A town that dates back more than 4,000 years is always going to have more than its fair share of history.

Braintree certainly does, and if you believe the stories then many of the area’s historical inhabitants still walk among us- as ghosts.

Andy Radley, of Silver End, has been heading up the Essex Ghost Hunting Team for 30 years and says Braintree is one of the most haunted places he’s been to.

Mr Radley claims to have a gift for seeing and communicating with the dead: “I just see them as I’m walking around town. I think ‘nice fancy dress costume.’ But it’s not.

“There are a lot of Victorian people in Braintree but I have seen little Roman girls and people from the Tudor period.

“They see us as well but they just can’t communicate. They see us all.”

Mr Radley is not the only person to have seen ghosts and ghouls in the town.

Some of Braintree’s most notorious haunting sites include:

  • The Horse and Groom public house in Rayne Road. Said to be one of Braintree’s most notorious haunted pubs, a medium paid a visit in 2010 and claimed to have picked up on the spirits of youngsters, soldiers, servants and a dog.
  • The Angel public house, Notley Road. Ghosts have been seen at this former pub since the 1960s. A spooky mist has been witnessed on the staircase which used to terrify dogs.
  • The King's Head public house, Coggeshall Road. Several unexplained paranormal incidents are reported to have occurred in this pub which has now being turned into a Tesco store.
  • In an alleyway behind Freeport in 2013 a witness reported seeing two small girls with long hair leaping over concrete posts along an alleyway. After they walked away from the girls, the witness heard a scream but when they turned to help both girls disappeared.

See this week's Braintree Times for more spooky tales.