Archive briefing
The Darkives lists 63 castles where our community has documented paranormal phenomena. They span 4 countries, led by the United Kingdom (59), Ireland (2) and Spain (1), and the most-recorded areas are Scotland (13), Wales (10) and England (4).
The phenomena most often recorded at these castles are ghost and spirit activity (56), demonic activity (4) and high strangeness (1).
United Kingdom
59
Ghost › IntelligentAlnwick Castle
Alnwick, Northumberland
Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England, fuses medieval might with Gothic mystery. Home to the Percy family for over 700 years, it harbors tales of…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryAppleby Castle
Appleby-in-Westmorland, Lancashire
Appleby Castle, a Norman fortress overlooking the River Eden, has stood for nearly a millennium. Once home to Lady Anne Clifford, its halls echo with…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionArdross Castle
Alness, Highland
Famous as the atmospheric setting of television's The Traitors, Ardross Castle has attracted a new kind of attention: paranormal investigation. In…
CastleOpen file
Multiple Types of Phenomena › Interdimensional & UFO/UAPsAshby de la Zoucgh Castle
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire
The romantic back drop for a scene from the book Ivanhoe, and a possible timeslip portal?
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentBamburgh Castle
Bamburgh, Northumberland
Bamburgh Castle, perched above the North Sea on Northumberland’s rugged coast, is a fortress of splendour and haunting. Once a royal stronghold and…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryBeaumaris Castle
Beaumaris, Wales
Beaumaris Castle, on the Isle of Anglesey, is Edward I’s unfinished masterpiece — a fortress of perfect symmetry and lingering sorrow. Built upon…
CastleOpen file
GhostBerry Pomeroy Castle
Totnes, Devon
Berry Pomeroy Castle, hidden in a Devon valley near Totnes, is a haunting of beauty and sorrow. Once home to the powerful Pomeroy and Seymour…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryBlackness Castle
Linlithgow, Scotland
Blackness Castle, perched on the Firth of Forth in Scotland, is a fortress shaped like a ship — “the ship that never sailed.” Built in the 15th…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionBolsover Castle
Bolsover, Derbyshire
Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, a spectacular 17th-century mansion built upon medieval ruins, is famed for its beauty — and its ghosts. Once home to…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentBrodick Castle
Brodick, Scotland
Brodick Castle, set against the dramatic backdrop of Goatfell Mountain on the Isle of Arran, is one of Scotland’s most picturesque — and haunted —…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentCaerphilly Castle
Caerphilly, Wales
Caerphilly Castle in South Wales, one of Britain’s largest medieval fortresses, is as famous for its vast defences as for its spectral legends. Built…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryCarnasserie Castle
Lochgilphead, Scotland
Carnasserie Castle, a striking 16th-century ruin near Kilmartin in Argyll, Scotland, is a place of ambition, betrayal, and eerie silence. Once home…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryCastell Coch
Cardiff, Wales
Castell Coch, the “Red Castle” above Cardiff, Wales, combines fairytale beauty with haunted melancholy. Rebuilt in the 19th century upon medieval…
CastleOpen file
GhostCastell Harlech
Harlech, Wales
Edward I castle with phantom soldiers and battle sounds.
