31/10/2026
We’re well aware of haunted houses, but did you know that a garden can be haunted too?!
The archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew includes a document known as the ‘supernatural file’ which recounts all the paranormal encounters reported by staff over the years.
The gardens’ Temperate House is supposedly haunted by the spirit of a past curator who is said to turn taps on and open and close doors. Staff have also felt a presence in the glasshouse and seen something out of the corner of their eyes, which disappears when they turn to look!
The Herbarium is reported to have a poltergeist that rattles the fire irons in the fireplace, and a woman in an old-fashioned blue dress has been spotted walking up the stairs of the School of Horticulture before disappearing.
Other recorded encounters include knocking and footsteps in the Orangery, a freezing cold shivery patch by the gate of Queen’s Cottage in the grounds, even in summer, and an oppressive atmosphere of despair on the Holly Walk.
Happy Halloween folks!
*Image shows a line of giant illuminated skeletons at Kew Trail, Royal Botanic Gardens.
