30 East Drive, Pontefract: The Most Haunted House In The UK
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Pontefract, West Yorkshire
For several decades, Borley Rectory held the title of the most haunted house in Great Britain, and perhaps it still would had it not burnt to the ground in 1939.
Since 1966, it's an unassuming, a typical three-bedroom, semi-detached house on the Chequerfield Estate in Pontefract which has held the accolade of the most haunted residential property in the country.
Reports of poltergeist activity at 30 East Drive appeared in the national newspaper after the family living in the house, the Pritchards claimed they were experiencing supernatural goings on.
The Pritchards, were Jean and Joe and their two children 15-year-old son Philip, and 12-year-old daughter Dianne. It was Philip and his grandmother who witnessed the first creepy occurrence in the house. A cascade of chalk-like dust falling from just below the ceiling. This was just the start of countless inexplicable paranormal events.
In the kitchen, pools of water mysteriously appeared on the floor, all attempts to dry them up failed. The council visited the house to investigate and even dug up the kitchen floor, but the cause was never found.
Lights turned themselves on and off, green foam was said to have oozed out of the taps, cupboards shook violently, doors banged, photographs were slashed by sharp blades, and countless object were witnessed levitating or being thrown.
But the paranormal activity soon escalated and became much more violent. On one occasion a large grandfather clock on the landing toppled over and tumbled down the stairs and smash.
Even this was tame in compared to the night that Dianne was dragged up the stairs by an invisible force. The young girl was standing at the bottom of the stairs when she felt a strange sensation, her long hair started to stand on its end. Without warning she was suddenly flung to the ground and dragged kicking and screaming up the stairs. Soon after the event, red hand marks were clearly visible on her throat.
The nasty spirit behind these occurrences is said to be the ghost of a 16th Century monk known a the Black Monk of Pontefract, also known as Father Michael or simply Fred as he was nicknamed by the Pritchard family.
It's believed that the monk assaulted and murdered a young girl, he was hanged on the gallows which were said to be originally located on the land the estate was built on. He was then thrown down a well and left for dead, that well is said to be right underneath number 30.
The house is also said to be haunted by the ghost of Fred's victim, a little girl who answers to the name of Emma. Her spirit is said to be much less violent than the Black Monk, often described as friendly and mischievous.
What makes 30 East Drive so terrifying is because it's not like a classic haunted location. It's not a Georgian manor, not an old museum, a stately home, a pub, or an ancient castle. The house on East Drive is an normal house, on an average street, a house just like your own home.
Is There An Old Well Under 30 East Drive?
The claim that there is a well under 30 East Drive originates from research on the local area by author Tom Cuniff. He discovered that the town's gallows had been situated directly across the street from the location of what is now 30 East Drive, and that this was where a Clunaic monk who was hanged for the murder of a young girl.
Mediums have built on this story with claims that the monk's body was thrown down a well and some have claimed that the well is directly underneath the house. Well, it's not. Old maps of the area show no existence of a well on the site of the house. However, several maps show a well nearby, the most recent of these is a map dated 1893.
The well was actually located about 300 meters away from the house. It has long since been covered up and now lies within the grounds of High Well School, which makes sense. It's also said that a stream or brook used to run through the site of the house, no such stream is shown on any old maps, they would usually be marked in at least one version of maps of the area over the years.
There is another grim historic site just 200 meters away from the house, the site of a the Battle of Chequerfield. A pivotal battle was fought here during the English Civil War, which ended a Parliamentarian siege of nearby Pontefract Castle.
'Most Haunted Live' 2015
Since the Pritchards left the house, it has remained empty and unchanged, yet the paranormal activity is said to have escalated and number 30 is now a hot spot for paranormal investigators.
Probably the most famous team of ghost hunters to visit the property is Yvette Fielding and the 'Most Haunted' team who conducted a night-long vigil in the house which was broadcast live on Halloween.
The team experienced one of their most violent investigations to date. One team member was dragged up stairs which left him with red marks around his neck. One of the show's camera men fell to the floor screaming after experiencing what felt like his chest being squeezed.
