Ghosts & Witches & Creatures of Bournemouth

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it'd be suiting to post on some of the spooky things reported in Bournemouth over the years.

Phantom of the Opera

The Pavilion theater located downtown is rumored to be haunted by a young woman wearing a bonnet. The ghost, known as Emily, is said to be the spirit of an young actress who collapsed and died on stage at the Pavilion in the 1930s. Supposedly a staff member was chased up a corridor in the theater by Emily, while others report seeing objects thrown around and hearing ominous footsteps on the empty stage.

Ashley and I have sat on the steps of the Pavilion many times at night and now, to be honest, I'm a little freaked out about going back.

New Forest Witches Coven

Allegedly, a group of witches formed a coven deep in the nearby New Forest during the 1930s and 40s. These witches were Neopagan, worshiping the Horned God (pictured above) as well as the Mother Goddess. The New Forest witch coven, in particular, can be partially accredited for the creation of Gardnerian Wicca, a form of modern witchcraft popularized by British occultist Gerald Gardner.

Apparently, Gardner, who is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Wicca" was initiated into the New Forest coven, which he deemed as one of the few surviving covens of the ancient, pre-Christian Witch-Cult religion. The coven performed numerous rituals, which were performed naked and included chants and spells. Once they even held a ritual called the Operation Cone of Power in order to stop Hitler from crossing the sea to England during the second World War.

Today, the New Forest, particularly the village of Burley, still entices visitors with tales of witches and such. There even seems to be a witchcraft store in town. I'm making plans to go visit soon and check it out for myself.

Unidentifiable Beast Caught on CCTV



This video was taken by a CCTV on a Bournemouth motorway about three years ago. It's probably some crazy wild dog or something, but it's still creepy.

♡ - Kristen