Unlike America, Europe is old…like, really old.
One of the most fascinating things about visiting Europe is the history you can see everywhere: old castles, monuments, battlefields, and villages that are all over the countryside. In America, our oldest structures are maybe two or three hundreds years old. In Europe, their old buildings can date back thousands of years.
Combine this with the fact that Europe used to be a very violent place and you have the perfect recipe for extremely haunted structures. One of the creepiest of the these structures is Chillingham Castle, located in Northern England on the border with Scotland.
First of all, its name is Chillingham Castle.
It was settled in the 12th century before becoming a fully fortified castle in the 14th century.
Because of its strategic position along the border with Scotland and its proximity to the sea, Chillingham Castle played an important role in England’s bloody war with Scotland in the 14th century.
The castle was repeated attacked by the Scottish army and by raiding parties heading south.
Likewise, Chillingham Castle was a staging area for British armies heading north to fight the Scots.
Chillingham Castle was also the site of horrific mass tortures and executions during England’s war with Scotland. A fully equipped torture chamber in the castle basement (which is currently on display to the public) was where it all happened.
The devices in the torture chamber included a stretching rack, a bed of nails, a spiked chair, an Iron Maiden, thumb screws, chains, leg irons, cages, man traps and branding irons.
During a three year period, it’s estimated that at least 7,500 Scots (including men, women, and children of all ages) met their end in this dungeon.
However, despite the disturbing history of Chillingham Castle, there has recently been renewed interest in restoring the old castle. While the process is ongoing, part of the castle is now open to the public as a museum.
(via The Vintage News)
Not only can you visit Chillingham Castle, they even offer ghost tours.
“The Blue boy, poor, wandering, Lady Mary, a tortured child, the Royal procession and so many other famous stories…Chillingham retains them all because the Castle stays calm and unaltered ever since ancient battling days.“
Hopefully, visitors ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
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