Throughout the live broadcast several objects were thrown around the house, and just after midnight before the show came to a end, a porcelain ornament was thrown across a room which smashed a glass door.
'When The Lights Went Out'
The story of 30 East Drive has also been turned into a movie called 'When The Lights Went Out'. Although the movie does go a little overboard towards the end, the way the plot handles the beginning of the haunting is very consistent with the real life accounts.
The film is set in the 1960s and its makers have done a great job of recreating life in that period in a council house in the north of England, from clothing, to props and lifestyle this movie feels very real.
How To Visit 30 East Drive
It's not just TV crews and movie producers who've visited the house, you can too. There are several paranormal events companies who organise regular ghost hunts at 30 East Drive.
As part of a visit, you'll be one of a small group of around 6-8 people entering the house. The night will consist of vigils and séances, however these won't include the use of ouija boards as the house's present owner has forbidden their use.
On investigation in the last couple of years, ghost hunters have caught the shadowy image of the Black Monk on camera, recorded video of a creepy doll moving on its own, and witnessed countless strange noises.
30 East Drive Floor Plan (Ground Floor)
30 East Drive Floor Plan (First Floor)
50 Years On
More than five decades after the hauntings began in Pontefract, the house still holds the title of the UK's most haunted house, some even say it's the most haunted property in Europe.
It's a popular venue for ghost hunters and will probably always retained its title, however it was challenged in the 1970s by a similar house, with a similar story in Enfield in North London.
Since the 1970s' Enfield Poltergeist case, no haunted house have managed to grab the same level of national press attention. The mainstream media and the general public have become more cynical over the last few decades, so it's unlikely any house would ever get the same level of media attention again, which means 30 East Drive will remain firmly at the top of the list of the country's most haunted houses.
Have Your Say
30 East Drive Features In
August 15, 2019Ouija Brothers' Banned Footage Of 30 East Drive
March 24, 2019Alone With A Poltergeist At 30 East Drive
January 22, 2018My Ghost Hunt At 30 East Drive, Pontefract
October 18, 2015Most Haunted At 30 East Drive - Part One
October 25, 2015Most Haunted At 30 East Drive - Part Two
October 31, 2015Most Haunted Live 2015: A Nightmare On East Drive 🎃
December 16, 2015Barry & Ray's Ghost Hunt At 30 East Drive - The ParaPod Series 1 Special Review
September 04, 201530 East Drive, Pontefract - The ParaPod Series 1, Episode 1 Review
Haunted Ranking
30 East Drive Map
More From 30 East Drive
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April 22, 2023'When The Lights Went Out,' the 2012 paranormal film based on the haunting at 30 East Drive in Pontefract, is now free to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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October 08, 2021We've teamed up with 'The Parapod - A Very British Ghost Hunt' to offer you the chance to spend a night ghost hunting in one of the iconic haunted locations featured in the movie.
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November 29, 2020The infamous black monk house at 30 East Drive in Pontefract has been voted the best Paranormal Hotspot for the third year in a row.
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November 11, 2020Find out what paranormal activity singer-songwriter Charlotte Hannah experienced when filming the music video for her pop song 'POISON' in the most haunted house in Great Britain.
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November 04, 2020British musician Charlotte Hannah has filmed the music video for her new single, 'Poison' inside of a real haunted house in Pontefract.
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October 28, 2020Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman tackle the house at the centre of one of England's most famous hauntings, an aggressive poltergeist that lurks at 30 East Drive, Pontefract.
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May 13, 2020The Ouija Brothers have investigated the most haunted and scariest house in the world, 30 East Drive. This is a collection of all the incredible paranormal and poltergeist activity we have captured on camera over the years.
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December 09, 2019The infamous black monk house at 30 East Drive in Pontefract has been voted the best Paranormal Hotspot for the second year in a row in the Paranormal Entertainment Awards.