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentChillingham Castle
Alnwick, Northumberland
Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, once a medieval stronghold and battlefield fortress, is renowned as Britain’s most haunted castle. Its…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentCraig-y-Nos Castle
Brecon, Wales
Craig-y-Nos Castle, in the shadow of the Brecon Beacons, Wales, is famed as both a Victorian masterpiece and a restless haunt. Once home to opera…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentCrathes Castle
Banchory, Aberdeenshire
Crathes Castle, near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, is a 16th-century Scottish tower famed for its fairy-tale turrets — and its ghosts. Built by the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionCulzean Castle
Maybole, Scotland
Culzean Castle, perched dramatically on the Ayrshire cliffs of Scotland, is as breathtaking as it is haunted. Built in the late 18th century for the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentDover Castle
Dover, Kent
Dover Castle, towering above the English Channel in Kent, is known as the “Key to England” — and one of its most haunted strongholds. With 2,000…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionDudley Castle
Dudley, West Midlands
Above Dudley in the West Midlands, Dudley Castle preserves the remains of a Norman stronghold, later transformed into a grand residence and broken by…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentDunluce Castle
Bushmills, Northern Ireland
Dunluce Castle, perched perilously on the cliffs of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, is a fortress of haunting beauty and sorrow. Once home to the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentDunnottar Castle
Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
Dunnottar Castle, perched on a rugged cliff overlooking the North Sea in Aberdeenshire, is a breathtaking ruin steeped in blood and legend. Once home…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentDunstanburgh Castle
Embleton, Northumberland
Dunstanburgh Castle, its ruins rising starkly above the Northumberland coast, is a fortress of winds and ghosts. Built in the 14th century, it…
CastleOpen file
High StrangenessDunvegan Castle
Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides
Dunvegan Castle, the ancient seat of Clan MacLeod on the Isle of Skye, is steeped in legend and haunting. For centuries, it has echoed with the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentEdinburgh Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle, looming over the city from Castle Rock, is Scotland’s proudest monument — and its most haunted. From phantom soldiers to a headless…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionFarleigh Hungerford Castle
Bath, Somerset
Farleigh Hungerford Castle is an atmospheric 14th century castle ruin with a very dark history.
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Flamborough Castle
Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire
The remains of a medieval fortified manor house stand beside Tower Street in Flamborough, near Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Known as…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionFyvie Castle
Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Fyvie Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is one of the nation’s grandest — and most haunted — baronial estates. Dating from the 13th century, it is…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentGlamis Castle
Forfar, Scotland
Glamis Castle, ancestral home of the Earls of Strathmore and the Queen Mother’s childhood home, is Scotland’s most enigmatic haunted castle. Behind…
CastleOpen file
DemonicHermitage Castle
Liddesdale, Scotland
Hermitage Castle, an imposing 13th-century fortress in the desolate Liddesdale valley of the Scottish Borders, is steeped in blood and legend. Once…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionHever Castle
Edenbridge, England
Hever Castle in Kent, once home to Anne Boleyn, is steeped in Tudor history and tragic romance. Its moated walls and exquisite gardens conceal…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryKellie Castle
Anstruther, Scotland
Kellie Castle in Fife, Scotland, exudes timeless charm and lingering mystery. Once home to the Oliphants and later the Erskines, its carved ceilings…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionLaugharne Castle
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire
The military ghosts of Laugharne Castle, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryLauriston Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
Lauriston Castle, overlooking the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, hides quiet ghosts behind its Jacobean charm. Built in the 16th century and later…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryLennox Castle
Glasgow, Scotland
Locals have reported hearing screams and the cries of previous patients.
