England – Page 3 – Curious Archive

20 February 2021

King Arthur’s Tomb at Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset

The town of Glastonbury, located 23 miles south of Bristol in southwest England, has long been a centre of mystery, spiritualism, and folklore. Not only known for its famous music festival, Glastonbury celebrates its unique esoteric heritage through quirky shops, spiritual retreats, and nods to famous legends. And at the heart of the town sits the ruined Glastonbury Abbey, a...

Weird History

2 February 2021

The Ghost Bishop at Norwich Cathedral: A Closer Examination

In the summer of 2015, Kerry Launders was visiting Norwich Cathedral with her family when she snapped this peculiar photograph: According to both Launders and online commentary, the twenty-nine-year-old successfully captured what appears to be a ghostly figure gazing towards the cathedral’s presbytery. Since the city of Norwich is ripe with tales of hauntings, adding yet another ghost to the...

Paranormal Encounters

20 January 2021

The Ghost of Rosalie, as Investigated by Harry Price

Famed paranormal investigator Harry Price was invited to a London séance on the night of December 15 1937 with a bold promise: the guaranteed materialisation of a ghost child named Rosalie. Price accepted the invitation and, after putting various controls in place, attended the séance. Despite precautionary measures against potential fraud, Rosalie did appear. Price left the séance that night...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

8 August 2020

Quirky Art on the Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London

There are a million and one reasons to visit Trafalgar Square in central London. The area is home to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, endless restaurants and cafes, and the famous 169 foot tall Nelson’s Column that towers over Trafalgar Square’s 15 million annual visitors. The Square is also home to the world famous Fourth Plinth, an empty...

Offbeat Travel

23 July 2020

Plague and Cannibalism at the Augustine Steward House, Norwich

Visitors to Norwich have likely stumbled upon the eccentric Augustine Steward House, a former sixteenth-century merchant’s home that deceptively appears on the brink of collapse. A timber-framed Grade II listed building, the Augustine Steward House oozes a haunted house aesthetic, nearly manifesting itself from a Gothic novel. Luckily for the eager ghost hunter, the house is indeed reported to be...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

19 July 2020

Religious Heresy and Public Executions: The History of the Amersham Martyrs Memorial, Buckinghamshire

Tucked within the Chiltern Hills, the town of Amersham is filled with historic buildings, charming pubs, and beautiful footpaths leading deep into the countryside. While towns as old as Amersham are filled with captivating historical tales, some events from long ago inevitably shed light on the more sinister side of humanity, and Amersham’s history is no exception. Nearly 500 years...

Offbeat Travel/Weird History

14 July 2020

The Magical Relics of John Dee at The British Museum

London’s British Museum is one of the most revered institutions of it’s kind in the world. Originally founded in 1753, the museum’s current collection consists of an impressive eight million objects (though the ethical ownership of some items are up for debate). Among the collection are a number of curious artefacts belonging to sixteenth-century occultist and mathematician John Dee. Housed...