Ruins of St. Peter's Church
The ruins of St. Peter’s Church in Alresford, Essex, have long been a subject of intrigue for those fascinated by the paranormal.
Witchcraft
Essex has a large and varied history when it comes to witchcraft. Between 1556-1589, if you were found guilty of witchcraft you were hanged and Essex prosecuted up to 60 percent of supposed witches.
Between 1570-1609, 53 Essex 'witches' were hanged against a total of 64 executions across all the home counties. One of the places where the accused were held was Colchester Castle, a favoured spot of witch hunter Matthew Hopkins, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, it held over 200 women and men.
Whilst the haunted history isn’t clear, the ruins are a big attraction for paranormal teams. The ruins are said to be used for witchcraft. Paranormal teams have reported on a lot of spirits present, most happy for people to explore, but others not so pleasant.
The trials
A lot of people died while waiting for their trial, and much of the evidence was based on superstition. At one spooky church in Essex, which is said to be haunted, the ruins of the medieval building is said to still be used to this day for witchcraft.
St. Peter’s church in the tiny village of Alresford, Essex, near to Colchester, was built by Anfred de Staunton in around 1300. The church was destroyed by a ravaging fire in 1971 and was left beyond repair. It is still unknown what caused the fire.
The fire
The ruins of the fire-torn church remain on the spot to this day and have been given Grade II listed status as of 1966. As the ruins still remain, a church to replace it was built in Alresford town a few years late