Walk around ghoulish hot spots

Ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night are on the agenda in Maldon this winter with regular two and a half hour guided walks around the historic town's most haunted sites.

Maldon Ghost Tours, led by Sue Howard and Bruce Heath, takes groups of would-be ghost hunters to such ghoulish hot spots as The Vicarage which is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Monk. On one visit 15 members of the group claimed to have seen his eerie figure gazing out of a bedroom window.

Other places of interest include a haunted Thames barge, the High Street, where locals claim to have seen Black Shuck - the big black Devil dog known as the omen of death - crossing the road from a churchyard and disappearing as it reached the gutter opposite, and the old station building.

It's claimed that platform two is haunted by the ghost of a mother waiting in vain for her son to return from World War One, and ghostly moans and groans can be heard from the stairs from the spirit of an unfortunate soul who killed themselves by swallowing bleach.

The tours have been thoroughly researched by Sue and Bruce and have proved extremely popular.

Sue said: “It took a long time to prepare the walk as very little is written down: a lot of our information came from families who have lived in Maldon for generations. But every time we guide a walk, we find out about more haunted sites.”

“A lot of people really do believe in ghosts,” she continues, “and they want to know more and more, hence the popularity of the walks.”

The walks have to be pre-booked, and start from Butt Lane car park.

So, sceptic or believer, Maldon's less well-known citizens are waiting to introduce themselves.

- the walks cost £4 and the proceeds are donated to local charities. To book yourself onto a tour, contact Maldon Tourist Office on 01621 856503

Copyright Chris Penhall 2004

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