30 East Drive might look like your average, 50’s era home from the outside, but, on the inside, things get a little spooky. And when we say ‘a little’, we mean A LOT.
Home to one of the most violent poltergeists in the world – at least according to experts – the Pontefract property has been a local horror story since the 60s, with many locals having a story to tell about the fascinating haunted house.
Haunted by a phenomenon known as the Black Monk, it’s said that the poltergeist is the ghost of a Cluniac monk who was hanged for rape back in Henry VIII’s day, and by the sounds of it, he’s an incredibly angry guy.
Dubbed the ‘most haunted house in Britain’ – with even experts at TV’s Most Haunted getting the heebie-jeebies from the residence – the house boasts over 288 recent happenings, with many telling stories of ‘Fred’ the Black Monk trashing bedrooms, full phone batteries dying with no explanation, doors being glued shut, and even growling sounds coming from the cupboard under the stairs. Yep, I’ve gone freezing cold at the thought, too.
Paranormal occurrences began at the property back in 1966, when the Pritchard family moved in and began experiencing unexplainable happenings from the off.
The first strange occurrence was a fine layer of chalk-like dust falling not from the ceiling, but from a level below head height – a phenomenon which baffled the family.
This was quickly followed by mysterious pools of water appearing from nowhere, photographs being slashed by knives, furniture being thrown and even green foam appearing from taps and the toilet – despite the water supply being switched off.
Unfortunately for the family, exorcisms were unsuccessful – with reports of Holy Water literally seeping through walls in defiance, faces being slapped during the procedure, and even some being shoved down the stairs.
Today, fans of all things weird and spooky can experience the strange goings-ons for themselves – however, it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart (AKA, me, who definitely won’t sleep tonight after writing this).
In fact, the house is so haunted, that the owners really do advise that you don’t visit, but, naturally, the curious will continue to do so anyway.
As the house is pretty much inhabitable thanks to its violent resident, the owners themselves have never spent the night (a decision made after witnessing the poltergeist’s nature), but guests are welcome to stay the night should they dare.
The owners also warn that the house suffers from a damp smell, which comes from the well that lies below the house, where the bodies of the Black Monk and his victims were actually thrown).
Guests are also warned not to stay in ‘Diane’s Room’, where the poltergeist tends to have bouts of rage early hours of the morning.
Those wanting to stay at the property are required to sign a waiver due to the unpredictable nature of the house, with the owner insisting that he only keeps the house open to visit due to the high amount of interest surrounding the property.
A perfect example of why would be the hot poker marks that a number of camera operators were left with after entering the house and facing Fred’s antics.
Bil Bungay, Ad Man, Film Producer and new owner of the property says: “What possessed me (forgive the pun) to buy the most infamous haunted house in Europe? Simply because I had recently made a movie about the house called When the Lights Went Out with director and good friend of mine, and native of Pontefract, Pat Holden.”
Adding: “Of course, the truth is that despite having visited a very dark house in Coventry and spoken with a family that were being terrorised by a poltergeist, I still remained stoically sceptical. To me, IF the Black Monk ever existed, then surely after 40 years, it would be long gone. An assumption that proved to be terrifyingly wrong.”
“Then the stories started coming in from Carol the neighbour and now Key Holder of the house. Reports of 3-4am bumps and bangs coming from number 30, glowing blue balls of ‘energy’ in the corridor, the duvet on Carol’s son’s bed being formed into the shape of a man on his bed, the black shadow of a very tall entity coming through the wall into her house and so on.”
“So now what? Well, given no one wants to buy my house (which is fair enough I suppose) yet many people have expressed an interest in visiting – so why not offer it up to visitors? Not as your run-of-the-mill guesthouse, but something out of this world, literally.
“But here’s the thing, I pay the council tax on the goddam place and I promise you I have never stayed there and nor do I have any intention of staying there! I know, I know “lightweight” I hear you say – but I have now firmly left the School of Sceptic. There is definitely something deeply profound and intimidating (though I am of the view there is a scientific explanation – but that’s another story**) in this house, so frankly I think you’d be nuts to make a booking!”
Fancy freaking yourself out further? Head to the website to find out more here.
[Featured image: 30 East Drive]
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