Upon visiting Silent Pool, located at the foot of the North Downs, it is almost impossible not to be taken aback by its ethereal tranquillity and serene beauty. But beneath the still, spring fed waters lies a dark tale of royal lust and the tragic death of a woodcutter’s daughter who is said to haunt the Silent Pool to this day.

The infamous King John of England was often described as ‘spiteful’, ‘cruel’ and ‘petty’, but worse than that, he has been rumoured to be linked with the death of a local girl.

It is said that the King abducted a woodcutter’s daughter and took her to Silent Pool on his horse where his unwanted advances forced her into the deep water leading to her tragically drowning. Another version of the story tells of the fair maiden bathing in the pool upon which the King approached on his horse. As she had no time to return to the bank to dress, she waded to the deepest part of the lake to cover her naked body. The King tried luring the beautiful woman out of the water and on failing that, rode into the water to get her, eventually sealing the watery fate of the girl in Silent Pool’s murky depths.

According to the legend, the poor maiden can be seen at midnight, lamenting her death and the fearful circumstances that drove her to it. Some say that they have seen her pale figure floating on the surface of the lake, others have just been haunted by her desperate pleas for help caught on the wind.

Not only that but in December 1926 it was reported that renowned crime writer, Agatha Christie, was feared to have drowned in the Silent Pool after her car was discovered at nearby Newlands Corner. Even now, her whereabouts during the time of her disappearance are unknown.

Visit this eerie site of natural beauty and decide for yourself, hauntingly beautiful, or just haunted?

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

Image sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/nwcgmk7

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Tunsgate Arch in Guildford High Street is one of our town’s most regal features. The enormous columns stand tall and proud over the cobbled High Street and its almost Grecian appearance whispers of the centuries of Guildford’s history that the arch has borne witness to.

This dark and terrifying story begins in 1684 with the birth of Christopher Slaughterford. Slaughterford worked hard to gain good prospects and lived with his aunt in Shalford, when he began to court Jane Young after he reached manhood. Miss Young was simply a poor servant girl, but she was considered a fine catch due to her sweet nature and gentle beauty and the two seemed set for a life of happiness. But of course, it was not meant to be.

On October 5, 1708, Slaughterford and Young were walking together through Loseley Park, a perfectly normal activity for a sweet young couple at the time. Slaughterford returned home that evening, but Jane Young did not. People jokingly asked Slaughterford if he had killed her, but the jokes became earnest accusations when, after days had gone past, Miss Young was still nowhere to be seen. Slaughterford proclaimed his innocence, and even took himself before two justices of the peace to clear his name. They sent him home and told him to wait for Miss Young there.

In early November, 1708, Jane Young was finally found. She was lying face down in a sandpit in Loseley Park; her body was severely decomposed, but it was determined that she had been beaten badly and strangled. Of course Christopher Slaughterford was tried for her murder, though he was found innocent and acquitted.

Slaughterford returned to Guildford and began to rebuild his life, and this would prove to be his downfall. Jane Young’s family, though poor, had worked and saved until they finally had enough money for a second trial, a private prosecution by appeal. This time, Slaughterford was found guilty and sentenced to hang by the neck until dead.

Though many urged him to confess, this seemed only to strengthen Slaughterford’s resolve that he had done nothing wrong, he had not killed Jane Young.

On Sunday July 9, gallows were erected in the yard of the Three Tuns, now Tunsgate Arch and Slaughterford was escorted there on the back of a cart. He ascended the gallows, and part of his final deposition read as follows:

Being brought here to die… I thought myself obliged to let the world know… that I know nothing of the death of Jane Young, nor how she came by her death – directly or indirectly. However I freely forgive all my enemies and pray to God to give them a due sense of their errors and in due time to bring the truth to light.

Before the executioner had a chance to remove the ladder and send him to his death, Slaughterford jumped, killing himself before he could be executed. The audience would have no doubt believed this to be the end of the affair.

Two nights later on July 11, Roger Valler, one of Slaughterford’s chief accusers was making his way home which was in close proximity to the spot where Slaughterford had been hanged. Valler, all of a sudden, felt a great chill down the back of his neck, and the terrified man turned to find a truly ungodly sight before him. There stood the spirit of Christopher Slaughterford, holding a flaming torch in one hand with the cut rope around his neck billowing in a non-existent breeze. Slaughterford cried out “Vengeance! Vengeance!” and Valler ran for his life. He was pursued by Slaughterford all the way to his house, whereupon the spectre vanished in a burst of flames as soon as a delirious Valler crossed the threshold of his home.

