What folklore and ghosts are there in Suffolk
Ghosts, ghouls and devil dogs await you in Suffolk
Suffolk, with its beautiful countryside, stunning coast and picturesque villages, is a place of tranquillity and peace. But there’s another side to Suffolk. Beneath that idyllic façade there’s mystery, intrigue, tragedy and ghosts.
The ghostly monks of Bury St Edmunds Abbey
The old gatehouse and ruins of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds are known to be one of the most spiritually charged locations in the UK. It’s said that if you’re in the Abbey Gardens on a quiet, dark night, with a full moon above you, look closely and you will ghostly monks going about their business as they did before the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
There’s safety in numbers, so why not take a Bury St Edmunds ghostly tour.
Where to stay: The Angel.
A model in the museum of how Dunwich once was
Britain’s very own Atlantis… and sailor ghost
Stand on the clifftop at Dunwich and listen out for the sound of church bells emanating mournfully from beneath the waves.
Go back 800 hundred years and in front of you would have been one of the largest and most prosperous ports in the country, grown rich on exports of wood and grain and imports of wine from France, fine cloth from Holland and fish, furs and timber from Scandinavia.
Things began to change on January 1, 1286 when a storm surge hit the sheltered harbour and damaged buildings. There were two further surges the following year, and in 1347 and 1362, two huge storms that took the remainder of the town under the waves.
Now, Britain’s Lost City, our own Atlantis, lies beneath the North Sea… but listen for those ghostly bells.
Watch out on Dunwich beach for the melancholy ghost of a brightly-dressed Elizabethan sailor who is said to be looking for his lost love. Forlorn, he is said to then board a spectral ship, not unlike the Ghost Ship on the bottle of one of local brewer Adnams’ beers.
Where to stay: The Anchor at Walberswick, Haw Wood Farm, The Westleton Crown, High Lodge Leisure
Rendlesham Forest
Suffolk’s own X Files drama and the Shug Monkey
At Rendlesham Forest discover the UFO Trail, following a 1980 incident, dubbed ‘Britain’s Roswell’, when US servicemen on patrol from RAF Woodbridge saw bright lights descend into the woods. They witnessed a glowing object that was metallic in appearance with coloured lights but as they approached, the lights zoomed off and animals in a nearby farm ‘went into a frenzy’.
In the following days, servicemen returned to the spot and discovered triangular impressions on the ground, as well as broken tree branches and burn marks, and a higher than average radiation reading. No explanation has ever been found.
Also, if you’re in Rendlesham Woods, watch out of the Shug Monkey, a fantastical beast that’s part muscular bear, part enormous ape. One witness, in the 1960s, said she stared at the beast in horror as it shimmered and then shifted its shape to become a winged gargoyle, taking flight into the darkness.
Where to stay: Ufford Park, The Crown at Woodbridge
Black Shuck weather vein at Bungay
Black Shuck and the Devil’s Claws
Head to Blythburgh’s Holy Trinity Church, known as the Cathedral of the Marshes, and discover the scorch marks on the front doors, the ‘Devil’s Claws’, that were created by a huge snarling dog with blood-red eyes… Black Shuck.
On August 4, 1577, a terrible storm hit Blythburgh and the villagers found sanctuary in the church. With rain hammering on the stained glass windows and thunder rocking the walls and roof, the oak doors suddenly burst open and the villagers were confronted by a savage black dog which jumped into and terrified natives and wreaked havoc.
Another story of Holy Trinity Church Blythburgh is that all its windows were blown out in 1944 by an explosion that killed a member of the Kennedy clan who should have been the President of the United States.
What is the legend of Black Shuck in East Anglia
Where to stay: The Anchor, Walberswick
Orford Castle
The Wild Man of Orford
The Wild Man of Orford was chronicled in the 12th century by the medieval historian Ralph of Coggeshall. According to Ralph's story, in the year 1167 a ‘wild man’ was discovered trapped by fishermen in their nets off the coast at Orford Ness.
Taken to Orford Castle, the wild-haired, bearded creature was described as naked, with skin ‘roughened like a wild beast’ and feet that were ‘callous and hard like a horse's hooves’.
The Wild Man was interrogated to get details of who he was and where he came from, but the noises he made were unintelligible, and he seemed to have no knowledge of the land.
The Wild Man was imprisoned in the newly-built Orford Castle and fed a diet of raw fish. Some thought he was the spirit of a drowned sailor, others that he was a merman. He was put in a fenced area in the sea to see what he would do, upon which he escaped underwater, and was never seen again.
