cemeteries

Bradford in West Yorkshire is the most haunted place in the UK, according to an analysis of spooky buildings and paranormal sightings by tarot reading platform Tarotoo

Halloween is creeping closer, and there’s definitely something spooky in the air. You may be a firm believer in ghosts, feel like the paranormal follows you, or suspect your own home might be haunted. But do you live in the UK’s most haunted city?

Tarot reading platform Tarotoo has delved into the data, analysing a range of eerie metrics, from the number of cemeteries and graves to reported ghost hotspots, empty properties, and homes over 100 years old.

According to Tarotoo, the spookiest city in the UK is Bradford. The West Yorkshire spot was found to have an alarming 143 cemeteries and 255,699 grave sites. It also had 3,284 empty houses and 66,080 properties over 100 years old. As everyone knows, ghosts love old houses.

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The city has a number of reportedly haunted hotspots too, including Paper Hall, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to 1643. One of the most striking reports of paranormal activity to come out of Paper Hall tells of a pair of large staring eyes belonging to a very ghastly face often seen looking out of the windows.

Residents have also reported the sound of someone going up and down the staircase in the dead of night, only for those confronted by the spooking to find no one is there.

Some have argued that the footsteps belong to an old sailor with a peg leg due to the distinct ‘tapping’ pattern of the sound. Rumours have also circulated that an admiral was once killed in the house.

Bradford City Hall, built in 1843, is also said to be a site for paranormal activity. The cellars once served as police cells, and legend has it that a prisoner ghost named Charlie still roams the building. He is said to be stalking the building still, his restless soul continuing to seek his revenge for the ill-treatment at the hands of the police.

Parkside Social Club is another spot that has inspired a number of ghostly reports. In the past, the building has served as an institute and a schoolroom. One of the most common sightings is of a young girl in Victorian-style clothing who enjoys running around in a spooky way.

Bolling Hall is the oldest house in Bradford, according to the Haunted Rooms website. It has clocked up “20 recorded sightings” over the years, including a child’s crib rocking back and forth without being touched, and a lady in white who floats back and forth before disapearing into the fireplace.

Tarotoo’s spookiest cities

(City, Population, Number of cemeteries, Number of Graves, Number of Ghost hotspots, Number of Empty properties, Houses over 100 years old)

1. Bradford: 299,310, 143, 255,699, 12, 3,284, 66,080, 79, 2
2. Leeds: 455,123, 156, 827,636, 35, 3,450, 64,510, 78
3. Aberdeen: 196,670, 28, 48,300, 24, 5,793, 30,750, 75, 4
4. Swansea: 300,352, 103, 109,360, 12, 8,700, 30,840, 74
5. Edinburgh: 464,990, 82, 114,257, 107, 3,093, 81,108, 74
6. Manchester: 551,938, 75, 861,751, 65, 1,700, 56,020, 70, 6
7. Newcastle upon Tyne: 192,382, 39, 35,448, 32, 1,449, 26,060, 69
8. Belfast: 274,770, 31, 225,150, 13, 3,694, 43,708, 69
9. Cardiff: 447,287, 55, 143,068, 41, 7,525, 39,640, 66
10. Bristol: 617,280, 105, 286,860, 80, 1,654, 64,410, 65

Sept. 8 (UPI) — A 24th anniversary national day of remembrance to honor victims of the 9/11 terrorists attacks will be held this week by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at dozens of national VA cemeteries.

The VA said Monday that Patriot Day on Thursday will be observed at more than 60 VA-run national burial grounds in collaboration with the nonprofit Carry The Load. The groups are hosting volunteer activities such as cleaning headstones and other acts of beautification in honor of 9-11-2001 — the day in which some 2,977 people were killed in the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil.

“This Patriot Day, we invite all Americans to visit participating VA cemeteries, where they can help honor and preserve the legacies of the victims, first responders, service members and families touched by 9/11,” Sam Brown, the VA’s under secretary for memorial affairs, said in a statement.

On September 11, 2001, multiple extremists associated with the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes in a coordinated attack. Terrorists intentionally flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing them to collapse. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pa., near the town of Shanksville.

Patriot Day, established by Congress at the end of 2001, is intended to honor the victims.

The VA will again join forces with Carry the Load as in years past to pass out cleaning supplies and other materials at no cost to attendees.

“We encourage Americans to honor the memory of those lost on 9/11 by serving in their communities and sharing stories of the first responders and military who sacrificed to keep us safe,” added Stephen Holley, Carry The Load’s chief.

On Monday, Brown said that VA cemeteries are an “ideal” place to reflect on “the heroism and sacrifice of 9/11.”

According to the VA, some 47 U.S. vets and their dependents who died on 9/11 are buried in cemeteries run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

VA officials said most of the veteran 9/11 victims are laid to rest at Calverton on Long Island and its adjoining plots.

Meanwhile, participants may pre-register for the day via CTL’s website.

“Together we can make a positive impact and show our gratitude for those who sacrificed so much for our freedom,” stated Holley, a veteran U.S. Navy SEAL.