Pluckley, Kent

Pluckley is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England, situated on the edge of a well-drained plain with the Kent Downs to the north-west. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Pluckley Thorne and lies about five miles west of Ashford. Historically, Pluckley was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was once more prominent than Ashford.

The village is home to the Church of St Nicholas, dating mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries. Notable features include the Dering Chapel, built in 1475, and brasses commemorating the Dering family from the 1630s. Surrenden Manor, once the residence of Sir Edward Dering, is linked to the discovery of the Dering Manuscript, the earliest known manuscript text of a Shakespeare play.

Pluckley is renowned for its reputation as “the most haunted village in Britain,” with reports of twelve different ghosts. Among these are the Red Lady of the churchyard, a ghostly monk, a phantom highwayman, and a mysterious gypsy woman named Susan Richardson. The area known as Fright Corner and the nearby Screaming Woods are focal points for paranormal activity and attract ghost hunters and television crews alike.

The village has featured in various media productions, including the ITV drama The Darling Buds of May and several paranormal television series. It is accessible via Pluckley railway station and lies on the Greensand Way walking route, close to the Stour Valley Walk.