Lately, I’ve been relishing hiking Kent’s countryside especially now while the weather has been warm with perfect blue skies and when discovering a haunted derelict, Stacklands Retreat House.
This most recent exploration took place from Shoreham Village. At the start of the walk, just past the church and through green wheat fields, about 60 wide steps greeted us – not easy to climb when having to take extra large steps, sometimes two strides to get up to the next step. However, once upon the ridge the view of the village below and fields of poppies in the near distance made it worth it.
Across an abandoned golf course, up another steep mound, through meadows with horses, cattle and working farms we reached the eerie building I couldn’t wait to photograph. Through thick shrubbery and trees I could just see the Stacklands Retreat House, a haunted derelict at West Kingsdown: Three large buildings close to each other sprayed with graffiti and strangled by ivy. Watch out for the broken glass, tiles and asbestos littered all over the grounds.
“Apparently, this is where priests came to reform after sinning in the church. One of them – known to be the founder – turned satanic and sacrificed those that were at this retreat.”
As soon as I could I researched the retreat and found mixed stories, but most of them mentioned the sacrificing of priests. So, it must be true then…! It’s definitely the more thrilling of the lot.
The photography opportunities were most satisfying indeed.
PN
July 07, 2015
Pictures of a haunted Stack… I would put all of them on my wall except One 🙂 they’re all de am fine, PN, well done.
Nicola
July 11, 2015
Thank you, PNON; so, are you going to reveal which one would not make your wall?
Krissy Valentine
August 08, 2015
These are fantastic photos, I’m one of the people who posted online about the legend of Stacklands. I’ve had much more time to research since I first posted about it and found out so much. We had some terrifying goings on in it, including my a friend’s sister being shut in the basement as a joke, only to start screaming and not being able to get out and when they finally managed to get back in to let her out she was out cold on the floor and couldn’t remember what happened. Her nails were broken and she was terrified. I was unsure at first whether all the stories about it were true, it’s a bit of a local ghost story, but I’m convinced it is, but since I last went there it has been burned down. Many people I knew told stories of how on the night it burned down, lights turned on and off in their homes and friends homes, and how doors open and closed and kids woke up screaming, as if by burning the building down something was unleashed that night.
Your pictures are beautiful, I only wish you had seen it a few years ago before it was so awfully damaged, the rooms used to be in pretty good condition and we spent so much time out there.
Nicola
August 08, 2015
Hello;
Thank you for leaving a comment, and for sharing your personal and rather frightening experience of the retreat. After such an experience the stories must be true; I’m now convinced it has a horrific past.
Walking through the derelict made us feel slightly on edge and that’s what prompted me to try find out as much as I could.
Thank you for appreciating my photos, and if only I could have seen it a few years ago.