At the Church of St Bartholomew in Orford, you can still see a small stone Wild Man at the base of the font.
Where to stay: The Crown and Castle, Orford
The ghoul of Potsford Wood
Potsford Wood, off the B1078 near Wickham Market, is the site of an infamous gibbet, an iron cage where the bodies of executed criminals hanged in the wood were left to rot. The last person to face justice here was Jonah Snell on April 14, 1699, who had attacked and killed John Bullard and his son at Letheringham Water Mill. It’s said his corpse remained in the gibbet until 1740.
In the 1980s a lorry driver walked to the spot and while reading the plaque on where the gibbet stood, felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face a skeleton of the cold-blooded murderer, hooded and robed. In 1997 a couple whose car had broken down nearby reported being harassed by a black figure that moaned at them from the woods.
You can see the plaque today – but you might want to go in daylight… if at all.
Where to stay: Partridge Lodge, Ufford Park
Bungay market place
Bungay, the Satanist capital of the UK
Closely linked to the fearsome Black Shuck hellhound, Bungay also has a claim to be the 'Satanist capital of the UK', according to the 2021 census which asked people their religious beliefs. Bungay, in the peaceful Waveney Valley, has the highest concentration of devil worshippers in the UK, with 70 of the 8,500 people living there identifying as devil-worshippers – that’s one in every 120 residents. The national average is one in every 12,000 identifying as a Satanist.
Where to stay: Hippersons, Beccles
Is Westleton home to the Devil?
St Peter’s Church in Westleton, built around 1340, is suspected to be the home of the devil – he’s said to reside in a small grating beside the priest’s door. If you want evidence, find the 14th century flattened ‘witch’s stone’ gravestone over which no moss or grass will grow, place a handkerchief in the grate and using he witch’s stone as a bae, run seven times anti-clockwise around the church without looking at the grate… when you return the handkerchief will disappeared and you’ll hear the Devil’s chains rattling beneath the church.
Who knows if it’s true. Why not find out for yourselves…
Where to stay: The Crown at Westleton
The haunted Swan at Lavenham
Ghosts as guests in pubs…
The picturesque Swan Hotel in Wool Town Lavenham is said to be the home of a jilted bride. In the 19th century, a housekeeper at the hotel is said to have fallen pregnant out of wedlock. But after the child’s father said he would marry the pregnant woman, he left her at the altar. Distraught, she is said to have hanged herself in the housekeepers’ lodgings at the hotel. Sightings of the woman have been reported by guests woken in the dead of night.
The Bildeston Crown is claimed to be the home of four friendly ghosts: a grey lady who waves to guests from an upstairs window, two children who try to hold the hands of guests, and a ghostly old man who sits in the corner of the bar.
Hintlesham Hall Hotel near Ipswich is said to be haunted by a young girl, who was starved to death by her evil stepmother when her family owned the building in the 18th century. Her ghostly spirit roams the hotel to this day.
The ghost of Gun Hill, Southwold
The cannon at Gun Hill, Southwold is a popular Instagram moment for visitors today, but it’s also the scene of a grizzly death and a ghost who can still be seen today.
The last recorded date of firing was in 1842 to celebrate the birthday of the then Prince of Wales. One gunner, a James Martin, was tasked with reloading one of the cannons, but due to a misfire it hadn’t gone off… until he looked down the barrel, leaving behind a widow and three children with no means of support.
Today, on a quiet night, a headless soldier can be seen on Gun Hill.
Frequently asked questions
- Have UFOs been seen in Suffolk?
Unidentified lights were seen at Rendlesham Forest near RAF Woodbridge in December 1980, an incident that had all the hallmarks of a UFO incident. In fact, it has been dubbed 'Britain's Roswell'.
Today, there's a UFO Trail you can follow.
- What is Black Shuck?
Black Shuck is a mythical hellhound which terrorised Blythburgh and Bungay in 1577.
Read more on our blog What is the legend of Black Shuck in East Anglia
- Where is the spookiest place in Suffolk?
The spookiest place in Suffolk is undoubtedly Bury St Edmunds, which guides run Spooky Tours.
- What is Suffolk's Lost City?
Suffolk's Lost City, our very own Atlantis, is beneath the North Sea at Dunwich. Now a one-street village with a few homes and a pub, Dunwich in medieval times was one of the biggest and most prosperous ports in the country... until devastating storms washed it away.
Read more on our blog Where is Suffolk’s Lost City?
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