The ancient woodland of Epping Forest is said to be the home of several ghosts. 

Queen Boudica and her daughters haunt Ambresbury Banks - an Iron Age fort near Loughton. Tradition states that it was the site of her last battle against the Romans in AD 61. On certain nights, drumming and mournful groans have also been heard. 

The Wake Arms roundabout is a notorious accident blackspot and has a selection of ghosts ranging from phantom horsemen to headless bikers. One phantom is said to run out in front of cars and then vanish!

Dick Turpin, the notorious highwayman, used Epping Forest as a hideout and his ghost has been seen riding through the trees. Traps Hill is said to be a good place to spot him - if you are so inclined!

A certain pool in the forest was the scene of murder over 300 years ago. Two young lovers used to meet there in secret. The father of the girl was against the relationship and murdered his daughter by the pool in a fit of anger. Her grief-stricken lover couldn't face life without her and killed himself at the very spot where she was murdered. Following this, the waters turned black and wildlife shunned the area. It was said that the pool had the power to make people commit suicide following the tragedy. 

Rumours of witch covens gathering in the woods for pagan rites persist.

Here's a link to an radio interview I did a couple of years ago. I was a guest of presenter, Leo Bonomo. www.blogtalkradio.com/leobonomo/2015/01/27/mediumship-readings-and-guests-guest-john-west-broadcaster-and-ghost-hunter

The town of Saxmundham in Suffolk can trace its origins back to the Saxons and was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. The name itself derives from the Saxon 'Seizmond's home'.

Top hat and tails.
A man in Victorian or Edwardian evening dress has been seen walking down the High Street. One man is reported to have seen him during a trip to the local fish and chip shop. Upon reaching the shop, he was told by other customers that this was not the first time this ghostly gentleman had been seen.

One house in the High Street has been the subject of paranormal activity for the last few years. Parts of the property date back to the 17th century and a visiting medium confirmed that at least six residents ghosts were active in the building. These included an old priest and a boy.

Orbs have been captured on camera, a woman's sigh has been heard and a duvet has been pulled off a bed late at night by unseen hands on two occasions.

Monk's Cottages
On South Entrance, beyond the crossroads, can be found a group of small houses bearing the name of Monk's Cottages. They date back to the 17th-century and once formed part of a much larger property. They were built on the site of 14th-century chapels - known as chantries - where priests said masses for the recently deceased, generally a benefactor to the chantry, in the belief this would help them pass on from Purgatory to Heaven.

​In 2000, one of the cottages was occupied by Doreen Pelletier. In that same year, she decided to clear her cellar of rubble and called in a group of builders to do the job. However, they soon began to complain of ghostly activity, including lights being switched on and off. They finally said enough was enough and quit, suggesting that she contact an exorcist.

Doreen learned that previous owners had also experienced ghostly activity in the property. One woman had even seen a figure on the stairs and had sought out an exorcist to clear the house. Doreen finally decided to contact the House Detectives - a BBC series devoted to investigating the history of old properties - who eventually confirmed that the cellar had indeed formed part of a chantry. Doreen also tried to take pictures of the cellar at the request of the BBC. It is interesting to note that her camera jammed and the film strangely rewound itself.

So does the phantom priest - if indeed it is a priest - walk the cottage still?

Harper's Lane

Two children claimed to have witnessed a group of dancing ladies, dressed in white muslin, in this narrow lane. They vanished after just a few seconds. This is supposed to have occurred in the early 20th century.

A few years ago I was a presenter on Felixstowe TV. One of the shows I did was called The East Anglian Ghost Hunters. It was basically a show devoted to investigating haunted sites in the region. One of our investigations took us to Leiston Abbey in Suffolk. 

We spoke to local pupils who told us about one particular area in the abbey where strange knockings and voices are heard at night. Searches of the area have always failed to provide a rational explanation!

Two members of the team also had a strange encounter with 'something' just off the ruins of the Chapter House. We had just finished filming when a black shape the size of a dog appeared from nowhere as they were discussing the day's events. It rushed passed them and vanished into a wall! Unfortunately, I was walking in front and so missed it! So what was it? Could it have been Black Shuck, the legendary ghost dog that is said to haunt East Anglia?

Black Shuck is common in East Anglia and there are recorded sightings of the ghostly dog dating back centuries. Shuck may derive from the Old English word scucca meaning "demon", or even possibly from the local dialect word shucky meaning "shaggy" or "hairy". Black Shuck is sometimes referred to as the Doom Dog, or "Grim".

It is interesting to note that a few years later some excavations were carried out at the Abbey and they found the skeleton of a large dog. Elliott O'Donnell, the author of many books on ghosts, also wrote of a dog haunting the ruins in the 1930's. 

Here's the film we made. ​

You would expect graveyards to be full of ghosts. However, this is not the case!

There is a tradition that only the spirit of the first person to be buried there is destined to haunt the place. Legend claims it has to protect the graves of all those who are buried after them. 

It is also said that flowers will grow on a grave if the person led a good life. Weeds growing on a grave point to the person being wicked in life. 

It is supposed to be bad luck to meet a funeral procession heading towards you. If this can't be avoided then hold onto a button until it passes and that should prevent any bad luck coming your way. A funeral procession should never return from the graveyard the same way it came. This is to prevent the spirit of the deceased from following the living home.