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October 13, 2019
The 2012 movie 'When The Lights Went Out' is based on the real life story of a poltergeist case which took place at 30 East Drive in Pontefract from 1966.
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August 15, 2019This video was never meant for release but after reviewing all the footage we just couldn't keep it private from the public so we have decided to finally release it.
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May 23, 2019Ciarán O'Keeffe visits the infamous 30 East Drive where he meets the haunted house's neighbour Carol and talks about classifications of hauntings and the psychology of ghost hunting.
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May 22, 201930 East Drive is said to be one of the most haunted location in the UK, but over recent years some have left the house feeling it hasn't lived up to its haunted reputation.
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March 24, 2019The Ouija Brothers both go in alone at the most haunted house in Europe and possibly the world, 30 East Drive, Pontefract.
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December 10, 2018Straight after Ste finishes his lone vigil in the most haunted house in the world 30 East Drive, Griff enters and does his 45 mins all alone.
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December 10, 2018
The infamous black monk house at 30 East Drive in Pontefract has been voted the best paranormal hotspot of the year in the inaugural Paranormal Entertainment Awards.
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December 03, 2018Gary Jay of Curiosity returns to the home of the black monk of Pontefract 30 East Drive. We start the investigation straight away with Ste's lone vigil for 45mins in the dark to see If he can come into contact with Fred or the little girl Emily.
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May 16, 2018It is one of the most famous haunting cases in the UK, but how much do you know about the paranormal activity which occurs in this ordinary residential home? Test your knowledge with this tricky paranormal trivia quiz.
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January 29, 2018There's been anger in the paranormal world after a psychic medium claimed to have cleansed the UK's most haunted house of its resident spirits, including the infamous Black Monk of Pontefract.
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January 22, 2018
I spent a night hunting ghosts in one of the most haunted houses in the UK, would I be able to catch a glimpse of the Black Monk of Pontefract? Here's what happened at the infamous number 30 East Drive.
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January 11, 2018We return to 30 East Drive but this time as The Ouija Brothers. We investigate this place for 3 solid days and we capture some amazing evidence. We are joined by Kyle from Soul Reaper Paranormal.
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January 05, 2018Here this clip speaks for itself as you can see beforehand Ste from the ouija brothers moves his feet on the floor and this did not affect the k2 meter in anyway shape or form. the k2 was placed against the wall at a 45 degree angle.
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October 20, 2016The demon spirit of one of the UK's most infamous haunted houses has once again been terrifying ghost hunters who have been brave enough to enter.
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April 28, 2016Gary Jay spends a night in a seemingly normal council house in Yorkshire, but in 1974 the family living there was said to be tormented by a poltergeist.
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December 16, 2015In a special two-part edition of The ParaPod, ghost hunter Barry Dodds tries to convince his co-host and skeptic Ray Peacock that a normal three-bedroom house on the Chequerfield Estate, Pontefract is haunted. The pair spend a night at 30 East Drive with the hope of meeting the infamous black monk.
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November 03, 2015There's been some backlash from eagle-eyed viewers over one particular bit of paranormal activity from this year's Most Haunted Live at 30 East Drive, Pontefract. While some viewers have criticised the moment Karl was dragged upstairs, the show's producers have come forward to defend it.
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October 31, 2015For the first time since 2010 Most Haunted presents a live, interactive broadcast of an investigation. This Halloween special follows on from the two part investigation of 30 East Drive, Pontefract - home of The Black Monk.
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October 25, 2015The second part of Most haunted investigation of the paranormal activity that has plagued 30 East Drive, Pontefract. Already them teams investigation has proven to be one of the most active before they've even turned the lights out.
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October 18, 2015Yvette Fielding takes the Most Haunted team to investigate one of the most famous and violent poltergeist cases of all time, in an ordinary three bedroom house at 30 East Drive in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.
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September 04, 2015In the first episode of The ParaPod Ray Peacock and Barry Dodds discuss one of the UK's most famous hauntings. Barry offers up evidence that the Black Monk really did haunt the Prichard's home, but will Ray believe him?
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