From ghostly medieval monks to the infamous Grey Lady, the historic town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk offers chills and thrills galore throughout the autumn spooky season.
Could it be the most haunted place in Britain? There are evening ghost walks, eerie forest trails, a haunted village and churchyard, stories of medieval witch trials and a host of spooktacular events.
Home to notorious witch trials, the town also took a very dark turn between 1599 and 1694 when the Great Witch Craze swept through Europe and the European colonies in America. This led to England’s largest witch trial in 1645 when 140 people were brought to the town by cart and 16 women and two men were accused of witchcraft and executed.
A further trial in 1662 resulted in the jury finding two elderly widows guilty on 13 charges of using malevolent witchcraft and sentenced to death by hanging. This trial had a powerful and tragic influence on the continuing persecution of witches in England and the American colonies. The case became a model for the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, when the magistrates were looking for proof that ‘spectral evidence’, based on dreams and visions, could be used in a court of law.
To find out more about the Bury St Edmunds witch trials along with local superstitions visit the town centre Moyse’s Hall Museum, or read on for some spine-tingling events during the town’s spooky season…
Guided walking tour from Halloween to March
The Ghostly and Macabre Walks begin at Halloween, Thursday 31st October, and continue on Friday evenings until March 2025. Lasting 90 minutes, they start at 6.30pm, 6.45pm and 7pm meeting outside Marks & Spencer in Buttermarket.
For more details about the guided walks and how to book visit www.burystedmundstourguides.org or call 01284 758000; they are only suitable for adults and children aged 14+, all under 18s must be supervised by an adult. Any special access requirements must be advised in advance, with regret dogs cannot be accepted on these tours, apart from assistance dogs.
Ghost stories by Candlelight at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds 6th October
Go along to Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds on Monday, 6th October for a chilling evening of Even More…Ghost Stories by Candlelight. The HighTide and Pentabus co-production, in association with Harlow Playhouse, features four brand new spooky stories from award-winning writers Florence Espeut-Nickless, Simon Longman, Anne Odeke and Rosa Torr drawing the audience into the secretive corners of east and west England. Directed by Elle While.
For more details and to book tickets priced at £18 per person visit www.theatreroyal.org or call 01284 769505.
Grisly interactive displays at medieval Moyse’s Hall Museum
Housed in a town centre medieval building Moyse’s Hall Museum offers a fascinating view into the past plus the notorious Red Barn Murder, local superstitions and witchcraft as well as prison paraphernalia. Step inside a gibbet cage, try on a ball and chain for size, experience the smells of history including the wretched tanner’s pits, handle thumbscrews, try on manacles and pick up a Norman sword.
The Museum’s ground floor features six Terrible Tales by Terry Deary, best-selling author of the popular Horrible Histories books. Every story links back to an artefact, bringing the museum’s stories to life.
Displays from the Red Barn Murder include the murder weapon, killer William Corder’s scalp and a book bound in his skin. There’s a disease box where visitors can smell a pus ridden hand and a gibbet cage for John Nichols who was executed in 1794. Gruesome interactive displays include a dissection table where you can delve inside ‘a body’ to find intestines and the heart among other horrors.
For prices and opening times visit www.moyseshall.org or call 01284 757160
Witchcraft and Cunning Folk talk at Moyse’s Hall Museum 24th October
A talk by Dr Tabitha Stanmore, one of the nation’s leading historians on the subject of witchcraft and cunning folk, will be held at Moyse’s Hall Museum on Friday, 24th October. Step into the supernatural world of 16th and 17th century England where magic was real and the Devil was known to walk down the road. In this talk, Dr Stanmore will explore the role that magic played in everyday life. The tension between malevolent witches, pious priests and helpful cunning folk sounds like it should come right out of a story – but real history can be even stranger than fiction. Dr Tabitha Stanmore is the author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic and Love Spells and Lost Treasure: Service Magic in England from the Later Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era.
To book tickets priced at £14 each visit www.moyseshall.org or call 01284 758000. The talk starts at 7pm, doors open from 6.30pm.
Scaresville – The Haunted Village at Kentwell Hall
Nightly from Wednesday 15th October until Saturday 1st November (excluding Sunday 19th October)
Enter the Scaresville Haunted Village at Kentwell Hall, near Bury St Edmunds for a live action, immersive experience for groups of 8-12 people. Inventive ‘scares’ have been created to frighten and will make you both scream with fear and laugh for an unbroken hour or so, with no time to catch your breath.
Locals whisper of an old village that appears in darkest Suffolk every year. It is here that the thin veil that separates our world from the ‘Other Side’ is stretched thinnest. Ghosts, ghouls and other creatures stalk the night and intrepid adventurers are said to be able to cross through. They talk of it as a Haunted Village. They call it Scaresville. Some say these are just stories, others won’t say anything at all – are you brave enough to investigate?
As you cross over into a twilight world, where reality and imagination merge, you will encounter thrills, spills, scares and dares as you traverse the woods, buildings and parkland of Scaresville.
Scaresville isn’t for individuals. Book a group of 8-10 using a unique code and enter the ScareZone together. But if you book for a smaller party, others will be added to make up group to a maximum size of 12.
Tickets are priced from £31.95 to £39.95 per adult dependent on date and time of booking. Book online at www.scaresville.co.uk or call 01787 310207 for more details. The evening is best for over 14s only, under 18s must be accompanied by an adult over 21 years of age.
Illuminated Halloween Trail at Thetford Forest – 23rd October – 1st November
This October, a new illuminated Halloween trail will transform Thetford Forest’s High Lodge into a glowing, ghostly wonderland. As the sun sets and the forest darkens, follow a trail of glowing lights through the trees. But beware – the darker it gets, the spookier it becomes. Strange sounds, sudden surprises, and shadowy figures wait around every corner… The eerie backlit woodland, where shadows move when you’re not looking, brings all-new immersive environments to thrill, enchant, and unnerve. Prepare to face dense spider webs stretched across the path, glowing eyes watching from the trees, you might even catch the legendary Headless Horseman lurking in the woods.
Between frights, fuel up with frighteningly good eats. From bewitched burgers and freaky fries to hot toddies and decadent hot chocolates, there’s something for every little monster and grown-up ghoul alike.
The new trail runs from 23rd October until 1st November. Book tickets online at www.forestryengland.uk/thetford-forest/halloween-sign-up.
Firestorm Cabaret show at the Hunter Club 25th October
Firestorm Cabaret’s Hell-O-Ween creep show at Bury St Edmunds Hunter Club Arts Centre on Saturday, 25th October will be a spine-tingling spectacle of burlesque, circus and cabaret chaos. Expect an evening of bold and daring camp antics as you step into a world where glitter meets gore, tassels meet terror and the stage is haunted by the fiercest ghouls of glamour past. The cast of cabaret creatures are crawling out of the crypt to serve up some tease, terror and tassels in a frightfully fabulous revue.
Doors at 7pm show starts at 7:30pm. Book tickets priced at £12 each at www.hunterclub.org.uk/events/firestorm, suitable for ages 18+.
Athenaeum Halloween party 1st November
On Saturday, 1st November The Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds town centre will be hosting the ultimate Halloween party night. Get ready to dress for the ‘80s Tropicana Nights spooktacular in your most frightening Halloween outfit and practice your Thriller moves. Book tickets at £14 each online at www.the-athenaeum.com
Spooky stays
The Angel Hotel in the town centre is offering B&B for two sharing from around £197 B&B, www.theangel.co.uk, Tel: 01284 714000.
For more information about Halloween events in and around Bury St Edmunds visit Bury St Edmunds and Beyond.