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentMuncaster Castle
Ravenglass, Cumbria
Muncaster Castle, perched above the River Esk in Cumbria, is famed for beauty and ghosts alike. Home to the Pennington family since the 13th century…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentNottingham Castle
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Nottingham Castle, standing above the city on Castle Rock, is haunted by centuries of betrayal and bloodshed. Once a royal fortress and Civil War…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionNunney Castle
Frome, Somerset
By day, Nunney Castle is an idyllic, romantic ruin set in the tranquil county of Somerset in England. But, by nightfall, the castle becomes a popular…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryOkehampton Castle
Okehampton, Devon
Okehampton Castle, a dramatic ruin on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, hides a tale of cruelty and revenge. Once home to the Norman barons of the de…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionOld Wardour Castle
Tisbury, Wiltshire
This striking and atmospheric castle ruin was once a well-loved, luxurious family residence until the English Civil war saw its walls come crashing…
CastleOpen file
DemonicPengersick Castle
Praa Sands, Cornwall
Pengersick Castle, a fortified Tudor tower near Praa Sands in Cornwall, conceals centuries of dark legend. Once home to the Pengersick and Milliton…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentPenrhyn Castle
Bangor, Wales
Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor, North Wales, is a monumental Neo-Norman fortress shrouded in grandeur and ghostly legend. Built on older foundations…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › ApparitionPontefract Castle
Pontefract, England
Pontefract Castle in West Yorkshire, once known as the “Key to the North,” is a Norman stronghold infamous for sieges, executions, and imprisonment…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentPowis Castle
Welshpool, Wales
Powis Castle, perched above Welshpool in Powys, is a jewel of Welsh heritage — and deeply haunted. Once a medieval stronghold and later home to the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentRichmond Castle
Richmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond Castle rises above the River Swale, a stark Norman fortress with centuries of war, imprisonment, and sorrow built into its stone. Its…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentRipley Castle
Harrogate, Yorkshire
Ripley Castle, ancestral home of the Ingilby family for over 700 years, is steeped in history and haunting. Beneath its grandeur linger whispers of…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentRoch Castle
Haverfordwest, Wales
Roch Castle, perched on a rocky outcrop in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is a 12th-century fortress turned luxury retreat — and one of the region’s most…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentRuthin Castle
Ruthin, Wales
Ruthin Castle in Denbighshire, North Wales, blends medieval splendour with centuries of legend and tragedy. Once a royal fortress and later a…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › Residual / Stone Tape TheoryScarborough Castle
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Scarborough Castle, perched high on a windswept headland overlooking the North Sea, has witnessed over 3,000 years of human history — and countless…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentScotney Castle
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Scotney Castle, in Kent, England, blends tranquil beauty with quiet haunting. Its 14th-century moated ruins and Victorian manor whisper of love…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentSt Andrews Castle
St. Andrews, Scotland
St Andrews Castle, perched on the windswept Fife coast, bears centuries of blood and faith. Once home to powerful bishops, it witnessed murder…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentSt Donat's Castle
Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
St Donat’s Castle, perched on the cliffs of the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, blends medieval grandeur with ghostly legacy. Once home to warriors…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentStirling Castle
Stirling, Scotland
Stirling Castle, perched high above the River Forth, has witnessed centuries of Scottish triumph and tragedy. Once home to kings and queens, its…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentTamworth Castle
Tamworth, England
Tamworth Castle, overlooking the River Tame in Staffordshire, has stood since Norman times and is steeped in legend. Ghostly knights, spectral…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentTantallon Castle
North Berwick, Scotland
Tantallon Castle, standing on the cliffs east of North Berwick, Scotland, is a ruined fortress haunted by war and legend. Once home to the powerful…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentTintagel Castle
Tintagel, Cornwall
Tintagel Castle, clinging to the wild Cornish cliffs, is a place of legend and lingering ghosts. Linked to King Arthur’s birth and centuries of…
CastleOpen file
GhostTower of London
London, England
The Tower of London, Britain’s most infamous fortress, is steeped in blood, legend, and ghostly lore. From Anne Boleyn’s spectral wanderings to the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › IntelligentTutbury Castle
Tutbury, Staffordshire
Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, a Norman fortress steeped in royal intrigue, has seen centuries of imprisonment, rebellion, and death. Once the…
CastleOpen file
Ghost › PoltergeistWarwick Castle
Warwick, Warwickshire
Warwick Castle, standing proudly on the River Avon, is a fortress alive with ghosts. Founded by William the Conqueror and shaped by centuries of…
CastleOpen file
Ireland
2
Ghost › IntelligentCharleville Castle
Tullamore, County Offaly
Charleville Castle, a Neo-Gothic masterpiece near Tullamore, County Offaly, is one of Ireland’s most haunted buildings. Built in the early 19th…
CastleOpen file
DemonicLeap Castle
Birr, County Offaly
Leap Castle in County Offaly, Ireland, is infamous for centuries of bloodshed and haunting. Once a fortress of the brutal O’Carroll clan, it’s home…
CastleOpen file
Spain
1
Sweden
1
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