This Haunted House Changed Ghost Hunting Forever
From Storied.
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Borley Rectory was once called the most haunted house in England. Witnesses reported ghostly nuns, phantom bells, flying objects, and mysterious messages on the walls. But when paranormal investigator Harry Price arrived, the haunting became a national sensation.
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Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Creative Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: Ben Harrison
Illustrator: Samuel Allan
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming (PBS): John Campbell
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs
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Bibliography
"Broadcasting." Times, 13 Mar. 1946, p. 6.
Clarke, Roger. A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof. Penguin Books Limited, 2012.
Crawshaw, Jill. "Travellers' Bulletin Board." Times, 1 Aug. 1998, p. 87.
Downes, Wesley H. The Ghosts of Borley. David & Charles, 2012.
"Forthcoming Events." Times, 27 Apr. 1974, p. 26.
From Our Special Correspondent. "A 'Psychic Fete'." Times, 22 June 1939, p. 14.
"Haunted Rectory?" Times, 26 Jan. 1956, p. 11.
Jones, Dylan, and Rachael Ironside. “Manifesting Ghosts and Mimicking Ghost Hunters: Media and the Rise of the Ghost Hunting Events.” Routledge Handbook of Dark Events: Celebrations, Heritage, and Customs of Death and the Macabre. Taylor & Francis, 2026.
"Laying The Ghost." Times, 22 May 1947, p. 3.
McCulloch, Joseph. "Ghost-hunting fraud." Times, 27 Nov. 1978, p. 6.
“Mystery of the Walled-Up ‘Spook’ of Borley Rectory.” The San Francisco Examiner, 29 Sep. 1929, pg. 121.”
“News in Brief.” Times, 1 Mar. 1939, p. 13.
O’Donnell, Elliot. The Menace of Spiritualism. Frederick A. Stokes, 1920.
O'Donnell, Elliott. Twenty Years' Experience as a Ghost Hunter: Enriched Edition. Journey Into the Unseen: A Paranormal Exploration. Good Press, 2021.
P. F. "James Turner." Times, 19 May 1975, p. 14.
Price, Harry. "The Most Haunted House in England." Times, 2 Nov. 1940, p. 9.
Price, Harry. "Strange Happenings At The Rectory." Times, 29 Apr. 1939, p. 15.
Underwood, Peter. Borley Postscript. White House, 2001.
Underwoods, Peter. “The Borley Hauntings.” Hauntings: New Light on the Greatest True Ghost Stories of the World. Dent, 1977.
Vernon, Alice. Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting, and Why We Keep Looking. Bloomsbury USA, 2025.
*****
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried
*****
Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Creative Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: Ben Harrison
Illustrator: Samuel Allan
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming (PBS): John Campbell
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography
"Broadcasting." Times, 13 Mar. 1946, p. 6.
Clarke, Roger. A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof. Penguin Books Limited, 2012.
Crawshaw, Jill. "Travellers' Bulletin Board." Times, 1 Aug. 1998, p. 87.
Downes, Wesley H. The Ghosts of Borley. David & Charles, 2012.
"Forthcoming Events." Times, 27 Apr. 1974, p. 26.
From Our Special Correspondent. "A 'Psychic Fete'." Times, 22 June 1939, p. 14.
"Haunted Rectory?" Times, 26 Jan. 1956, p. 11.
Jones, Dylan, and Rachael Ironside. “Manifesting Ghosts and Mimicking Ghost Hunters: Media and the Rise of the Ghost Hunting Events.” Routledge Handbook of Dark Events: Celebrations, Heritage, and Customs of Death and the Macabre. Taylor & Francis, 2026.
"Laying The Ghost." Times, 22 May 1947, p. 3.
McCulloch, Joseph. "Ghost-hunting fraud." Times, 27 Nov. 1978, p. 6.
“Mystery of the Walled-Up ‘Spook’ of Borley Rectory.” The San Francisco Examiner, 29 Sep. 1929, pg. 121.”
“News in Brief.” Times, 1 Mar. 1939, p. 13.
O’Donnell, Elliot. The Menace of Spiritualism. Frederick A. Stokes, 1920.
O'Donnell, Elliott. Twenty Years' Experience as a Ghost Hunter: Enriched Edition. Journey Into the Unseen: A Paranormal Exploration. Good Press, 2021.
P. F. "James Turner." Times, 19 May 1975, p. 14.
Price, Harry. "The Most Haunted House in England." Times, 2 Nov. 1940, p. 9.
Price, Harry. "Strange Happenings At The Rectory." Times, 29 Apr. 1939, p. 15.
Underwood, Peter. Borley Postscript. White House, 2001.
Underwoods, Peter. “The Borley Hauntings.” Hauntings: New Light on the Greatest True Ghost Stories of the World. Dent, 1977.
Vernon, Alice. Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting, and Why We Keep Looking. Bloomsbury USA, 2025.