At the same time as Valler’s awful experience, Christopher Slaughterford was seen again, this time by his former servant, Joseph Lee. Lee was walking along the bottom of the High Street when he saw Slaughterford’s ghost. This time Slaughterford carried a sword and lamented: “Oh cruel Joseph!” three times before vanishing down the Shambles.

The old adage about bad things coming in threes is leant some weight by Christopher Slaughterford appearing for a third time that same night, this last time to his aunt as she was milking the cow. She described her nephew as appearing as solid and real as he had done in real life. He did not speak, he simply pointed to the rope around his neck, tears in his eyes.

Was it a miscarriage of justice? Or was Slaughterford truly the cruel murderer who robbed Miss Young of her short life? We may never know. But what we do know is that the reports of ghostly goings on and strange apparitions in Tunsgate Arch have continued over the centuries. Many report feeling a cold breeze down their neck, much as Valler did. Others report eerie whispers of “Vengeance!” And some even tell of hearing a strange creaking, perhaps like the creaking that a rope would make while a body slowly swung from the gallows. When the moon is high and the air is still, who would be brave enough to chance coming upon this vengeful spirit? And who knows if Slaughterford still seeks to repay the wrongs done to him?

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

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Guildford Museum can be located just down the road from another haunted Guildford location – the Kings Head pub. Quarry Street is a strange and adorable combination of different buildings and styles with a long and varied history, but it also has a long history of strange sounds, sightings and spine tingling legends.

The museum was originally built as a house, but in the late 19th century, part of the building was converted into a girl’s school. It is around this time that the chilling reports began; piano music could be heard drifting down from the top floor, followed by footsteps and a loud, sudden bang on the floor. As well as these eerie noises, a strange and hazy figure had been seen on multiple occasions going to and from number 48, a figure who seemed blurred around the edges and slightly translucent.

These sounds and sightings remained a mystery until a scandal was brought to light by one scared individual. A few years prior, the music teacher at the school, in a fit of despair, hanged herself in a room on the top floor of No. 48, now a part of the Guildford Museum.

As well as this tragic tale of the teacher, there were also rumours of the unearthing of skeletal remains during refurbishments in the 1950’s. These were supposedly of a man and a young child, though these reports cannot be verified.

Given the dark history of Guildford Museum, we cannot help but wonder if that cold chill experienced by some visitors is really just a draft? Or is it ghostly fingers warning of dark deeds from the past haunting the present?

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

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This legend – so named due to the lack of records substantiating Lorna’s existence – has all the ingredients of a tragic and terrifying tale.

The story goes that at the end of the 1600’s, just after the purchase of the first Quaker property in Guildford, there lived a rich Quaker widower in a large house where Sainsbury’s car park now stands. The widower was lucky enough to be blessed with a sweet and beautiful nineteen year old daughter named Lorna. Lorna had been courting a young local man, of whom her father greatly disapproved. He disapproved strongly because this young man was Anglican. The man also refused to convert to the Quakers at the behest of Lorna. Lorna’s father decided to make one last attempt to convert his daughters’ suitor, and so invited him to a Christmas meal at their home.

During the meal Lorna’s father began to interrogate the poor boy on his prospects, his family and his religious beliefs. Understandably, the young man finally snapped and the discussion became a furious row. The young man stormed out and Lorna was distraught. After rowing with her father herself, Lorna charged from the house weeping hysterically and by the time that her father sought his bed she had not returned. He assumed that his traitorous daughter was seeking solace in the arms of her young man, perhaps they would run away together. Sadly this was not the case.

The next day, Lorna was found at the foot of the cliff in Rack’s Close. Many of her bones were broken and she had been lying in freezing conditions for hours. Did she throw herself off the cliff, insane with despair? Had something more sinister occurred? No one knew except for Lorna, but unfortunately Lorna died from her injuries several hours later after being moved to her fathers’ home. In one final act of spite, her father refused to allow her to be buried in the family plot, thus cementing his daughters’ fate as an uneasy spirit.

For centuries reports have flooded in, of a grey lady seen walking by Castle Arch and down what is now Sydenham Road and towards Rack’s Close. The figure enters the trees weeping softly and does not reappear, though her cries seem to fill the air. It is said that poor Lorna is doomed to relive the night of her death over and over, echoing the cold and bitter night upon which she died.

