| Borley Rectory | |
|---|---|
 The east face of the rectory in 1892 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Rectory |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Address | Borley, Essex, England |
| Coordinates | 52°03′17″N 0°41′39″E / 52.0546°N 0.6942°E |
| Completed | 1862 |
| Demolished | 1944 |
| Height | 35ft (10.6m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | Approx 7,500 sq ft (696.7 sq m) |
| Grounds | 11 acres (4.45 hectares) |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 32 (11 bedrooms) |
Borley Rectory was a house located in Borley, Essex, famous for being described as "the most haunted house in England" by psychic researcher Harry Price.[1] Built in 1862 to house the rector of the parish of Borley and his family, the house was badly damaged by fire in 1939 and demolished in 1944.
The large Gothic-style rectory had been alleged to be haunted ever since it was built. These reports multiplied suddenly in 1929 after the Daily Mirror newspaper published an account of a visit by Price, who wrote two books supporting claims of paranormal activity.
Price's reports prompted a formal study by the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which rejected most of the sightings as either imagined or fabricated and cast doubt on Price's credibility. His claims are now generally discredited by ghost historians. However, neither the SPR's report nor the more recent biography of Price has quelled public interest in these stories, and new books and television documentaries continue to satisfy public fascination with the rectory.
A short programme commissioned by the BBC about the alleged manifestations, scheduled to be broadcast in September 1956, was cancelled owing to concerns about a possible legal action by Marianne Foyster, widow of the last rector to live in Borley Rectory.[2] In 1975 the BBC aired a programme entitled The Ghost Hunters that focused on the house and conducted interviews with several psychic researchers, including Peter Underwood. It also featured a late-night psychic investigation of nearby Borley Church.[3]
- ^ Floyd (2002), p. 36.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HauntedRectorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Ghost Hunters". IMDB.