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Haunted Places in England
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
236 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
About the author
Elliott O'Donnell
208 books34 followersElliott O'Donnell was an Irish author known primarily for his books about ghosts. He claimed to have seen a ghost, described as an elemental figured covered with spots, when he was five years old. He also claimed to have been strangled by a mysterious phantom in Dublin.
He claimed descent from Irish chieftains of ancient times, including Niall of the Nine Hostages (the King Arthur of Irish folklore) and Red Hugh, who fought the English in the sixteenth century. O'Donnell was educated at Clifton College, England, and Queen's Service Academy, Dublin, Ireland.
In later life he became a ghost hunter, but first he traveled in America, working on a range in Oregon and becoming a policeman during the Chicago Railway Strike of 1894. Returning to England, he worked as a schoolmaster and trained for the theater. He served in the British army in World War I, and later acted on stage and in movies.
As he became known as an authority on the supernatural, he was called upon as a ghost hunter. He also lectured and broadcast (radio and television) on the paranormal in Britain and the United States. In addition to his more than 50 books, he wrote scores of articles and stories for national newspapers and magazines. He claimed "I have investigated, sometimes alone, and sometimes with other people and the press, many cases of reputed hauntings. I believe in ghosts but am not a spiritualist."
He claimed descent from Irish chieftains of ancient times, including Niall of the Nine Hostages (the King Arthur of Irish folklore) and Red Hugh, who fought the English in the sixteenth century. O'Donnell was educated at Clifton College, England, and Queen's Service Academy, Dublin, Ireland.
In later life he became a ghost hunter, but first he traveled in America, working on a range in Oregon and becoming a policeman during the Chicago Railway Strike of 1894. Returning to England, he worked as a schoolmaster and trained for the theater. He served in the British army in World War I, and later acted on stage and in movies.
As he became known as an authority on the supernatural, he was called upon as a ghost hunter. He also lectured and broadcast (radio and television) on the paranormal in Britain and the United States. In addition to his more than 50 books, he wrote scores of articles and stories for national newspapers and magazines. He claimed "I have investigated, sometimes alone, and sometimes with other people and the press, many cases of reputed hauntings. I believe in ghosts but am not a spiritualist."
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 21, 2020
Step right up, folks! COVID got you down? Afraid Halloween is going to be cancelled this year in a neighborhood near you? Well keep your chins up, my little homebound banshees, as I can tell by that shine in your eyes that you are just the type to enjoy a little ghost story or two! So get that apple out of your mouth--you don't know where the others have been! Ditch those awkward Halloween parties and their pandemic-spreading games! Stay home where it's warm and forget about those disappointing trick-or-treats! Take it from me, folks, put yourself in the mood for Halloween by taking a tour with Elliot O'Donnell of his "Haunted Places of England."
Your first stop will be at a house with an unusual piece of furniture--an armchair that reveals a terrible murder to those who dare recline in its welcoming ergonomics. Think ghosts are always the disembodied spirits of people previously departed? Well think again, my lost ghoulies, because your tour will include an old rectory haunted by the ghost of a poisonous Egyptian centipede!
You'll fall in love with a curvaceous young ghost while she makes her eternal trek down the path of a lonely hollow where she was once brutally murdered. She may not have a head, but you won't be looking at her face! Yes, my friends, for she has the most beautiful pair of hands that would make Rachmaninoff blush. What? I can see it must be a full moon, because we have some hungry little wolves in the audience tonight, you naughty kiddies!
Oh yes, and one of my personal favorite stops is at an old shoe cupboard with a ghastly surprise for those who open it. You'll also encounter such exotic wonders as a vicious tree elemental and an ancient demon of Borneo! And for you fans of hillbilly horror and chainsaw-wielding cannibals, refreshments will be provided at a cozy brookside farmhouse with a psychotic inbred family who serves an unusual brand of hospitality...
Yes, and believe it, Ladies and Gentlemen, what you shall witness on your haunted tour of England is horrific but 100% true, as bonafide as Washington's cherry tree, at least according to your host, that master of ghost hunters Elliot O'Donnell, who himself was attacked and almost strangled to death by a malignant spirit during his brave and illustrious career of bringing the TRUTH about our supernatural neighbors to the eager public!
Get your tickets now, folks, but leave your cameras at the hotel, because this is one tour where the mind's eye will be enough to leave images burned in your brain for many sleepless nights to come!
Your first stop will be at a house with an unusual piece of furniture--an armchair that reveals a terrible murder to those who dare recline in its welcoming ergonomics. Think ghosts are always the disembodied spirits of people previously departed? Well think again, my lost ghoulies, because your tour will include an old rectory haunted by the ghost of a poisonous Egyptian centipede!
You'll fall in love with a curvaceous young ghost while she makes her eternal trek down the path of a lonely hollow where she was once brutally murdered. She may not have a head, but you won't be looking at her face! Yes, my friends, for she has the most beautiful pair of hands that would make Rachmaninoff blush. What? I can see it must be a full moon, because we have some hungry little wolves in the audience tonight, you naughty kiddies!
Oh yes, and one of my personal favorite stops is at an old shoe cupboard with a ghastly surprise for those who open it. You'll also encounter such exotic wonders as a vicious tree elemental and an ancient demon of Borneo! And for you fans of hillbilly horror and chainsaw-wielding cannibals, refreshments will be provided at a cozy brookside farmhouse with a psychotic inbred family who serves an unusual brand of hospitality...
Yes, and believe it, Ladies and Gentlemen, what you shall witness on your haunted tour of England is horrific but 100% true, as bonafide as Washington's cherry tree, at least according to your host, that master of ghost hunters Elliot O'Donnell, who himself was attacked and almost strangled to death by a malignant spirit during his brave and illustrious career of bringing the TRUTH about our supernatural neighbors to the eager public!
Get your tickets now, folks, but leave your cameras at the hotel, because this is one tour where the mind's eye will be enough to leave images burned in your brain for many sleepless nights to come!
November 16, 2016
This book was full of some truly terrifying encounters with the supernatural. Some of the stories even creeped me out. Possibly sometime in the future I will read more of O'Donnell's works.
And for the best scare read the tales after dark.
And for the best scare read the tales after dark.
April 14, 2024
Some good stories
November 9, 2021
The title made me assume this must be a non-fiction book, when in fact it’s a collection of thirteen short fiction stories.
I found this a mixed bag in terms of quality. About half the tales are engaging, while some are too slow-paced, and one was so rambling and boring that I didn’t finish it.
My favourite story was ‘The Head’. It’s about a headless woman who walks the same road on certain dark nights. You’ll hear the ‘tap, tap’ of shoes, which gradually grows louder, until the ghost materialises. The author does a great job with creating an eerie atmosphere.
Certainly worth a read.
I found this a mixed bag in terms of quality. About half the tales are engaging, while some are too slow-paced, and one was so rambling and boring that I didn’t finish it.
My favourite story was ‘The Head’. It’s about a headless woman who walks the same road on certain dark nights. You’ll hear the ‘tap, tap’ of shoes, which gradually grows louder, until the ghost materialises. The author does a great job with creating an eerie atmosphere.
Certainly worth a read.
January 23, 2012
These true ghost tales from the late 1800s and the early 1900s are fun reads. The Victorians/Edwardians loved their ghost stories, and O'Donnell was very good at setting a creepy mood. I read this on my nook, and it was one of those free "scanned" books. Some scanned books are pretty unreadable, as words come out with jumbled or just plain wrong. This one has a few dodgy words, such as "relief" coming out as "reHef" but overall not bad.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews