Tales of ghosts in the West Somerset village of Dunster

Dunster is filled with stories of the undead stalking the houses, castle, pubs and hills.

It was once home to a Benedictine chapel later destroyed under Henry VIII, which has seen it awash with ghosts.

Some locals say almost every building is haunted by everything from Civil War troops to "grey ladies" and horses.

Sues Toogood, 55, a pharmacy dispenser, bought a cottage there.

She said: “It was a wreck, the heating didn’t work at all and a tiny fireplace was the only source of heat.

''I soon realised that all the smoke from the fire was coming out of a crack in the chimney in the upstairs bedroom.

''I had nowhere else to go so I slept in the spare room.

“In the early hours of the morning I woke up in the middle of the night to voices. I was a bit scared at first but I walked through and realised it was the radio.

''It was a battery radio that I had put out for the builders. I thought it was strange but I switched it off and went back to bed, but then it happened again the next night.

''I realised that if I had stayed asleep I might not have woken up because of the smoke and carbon monoxide coming in from the other room.

“I felt like the ghost was saving me from dying."

Carol Bowden said: “My husband and I have been coming to stay in the village for years and our dachshund Doogle was only a puppy.

''For the first four days we would walk down to the river past the mound and he would start barking at the trees, although he couldn’t see anything.

“Also when we were in the little snug of the hotel he would start barking at the mantelpiece.

''The following night it happened again, and the receptionist said the old lady stands there by the mantelplace at that time.

“The manager then asked where the dog had been barking and I said about the mound and he said that was where the Roundheads and Cavaliers were buried.''

Janie and Nigel Deeming run the 15th century Stags Head Inn, which has a resident ghost.

Janie said: “Nearly every building in Dunster is believed to have a ghost or two.

“The house that we live in is very active, and we’ve only just managed to settle it down.

''I nearly didn’t move in here because they gave me merry hell, but now they’ve started to work with me rather than against me.

“Before we moved here five months ago we stayed in a particular house in the area, and the last time we went, let’s just say the spirits were awake.

“On the first night, a door on the dresser clicked open, and we didn’t think much of it but then it opened two or three more times.

''I then put my hand on it to keep it closed, and it pushed back, and I knew that wasn’t normal.

“The next night a book flew off the bookshelf and fell open on a ghost story, and we all joked about it, but later that night when I was washing up, I could feel a presence behind me.

“I’ve managed to bring the spirits on my side, but it took some work.”

Benedict Yeandle said: ''When I first moved in, for the first six weeks we had things happening, and customers would always notice it.

“A smell of smoke could always be smelt even though there was no explanation for it, and one day a can of coke flew from one side of the room to the other, completely intact, just with a small dent in it.

“I think whatever is living with me in here is a female, because it has only happened when I’ve employed female staff to work for me.

''I’m a bachelor and I think it got a little bit jealous. But now there hasn’t been any women coming here, she’s settled down.”

Local author Nina Dodd has written a book, 'Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat' - a 'travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster'.

She said: "I started researching this book years ago after hearing stories about how haunted Dunster is.

"I find the British fascination with ghosts very interesting. In (her native) Finland, we do not have anywhere near as many ghost stories or 'haunted' places.

"I think a big part of it is that England has so many older homes and buildings.

"Everyone I speak to in the village has some kind of story to tell. Some like to keep them to themselves, but clearly have had some kind of experience.

"One very common one we hear is about ghost monks, because there was once a Benedictine chapel in Dunster which was destroyed when Henry VIII was King.

"People always say that they see or hear them. There is also apparently a ghost horse who haunts the hilltops around the village.

"The churchyard too always has stories about people seeing ghosts there - but that is not very surprising.

"One businessman I spoke to even said that he can't tell his staff about the ghost experiences he has had or they wouldn't come to work.

"Dunster is one of the best preserved mediaeval villages, and because it is so old I am not surprised people have so many ghost stories."