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The Norfolk Broads are full of tales of ghostly terror. RICK HALE takes us on a tour of these beautiful, yet haunted wetlands
Spread across 100 square miles of Norfolk and Suffolk lies The Norfolk Broads, a network of navigable waterways and wetlands.
The Broads, although not technically a national park, share in its protection due to its natural beauty and importance to the region’s ecosystem.
Until 1960 it was believed that ‘The Broads’, as they are called, were part of the natural landscape.
That was until a local historian proved it was a completely man-made land feature.
In the Middle Ages, local monasteries dug the peat and sold it as fuel.
When sea levels started to rise, the peat fields were flooded. The monks tried to hold back the water with wind pumps and a network of dikes.
They were obviously unsuccessful and The Broads became the beautiful landscape it is today.
Chasing the Norfolk Broads
The Norfolk Broads have been a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts for centuries. And for those who want to get away from it all and get in touch with nature.
But between the natural beauty and abundant wildlife, The Broads has something that most national parks don’t: ghosts.
Several places in and around The Norfolk Broads have terrifying stories of gruesome ghosts and vengeful spirits. Let’s take a stroll through the splendor of The Broads and explore its many ghosts.
The drummer
We begin our journey in Swim Coots along the banks of Hickling Broad, where the ghost born of tragedy and forbidden love is seen once a year.
In 1815, a young drummer returned to his home in Potter Heigham after being placed on leave from the army.
Not long after settling down, he met a local girl and fell deeply in love. Although their relationship flourished, it was met with opposition.
Her father disapproved and when the young man asked her to marry him, the older man flatly refused.
Completely demoralized by the rejection, the Drummer continued to see his love in secret. But death soon found him.
On an unusually warm February morning, the young man did something he always did: skated on Hickling Broad while beating his drum.
As he skated, the ice unexpectedly gave way, and helpless to do anything to save his life, the Drummer boy sank beneath the icy water and perished.
According to eyewitnesses, if you stand on the shore of Hickling Broad you may catch a glimpse of the apparition of the drummer boy shivering on the lake.
And others have reported hearing the unmistakable sound of a drum being carried by the wind.
The treacherous monk
Essric, the bailiff monk of St. Benet’s Church, had ambitions like all of us. But his ambitions turned dark and caused his downfall.
Not long after the Norman Conquest, Essric betrayed his brethren to the invading forces. Essric wanted to become abbot and felt the only way to get there was to open the gates and let the enemy in.
The betrayal worked, but not in the way Essric expected.
The Normans made him abbot, but their sense of honor and their hatred of traitors made them turn against their holy puppet.
Essric was seized and dragged from his chambers while praying, taken to the main gate and given the only treatment befitting a man guilty of such an ugly betrayal.
Essric was nailed to the doors of the abbey. But that wasn’t enough punishment, no, there was more.
To express their displeasure with the treacherous monk, they slowly flayed him alive.
It is said that on May 25, the anniversary of the sadistic execution, you can see Essric’s bloody and battered body writhing and screaming in pain on the doors of the abbey.
Forced to forever relive his punishment and the betrayal that got him there centuries earlier.
The Phantoms of Acle Straight
Acle Straight is a long stretch of road near The Norfolk Broads that connects Norwich to Great Yarmouth. And it happens to be one of the most haunted places in the region.
Over the years, unsuspecting motorists have claimed to encounter a number of apparitions where Halvergate Road joins the straight.
A ghost carriage, pulled by ghostly horses, has been known to drive into oncoming traffic and disappear before impact.
A ghostly soldier in uniform has been seen marching in the middle of the road. Completely oblivious to the cars that drove past him.
And suddenly an old man appears in front of cars. When the driver gets out to check if everything is okay, no one is found.
Brother Pacific’s
We turn around again to the St. Benet’s Abbey. But this other ghostly monk is much holier and more honorable than our previous monk.
Brother Pacificus had a job to do, and he did it well.
It was his duty to repair the screen that separated the choir loft from the rest of the church of St. Helen’s in Ranworth. His only companion on this daily journey was his faithful dog.
One afternoon, after returning to the abbey, he made a grisly discovery.
This was during the dark days of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and every Catholic institution was in danger of being plundered by the king’s soldiers. St. Benet’s did not escape.
When the monk entered, he found that all his brothers in Christ had been brutally slaughtered. Brother Pacificus was the only survivor.
With the threat gone, the sole survivor continued to live in the abbey and showed his loyalty to God. Until he died, but his spirit remains.
We see the wispy image of a monk making his way to the abbey, his dog standing at the bow.
When he reaches the shore, Brother Pacificus jumps out and disappears. Together with the boat and his dog.
Coach of the damned
Our fifth and final ghost tour of the Norfolk Broads takes us to Potter Heigham, where witchcraft created The Broads’ most famous ghost, the Coach of the Damned.
Lady Carew was hopelessly in love with the dashing Sir Godfrey Haslitt of Bastwick.
But he hardly knew who she was. So she turned to a local witch to fulfill her heart’s desire.
The lady in love hired a witch to brew a love potion, which she did. She refused the payment, but there was a stipulation.
The witch asked that if the potion worked, Lady Carew should give her anything she wanted.
She was so desperate that Carew accepted her demands. It is clear that Lady Carew has never read a fairy tale. Because if she had, she would have realized how foolish that was.
Well, the potion worked, and the two were married. But as they stood at the altar, the witch called upon Lady Carew to fulfill her promise.
A grim skeletal figure appeared and dragged Lady Carew out of the church and threw her into a flaming carriage drawn by black horses.
Shortly after taking off at breakneck speed, the flaming carriage fell from Potter Heigham Bridge and plunged beneath the inky waters of the Norfolk Broads.
It is said that on the night of May 31, you will see a flaming carriage drawn by devilish horses racing across the bridge. And disappears before he falls to his fate.
The Norfolk Broads is a place of natural splendor. And unnatural activity.
Have you experienced anything spooky on the Norfolk Broads? Tell us about it in the comments below!
