2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Haunted Kingdom, Sep 2 2001
By E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Phantom Britain: This Spectre'd Isle (Hardcover)
"Phantom Britain" is the third book in the series that also includes "Haunted Inns," "Haunted Churches & Abbeys of Britain," and "Haunted Castles." It is more of a hodge-podge than its companion volumes and overlaps a bit onto their territories since it attempts to cover all aspects of phantom Britain. A look at the Table of Contents shows the territory that the author attempts to cover: " (1) Houses of Dread; (2) Skullduggery!; (3) England's Martial Spirits; (4) Scotland's Spectral Soldiers; (5) Water Wraiths; (6) Classic Cases; (7) Bells and Drums; (8) Haunted Villages; (9) Phantoms of the Road; (10) Hallowed Stones; (11) Holy Ghosts; (12) In Their Own Experience; (13) Haunted Hospitality; (14) At the Hour of Death; (15) The Most Haunted House?; (16) The Haunted Mountain; (17) Borley Rectory Yet Again; (18) Blood Royal; (19) Spirits of the Outdoors."
Marc Alexander differs from the majority of his fellow occultists in that Borley Rectory is not his most haunted house. That honor goes to a classic Tudor manor house at Sandford Orcas in Dorset. "It is reputed to be haunted by over a dozen ghosts...When I entered its ancient gateway (where one of the current ghosts hanged himself from a pulley still to be seen), I found the appearance of the house to be exactly right for the part. Built of grey stone, it has deep mullioned windows, tall Elizabethan chimneys and high gables, each surmounted by a leering gargoyle the shape of an ape."
As always, the author attempts to visit each of the sites that he includes in his book, and he writes of its actual as well as occult history. "Phantom Britain" entertains on both levels, and if you want to ghost-hunt through "This spectre'd Isle" you would do well to let Mr. Alexander be your guide.
My two personal favorites among his books are "Haunted Inns" and "Haunted Churches & Abbeys of Britain."