Overview
You've forsaken smashed avocados, saved all your cash and somehow have enough money to purchase your own property — and, naturally, you want to make the transaction count. May we suggest a 16th-century British cottage that's been dubbed the most haunted house in the UK? Anyone can buy an apartment in the suburbs, but only one person can nab a notorious spot that was once a medieval witch prison.
Located in St Osyth in Essex, the property in question is known as The Cage. Back in the late 1500s, it was used to house 13 women accused of witchcraft while they were awaiting trial. Three were ultimately sentenced to death by hanging, including the infamous Ursula Kemp — a midwife and healer who came under suspicion after people in her neighbourhood, including children, became sick and died.
That's not the end of The Cage's unnerving story. In the years until 1908, the house was also used to detain men, women, and children. Unsurprisingly, the spot has featured on local ghost tours and as the subject of a television docudrama, with current owner Vanessa Mitchell even co-writing a book about her spooky experiences living in the property.
Mitchell's time onsite was short-lived — she moved out "because of the relentless paranormal activity" according to Home Domus, who've listed the house for sale — however she has owned the spot since 2004.
If you're keen to follow in her footsteps and you have £240,000 or more to spare, the two-level house features three reception rooms, a kitchen, a ground floor cloakroom, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Outside, a walled courtyard comes complete with a door to a walkway known as "Coffin Alley", where dead bodies were once transported on the way to the local cemetery.
Top image: Home Domus 360.