings that have earned Dunster its terrifying title.
An ancient, picturesque village nestled in the hills of Exmoor National Park, a Saxon settlement was established at the site in the eighth century. Over the years, Dunster became a prosperous centre for Exmoor’s wool and cloth trade, as well as housing a Benedictine priory that was destroyed during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another part of Dunster’s historical heritage is Dunster
Castle, which stands on a steep hill overlooking the village. The castle was fought over several times during the English Civil War in the 17th century.
Perhaps it’s the village’s rich history that explains the number of hauntings, as spirits spotted in Dunster span the centuries.
Nina Dodd, who owns homeware store, Dunster Living, says customers often tell her they’ve seen ghosts from different eras.
Nina says: ‘Everyone I speak to in the village has some kind of story to tell. Some like to keep it to themselves, but clearly have had some kind of experience.
‘We get people coming into our shop all the time telling us stories about grey ladies or ghosts of children.
‘One very common one we hear is about ghost monks. People always say they see or hear them. There is also, apparently, a ghost horse that haunts the hilltops around the village.’
A Dunster resident who has had several spooky encounters is Janie Deeming, who runs the village’s oldest pub, the Stags Head Inn.
She says: ‘The house 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
