Canewdon Church (St.Nicholas) Essex

Image: © Simon Taken: 7 Feb 2007

Canewdon church has had a reputation for many years for being probably one of the most haunted sites in Essex. there are a lot of stories that revolve around the village in general. But as far as the church is concerned the most haunted locations seem to be the church porch, the grave yard and the west gate car park area. The car park shown in the above photo seems to be particularly active. Strange things have been reported there at day and night! Next to the church is the rectory and it is said that on a moonless nights a ghost (gray lady) can sometimes be seen at the end of the driveway to the rectory! The 14th Century Church, with its 15th Century Tower and Porch, stands on a hill, 128 feet above the marshes. The oldest part of the Church is the outside wall of the North Aisle which contains many Roman bricks, presumably from an earlier building. There was much superstition around the village, believed to be a centre of witchcraft. Legend has it that while the church tower stands, there will always remain six witches in Canewdon. Local folklore also has it that if you walk around it seven times on Halloween you will see a witch, and 13 times you will become invisible. Both these stories have made the village a popular destination on Halloween, to such an extent that the police often seal off the village to non-residents on Halloween!.

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