Do you dare venture back down to Rack’s Close? When the air is still and dark and the ground is frosty, are you brave enough to chance encountering one of Guildford’s most infamous spectral residents..?

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

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With parts of Guildford’s most historic Hotel – The Angel – dating back to the 13th century, it would be more of a surprise if there weren’t any reports of ghostly happenings and strange spectral visitations! However, what is interesting about the hauntings of the Angel Hotel, is the consistency of the reports and of course the fame of some of the guests relaying the tales.

In November of 1969, a female guest was staying overnight in The Prince Imperial of France room, (Room 1, which has since been renamed the Freidburg Suite). This is the most expensive and prestigious room in the hotel, situated over the arch and looking down upon Guildford’s trademark cobbled High Street.

At around 8pm the female guest telephoned down to reception, however, when the receptionist answered, the woman was silent on the other end of the line. Concerned, the receptionist immediately went to check on the lady in question and found her in a strange state indeed. The female guest was stood, frozen in place. She still had the phone receiver in her hand, but had such a look of fear on her face that the receptionist was taken aback. After coaxing it out of the guest, the receptionist was told of how there was ‘something’ behind the mirror. The lady was adamant and demanded to change rooms, a request which was immediately granted.

A Mr Dell and his wife, upon staying in the same room, saw a similarly strange apparition in the form of a European soldier, in full uniform, standing inside of the mirror itself. They checked inside the wardrobe upon which the mirror hung, just in case this had been some kind of optical illusion, but found nothing. The next morning Mr Dell and his wife relayed the story, whereupon an astounded Collin Anderson, assistant manager at the time, reported having seen the same thing.

In 1973 the Angel hotel played host to one of its more famous guests: James Bond himself, Mr Roger Moore. For the first two nights of his stay, Mr Moore was awoken at precisely 2am by an icy chill invading his room and the sight of a white misty figure gliding through the heavy oak door towards his bedside. At one point, finally recovering himself from the shock, Roger Moore actually addressed the spectre by asking it if he could help it. The figure simply vanished. On the third night Roger entered his room to find the bible open to Psalm 23, (The Lord Is My Shepherd). That night he slept peacefully, entirely undisturbed. The next morning a maid asked him how he slept and upon hearing that he had been undisturbed, the maid commented that it was common knowledge that the spirit hated that Psalm, though the reason for this supposed hatred is unknown.

Sights of both the continental soldier and the strange spectre continued to be reported in Room 1 well into the 1980’s, until the Angel Hotel changed hands. A great deal of the old furniture was removed, including the grand old wardrobe with the mirror upon it in room 1. Since the removal of the wardrobe the soldier has not been spotted and no more sleeping guests of the Freidburg Suite have been disturbed by icy chills or white figures.

However, it is not just Room 1 that has its ghostly residents, voices have been heard from unseen mouths, calling out to staff; as well as a nun smelling sweetly of lavender stalking the halls and vanishing. Though none of the spirits sighted have seemed intent on causing any harm, it is clear that the dead nonetheless stalk the beautiful aged halls of the Angel Hotel.

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

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The woman in white is a legend famous around the world, and eerily similar in every case. She is known as the woman in white, the wailing woman, the lady in white and in Mexico, La Lorena. She is a spectral woman clothed all in white, and whenever she is spotted she seems to be searching for something, opinions differ on whether it is her lost love or her missing children. In every case she is seen near a body of water.

Now, if you have ever found yourself perhaps walking from Quarry Street to the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre or the River Wey, then maybe you will be familiar with Rosemary Alley. A romantic cascade of steps leading down towards the river overhung by Tudor and Georgian architecture; it seems to be but another of Guildford’s quaint features.

But Rosemary Alley was not its original name, it used to be known as ‘Pisspot Alley’, for it was essentially an open sewer.

Stretching back for many years there have been reports of a ghostly woman, dressed all in white, walking from one building, No. 8, through the air above Rosemary Alley and into the other building, No. 6. It is unknown what this haunting figure is searching for but if you are ever travelling down what was once Pisspot Alley at night, keep your eyes open for Guildford’s very own ‘Woman in White’, a tragic and mysterious figure.

It is also worth mentioning that at the foot of Rosemary Alley, where the drama studios once sat, there was in fact a mortuary, closed as recently as the 1960s. But you have to wonder, how many of the poor deceased that passed through those doors are truly at rest and how many still wander that ground lamenting their fate like the poor woman in white?

Charli Aisha Harris

With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford

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