#borley rectory

[prophetssong]

Lil drawings of Reece that get progressively worse and look less and less like him

[fanofspooky]

Scream King - Reece Shearsmith

Requested by Anonymous

[unreesonable]

Official poster created by Richard Wells aka slipperyjack

[longwhisperingshadows]

Ghosts of Borley Rectory

[holycatsandrabbits]

Borley Rectory

Haunted or Hoax?

This week in 1900, the ghost of a nun was first seen at Borley Rectory in Essex, England.

Borley Rectory’s claim to fame is a years-long investigation by professional parapsychologists: the Society for Psychical Research. The SPR, which still exists, performs scientific studies of paranormal phenomena. The family living in the rectory was also put in contact with another paranormal researcher, who would give Borley Rectory its fame: Harry Price. Price, among other things, was an expert in sleight of hand and conjuring. How coincidental that when Price showed up, Borley Rectory went wild.

Haunted or hoax? Visit the blog for the whole story and some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

Pious fraud. Pious fraud is when a believer in a paranormal phenomenon is engaged in faking that phenomenon. The classic example is that of a church with a weeping statue of a saint: a certain congregant truly believes the statue miraculously weeps, but when observers come to test it, the statue remains dry. The believer is thus tempted to fake the crying, just this once, if it’s necessary to make others believe. So in a haunted house, this would be someone who believes there is a ghost, but fakes the haunting when the researchers are around, in order to prove what they think is the truth. As author, you get to decide: is there a ghost or not? If there is, why does the ghost not perform for the researchers? If not, what (or who) convinced your pious fraudster so completely?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

[dare-g]

Borley Rectory (2017)

[connectparanormal]

Haunted Borley Rectory

People have been fascinated and perplexed by the claim that Borley Rectory is "the most haunted house in England" for decades. Reverend Henry Dawson Ellis Bull constructed this rectory in the Gothic style in 1862 and located it in the remote community of Borley, Essex, which became notorious for its purported paranormal activity. There is a complicated mixture of historical events, eyewitness testimonies, and sensationalized legends that have led to the legendary status of Borley Rectory as a place of hauntings. The location known as Borley Rectory has been the subject of these stories. Beginning in the latter half of the 19th century, the Bull family, who had resided there up until the year 1892, provided the first detailed accounts of the eerie story. They described a number of unexplained incidents, including ghostly apparitions, disembodied voices, and footsteps that seemed to echo through the corridors under mysterious circumstances. The story of the nun's apparition has endured and continues to enthrall people. According to local folklore, she became involved in a sorrowful romantic relationship with a monk from a nearby monastery. The monk's execution and the nun's rumored burial alive within the monastery walls marked the tragic end to their illicit love affair. Her ghost is believed to roam the grounds of Borley Rectory, searching for the person she lost her love to forever.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the paranormal activity that occurred at Borley Rectory garnered a great deal of attention. Harry Price, a renowned paranormal investigator, played a significant role in this investigation. Price's study at the rectory involved numerous visits and extensive documentation of his discoveries. He then published these findings in publications that caught the imagination of the general audience. He described a variety of unsettling occurrences in his investigations, including the appearance of ghostly figures, objects moving on their own, and mysterious messages allegedly painted on the walls by spirit hands. The dramatic reports firmly established Borley Rectory's reputation as a haunted spot. On the other hand, critics have consistently cast doubt on the veracity of these assertions over the course of time. There are many who believe that a significant number of the tales were either grossly inflated or completely made up. Some people attribute the phenomenon to natural causes like the ancient structure's creaking and settling, or the activity of animals like mice or rats. On the other hand, not everyone agrees with this theory. Several inhabitants and guests of the rectory have publicly asserted that the events in question are hoaxes or deliberate fabrications, further complicating the tale. As an illustration, it has been proposed that some of the purportedly supernatural occurrences were manufactured for the purpose of gaining attention or financial advantage. Borley Rectory continues to be a legendary location, despite the widespread doubt. This ensures that Borley Rectory will maintain its place in the canon of paranormal legend due to the enduring fascination with the unexplained, coupled with the mysterious and tragic aspects of the stories. Fire destroyed the rectory itself in 1939, a dramatic event that some felt marked the culmination of the building's haunted history. Even in ruins, the stories of hauntings continue to pique people's interest and provoke speculation.

[pandorasboxofhorrors]

Scary Real Places #13: Borley Rectory (site)

Essex, England

Formerly dubbed “the most haunted house in England” by paranormal investigators.