From the most haunted village in the country to creepy castles, Kent has many dark, sinister secrets.

We take at look at some of the most eerie locations in the county in the run up to Halloween.

BLUE BELL HILL

It’s just over half of a century since the deaths of Susan Browne and her two friends. On November 19, 1965, the 22-year-old was returning from her hen night when her Ford Cortina spun out of control on Blue Bell Hill, colliding with a Jaguar heading the other way. Susan was due to marry RAF technician Brian Wetton the following day.

The triple fatality led to a mysterious legacy where spooky happenings were reported throughout the 1960s and 1970s, although ghostly sightings at Blue Bell Hill are said to date back to the 1930s.

One example is from James Skene. In 1972 he was driving home from work when a girl in her early 20s suddenly appeared in front of his car. He gave her a lift to Chatham, but when she got out she disappeared.

Event: Blue Bell Hill ghost walks can be booked for day or night, for groups of more than five. More details here

PLUCKLEY

A visit to picturesque Pluckley is not for the faint-hearted - as it holds the honour of being England’s most haunted village. Over the years, sightings have been both prolific and horrific. Sixteen ghosts are said to roam the village. At a spot dubbed Fright Corner, the shadow of highwayman Robert du Bois, who was killed by villagers, is said to lurk. Another well-known local tale is of the Watercress Woman. It’s said she is the spirit of an elderly woman who burnt to death when she fell asleep smoking a pipe.

ST AUGUSTINE'S PRIORY

Today, the priory in Bislington is one of the county’s top wedding venues where couples leave happily, hand in hand. However, that may not have always been the case. It is said that in the 1930s a young couple stopped off at the priory to ask for help, as their horse had lost its shoe. The man went with the farmer’s wife to re-shoe the horse, leaving his wife in the company of a dog in the priory. Shortly after, the dog began to cry and a group of monks suddenly appeared before appearing to walk up a hidden staircase. However, the farmer’s wife seemed totally unfazed and said the phantom monks were in fact regular visitors to her rooms. Another of the priory’s dark secrets is that of the evil Black Canon who was bricked up behind a wall as punishment for a hideous crime. Visitors to the priory have since reported hearing the sound of knocking coming from the walls, which is believed to be the Black Canon attempting to escape.

HEVER CASTLE

It’s widely believed that the castle’s most famous former resident, Anne Boleyn, still roams the immaculately manicured gardens. In 1536 the young queen was beheaded on Henry VIII’s orders, after being found guilty of incest and adultery - her head is said to have come off with one single stroke. Having grown-up with her siblings at Hever Castle, it is believed that her ghost returned there to spend eternity at the place where she was most happy.

Event: Head to Hever Castle for a Ghastly Goblins and Ghouls event this half term. Children are invited to come in their scariest fancy dress and there’s a range of spooky activities to enjoy. It runs from Saturday, October 22 until Sunday, October 30. More details here

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

Despite the 12th century cathedral being famous for Thomas Becket’s brutal murder in 1170, it is the ghost of another archbishop that is said to be lurking in the towers and cloisters at Canterbury. Simon Sudbury was murdered by Wat Tyler, head of the tyrannical Peasant’s Revolt, in 1381. Sudbury was dragged to a hill by the Tower of London and beheaded after eight blows to his neck. The archbishop’s body was afterwards buried in Canterbury Cathedral, although his head – after being taken down from a spike on London Bridge – is still kept at a church in Suffolk. Sudbury, a pale man with a long grey beard, is said to haunt the tower that bears his name at the cathedral.

Ghostly tour: Historian John Hippisley runs 90-minute ghost tours around Canterbury on Friday and Saturday nights. He said: “From witch burning to the persecution of religious martyrs and with history going back to before Roman times, Canterbury is a likely place to feel a spectral hand, grasping at you in the dark.”

You can book a 90-minute ghost walk with John here

RECULVER TOWERS

There’s a lot more to the imposing Reculver Towers on the North Kent coast, near Herne Bay, than meets the eye. Over the centuries, many visitors have reported hearing the eerie sound of a baby crying and the ghostly apparitions of Roman soldiers have been glimpsed patrolling between the two towers. In 1966, the skeletons of a clutch of babies were unearthed by archaeologists buried deep beneath the walls of a barrack block. Researchers have speculated that these were ritual sacrifices to ensure the protection of the fort from the spirit world.

More details on the towers here

BROADSTAIRS

Here’s a more recent ghost sighting. In 2010, a murky figure was seen by Malcolm Baker in the Kingsgate Castle area of the town. Dressed in white, the figure looked like a nurse dressed in 1950s uniform. Mr Baker, a local artist, was in the area at the time and took this picture of the sighting.

He said: “There might be a totally innocent explanation, but it was very strange.
“It was a really horrible cold and wet day in December. I made a note of the fact that there was no one around at all because of the weather. I took three photos in very quick succession and the figure only appears in one.

“If it had been someone standing outside the chalets, especially dressed in bright white clothing at that time of year, I am in no doubt I would have noticed, even if it was briefly. I didn’t see anyone at the time, it was only when I got the photos out to start on the painting again.”

The town has also had reports of a ghostly nun in white on the beach, as well as several other sightings from the afterlife in recent years.

“Broadstairs is said to be home to the ghost of a young girl who drowned in 1860 down by the old pier,” said Kent ghost expert John Hippisley. “I have seen the ghost of a little boy in the former school house behind Charles Dickens’ former home of Fort House (said to be the setting for Charles Dickens’ Bleak House) on the Esplanade.”

More on this story here

ROYAL VICTORIA AND BULL HOTEL

An urban myth has built up around this old coaching inn in Dartford town centre. Ghostly residents are said to include a cavalier – whose presence is smelt from the cigar he smokes – and a dog that helpfully warms the feet of guests. However, the most repeated stories are of the ghost of a petulant eight-year-old who is said to still stalk the grade II listed building’s corridors. The girl, Winifred, is said to have died of tuberculosis in the hotel. Her ghost has been reported to have smashed windows and glasses in response to changes at the hotel – something she detests.

Event: Winifred may not like it, but the hotel is holding a Halloween event on Saturday, October 29. More details here

DOVER CASTLE

This historic fortress is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in England – the ancient stones towers and dark tunnels all having had sightings of strange apparitions or unexplained noises reported. It’s believed that a headless drummer boy who was murdered still strolls the castle in the dead of night. Local legend says he is 15-year-old Sean Flynn who arrived late one evening with his drum and the money to pay the garrison. Two men violently attacked him as he entered the gates, hacking off his head with a knife.

Event: Haunted Castle runs from Saturday, October 22 until Sunday, October 30. Join in on a fun day full of frights. More information here

CHISLEHURST CAVES

This labyrinth of man-made tunnels forms a twisting maze covering over the size of around six football stadiums, buried 30m below the woodlands above. The dark, eerie caves have supposedly had poltergeist activity as well as numerous sightings dating back years. These range from a woman who drowned many years ago in a pool deep in the tunnels, to a cavalier, a horse, a woman pushing a pram, a druid, an imp and even a black dog.
Entrance to the caves is by guided tour only.

More details here