Nestled in the heart of Somerset lies the ancient village of Dunster, a place notorious for its paranormal activity, where residents claim almost every home is inhabited by a ghostly presence.
The village’s rich history, including the destruction of a Benedictine chapel during Henry VIII’s reign, is believed to have led to a surge in ghostly apparitions.
Locals share spine-tingling tales of Civil War soldiers, monks, witches, and even animals said to haunt the village’s houses, castle, pubs, and hills. One resident, Sue Toogood, a pharmacy dispenser, recounts her own eerie experience after purchasing a cottage in the village.
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She said: “It was a wreck, the heating didn’t work at all and a tiny fireplace was the only source of heat. I soon realized that all the smoke from the fire was coming out of a crack in the chimney in the upstairs bedroom. I had nowhere else to go so I slept in the spare room.
“In the early hours of the morning, I woke up in the middle of the night to voices. I was a bit scared at first but I walked through and realized it was the radio.
‘It was a battery radio that I had put out for the builders. I thought it was strange but I switched it off and went back to bed, but then it happened again the next night.
“I realized that if I had stayed asleep I might not have woken up because of the smoke and carbon monoxide coming in from the other room. I felt like the ghost was saving me from dying; it was a kind presence. I truly believe the ghost was saving me.”
Local resident Carol Bowden shared: “My husband and I have been coming to stay in the village for years and our dachshund Doogle was only a puppy. For the first four days we would walk down to the river past the mound and he would start barking at the trees, although he couldn’t see anything.
“Also when we were in the little snug of the hotel, he would start barking at the mantelpiece, which wasn’t like him as he was usually quite a calm dog. The following night it happened again, and the receptionist said the old lady stands there by the mantelpiece at that time.
“The manager then asked where the dog had been barking, and I said about the mound and he said that was where the Roundhead and cavaliers were buried.’'
Janie Deeming and Nigel Deeming, who operate the 15th-century Stags Head Inn, the oldest pub in Dunster, which is known for its own resident ghost, also weighed in. Janie stated: “Nearly every building in Dunster is believed to have a ghost or two. The house that we live in is very active, and we’ve only just managed to settle it down.
‘‘I nearly didn’t move in here because they gave me merry hell, but now they’ve started to work with me rather than against me. Before we moved here five months ago we stayed in a particular house in the area, and the last time we went, let’s just say the spirits were awake.
“On the first night, a door on the dresser clicked open, and we didn’t think much of it but then it opened two or three more times. ‘I then put my hand on it to keep it closed, and it pushed back, and I knew that wasn’t normal.
“The next night a book flew off the bookshelf and fell open on a ghost story, and we all joked about it, but later that night when I was washing up, I could feel a presence behind me. We fell in love with Dunster, and I love my house. I’ve managed to bring the spirits on my side, but it took some work.”
Benedict Yeandle said: ‘‘When I first moved in, for the first six weeks we had things happening, and customers would always notice it. A smell of smoke could always be smelt even though there was no explanation for it, and one day a can of coke flew from one side of the room to the other, completely intact, just with a small dent in it.
“I think whatever is living with me in here is a female because it has only happened when I’ve employed female staff to work for me. I’m a bachelor, and I think it got a little bit jealous. But now there haven’t been any women coming here; she’s settled down.”
Nina Dodd, a local author, has penned a book titled ‘Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat’, a comprehensive guide to the enigmatic tales of Dunster. Having relocated to the village 12 years ago from Finland, Nina has become captivated by the English fascination with the paranormal.
As the proprietor of ‘Dunster Living’ on the high street, Nina frequently hears tales from locals that sparked her interest in researching the book. She remarked: “I started researching this book years ago after hearing stories about how haunted Dunster is.
“I find the British fascination with ghosts very interesting. In Finland, we do not have anywhere near as many ghost stories or ‘haunted’ places. I think a big part of it is that England has so many older homes and buildings. In Finland, we built our homes out of timber and wood for a long time - we still do. But in England, they are all old stone - so they last a lot longer.
“Everyone I speak to in the village has some kind of story to tell. Some like to keep them to themselves but clearly have had some kind of experience.
“We get people coming into our shop all the time telling us stories about your traditional grey ladies, or children ghosts. Quite often I hear about Roundheads, soldiers from the English Civil Wars, too.”
“One very common one we hear is about ghost monks because there was once a Benedictine chapel in Dunster which was destroyed when Henry VIII was King.
“People always say that they see or hear them. There is also apparently a ghost horse who haunts the hilltops around the village.
“The churchyard too always has stories about people seeing ghosts there - but that is not very surprising. One businessman I spoke to even said that he can’t tell his staff about the ghost experiences he has had or they wouldn’t come to work.
“Dunster is one of the best-preserved medieval villages, and because it is so old, I am not surprised people have so many ghost stories.”
To find out more about Nina’s book ‘Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat’, visit her website. This story was originally published in 2023.