Image: glenngould, flickr
If you’ve ever heard a ghostly whispering, seen a shadow out of the corner of your eye, or felt a strange presence in Croydon, you certainly won’t be alone.
Of all the ELL boroughs, Croydon seems to have by far the greatest number of ghost stories and is, without doubt, the ghost capital of the East London Line.
Whether it’s the creeping shadows and apparitions seen at the Cane Hill site, or the chilling story of ‘Digger Harry’ – wandering Kings Wood with a spade over one shoulder searching for his buried wife – there are a great number of stories. From Tudor tales, to urban legends, ghost hunters and skeptics will never be short of a story to explore.
Did you know, for instance, that many visitors of Selhurst Park believe the ground to be haunted by the ghost of a Crystal Palace goalkeeper called Billy Callender, who hung himself in 1932? Selhurst Park is said not only to be haunted, but cursed. In the 1970s, a psychic called Romark was called in by manager Malcolm Allison to improve the performance of the team, but after a sticky pay dispute, Romark put a dark curse on Crystal Palace and many fans say things haven’t been the same since…
Further into the town centre, some believers claim Lloyd Park to be haunted not by a ghost, but by the menacing presence of a terrifying ghoul.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Some Croydon ghosts are quite friendly – even helpful. One story from New Addington tells of the ghost of a German pilot, shot down during an air battle in the Second World War. He was badly injured, and plenty of locals wanted to kill him as one of the enemy, but others protected and nursed him until he went to hospital, where he died.
He has since been seen in the area where he fell, handing a lost wallet back to a man, perhaps as a thank you for the care he received there in a time of conflict.
Another benevolent ghost, the figure of a young girl, was often seen in the 1980s, in a house in Upper Norwood. Far from frightening, she once even managed to wake up her flesh-and-bones housemate to warn her of a fire starting in the kitchen.
So Croydon seems to have it all. Ghosts from the 1600s, to the 1970s; from violent poltergeists to kindly spirits and an ectoplasmic glut of mysterious grey area in between.
If you’ve had any first-hand experience of the cases we mention, or if you know any of stories we haven’t mapped, we’d love to hear about it, so don’t forget to leave a comment.
And if you’re off ghost-hunting yourself over Easter, don’t forget to take a camera, tape recorder or notebook to capture anything you see. Most importantly, take a level-headed friend with you; if half of these stories are to be believed, you might find yourself in some spooky situations!
Whether these stories are evidence of the supernatural in Croydon, or just sensationalized misunderstandings, one thing is clear – ghost stories are worthwhile, at the very least, as a wonderful reminder of the hidden history behind places we might think of as very ordinary.
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Used to work in airport house in the ’90’s, at the back of the building up-stairs. 1 night after we had stayed late (about 9), we wondered down to a dis-used part of the building were we heared a group of people talking in the room relow us which was empty at that time of night. A few years later a customer of ours moved in to the ground floor offices and after a year or 2 I went in to the custermer. It was a nice hot summers day and they had a gas burner on as they said ‘it is all ways cold in this back office’. the 1 we had heard noisees form all those years before.
As far as I am aware, Addington Palace isn’ a hotel and doesn’t have bedrooms. It’s used for weddings and conferences amongst other things.
Whilst driving my daughter and her then boyfriend home one day I came around the one way system at St Mary’s heading towards Thornton Heath , when a lady dressed all in old Victorian clothes , gently glided across the road , as she got level with my car she turned her head and looked right at us , then she. Carried on and vanished in to the concrete wall on the other side ( she had no legs below the knees or I couldn’t see them )
Hi all, does anyone know who digger harry was?
Also i am starting up a paranormal investigation group called Ghostech, if anyone would like to join then please contact me at
jeffeferon@yahoo.co.uk
Regards Jeff Young.
17 Avenue road, south Norwood. As a child was blessed by the church as a result of a haunting /malevolent activity. Single parent home with myself and four sisters spent approximately 15yrs in this house. A woman in a white gown was often seen and wouid wave at people from window. A soldier we called Charlie also seen often sat in our sofa. We describe him as a pilot due to what we couid make out was a uniform. Then we had something else. Heavy footsteps wouid be heard day n night regardless of what floor you were on. Windows smashing from inside. Ornaments, dolls ect wouid be thrown..our toys was stored in a huge box you couid to knock over if was 7ft tall and built. Yet every night it would be pushed over. Our down stairs room I believe was a office at some point and walls where dressed in cork. You wouid awake to find scratches all over. Also every night a neighbors dog (Rottweiler) too Bob wouid be sat somehow at the foot of my bed. Looking in the distance as tho was protecting me. Scared, unable to sleep I’d walk the street all night with toobob. Unable to focus, tired, hungry ect. Not beleaived by my mother telling anyone was a no no. Eventually my absence from school, behavior on the street lead to school and locals help/involvement. A friendly Christian family that got the church involved. Resulting in us children and the house being blessed. Shortly after my mother moved to Wales. From what I know a ladie similar with young children wouid move in. Where one wouid go on to commit a horrendous crime. Now in my fortys I’m intrigued to learn more if possible about the area, the house, and in particular the resivour and waterside Pavillion witch has always had an ominous feeling around it. I’d love to know more
@lee would also love to know more! Hope you see this 🙂