Haunted Castles of Britain and Ireland

by Richard Jones

This authoritative and accessible guide to haunted sites is illustrated throughout and includes extracts from original documents.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Paranormal, British Literature, Ghosts, Ireland, Reference

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Richard Jones is the author of 18 books, two of which (Uncovering Jack the Ripper’s London and Jack the Ripper: The Casebook) are about the 1888 Whitechapel Murders, and several others (Walking Dickensian London and History and Mystery London of which cover other aspects of East End history.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just reread this coffee-table book on haunted castles has made me homesick (even though American) for Great Britain and Ireland. Richard Jones’ Haunted Castles of Britain and Ireland with his informative narrative about each ‘haunted’ castle and John Mason’s striking photography of each castle is delightful way to spend some time learning history and dreaming about castles. I also discovered that I have stayed in one of the haunted castles to celebrate a birthday! Unfortunately for me I did not see the young female ghost, but my stay was perfect! The author chose passages of poetry by Tennyson, Sir Walter Scott, Poe, Emily Brontë, Thomas Hardy among others to introduce a particular area and its haunted castles. I definitely enjoyed reading those along with an ‘catchy’ epitaph written by Sir Walter Raleigh which introduces the book. Yes, I am a castle lover, and having a ghost or two just adds to one’s experience! 4 stars.

[Kate K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn’t expecting this to make my list this year 😅

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, loved the stories within. The photo's were just great. If you are intrested in real life hauntings, this book is good.

[Kevin Lemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had some really creepy stories! I served a two year LDS Church mission in Britain and was actually pretty close to some of these old castles.

[Fionnuala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not help but be reminded of the books about the paranormal I used to get out from the library as a kid: all full-page glossy photos with the text arranged around the images. It's a beautiful book with phenomenal photography and some nice poetical surprises as the chapter introductions, not to mention a thorough look at the history and hauntings of a nice range of castles.

It's heavier on the history than the ghosts, so if you're looking for straightforward ghost stories you might not find what you're looking for here. Often, the haunting is a paragraph or two at the end of the castle's history, which can itself range from a couple of paragraphs to several columns. Occasionally there will be more haunting that history, but I imagine it depends on what can be verified. Hauntings are fascinating, but many of them in such old places are straightforward -- if you don't want a book to be gimmicky or full of filler, you have to keep it short. I'm glad this book decided to go for short and sweet rather than sensationalised and overdone.

Thankfully, the history is also fascinating -- unsurprising, when you consider the age of these castles and everything they've witnessed. There's really a bit of everything in here: war, betrayal, heartbreak, humour, love, and everything else you can imagine from a place that's been inhabited for a thousand years. The entries never run on for too long, as this is very much the kind of book you could dip in and out of in a spare five minutes, but I sat down and read it cover to cover and didn't find it boring or repetitive in terms of its information. The author does have a few stock phrases he uses several times, but this isn't really apparent unless you binge the whole thing in quick succession, which is probably not what the author assumed people would do. Even so, it's hardly the crime of crimes.

As for the hauntings, they're all exactly what you'd hope for. I really appreciated how this book didn't sensationalise the hauntings, but just presented them in the same way as the rest of the castle's history. There was no cheesy wording or embellishing, and the author's passion and respect for the subject was clear. It's really a "check it out and see for yourself" endorsement, and I fully intend to visit a few of these on the list. There is a handy guide for each castle, stating if it can be visited, if there's an admission fee, if you can stay overnight, etc, but bear in mind this book was released in the early 2000s, so it would be good to check before you travel.

A solid contribution to the many books about Britain and Ireland's many ghosts, and very pleasing to look at as well. I know I mentioned it before, but genuinely the photography is brilliantly atmospheric.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I find the actual living people of the past often to be way more scary then the supposed ghost.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful. However, the endless parade of beheadings, suicides, and other grisly deaths get a bit mind-boggling.

[susan soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was sitting on my coffee table. i would say it's a solid 3.5 star book, fun for coffee tables.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked knowing a little of the castles in Britain,Ireland and Scotland and some of the tails. But I found it hard to keep reading it because the author used a lot of the same words or phrases when describing something. Plus I am not sure if the locals also called some of the ghost as for example "white lady" but there seems to be a lot of these "White Lady" ghost in almost every castle it seems. But is that what they are called in general or what the author of the book called them.

I would go visit some of the sites that are in the book. But I think I might asked the people if they had names or different names for the ghost. Plus I was not aware that ghost can travel to one place to another. I will not say which ghost just so I do not spoil the book a little.

would I recommend this book to friends only if they where into ghost stories a little and wanted a fast read if they could get into it.

[Karlie Nyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Lots of interesting places to discover, and this book just opens the door on each of them, just enough to pique your interest even more than it was by reading this book. :)

[Souly Peerage · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book. I Love the pictures from all the Locations and the stories the hide inside