Whitby's St Mary's Church revealed as spookiest church in the UK
A new study has named St Mary’s Church in Whitby as the spookiest in the UK.
The study, conducted by JeffBet.com, analysed Tripadvisor reviews to determine which churches and cathedrals across the UK have the highest number of spooky-related keywords in their reviews.
Whitby’s St Mary’s Church is followed by Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire, South Wales, and Coventry Cathedral in the West Midlands.
Research revealed St Mary’s, which has an average 4.5 TripAdvisor rating, is most commonly described as spooky and haunted by reviewers.
The church has over 1,000 reviews on Tripadvisor, with an average rating of 4.5 stars.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from JeffBet.com said: “With Halloween around the corner, October is the perfect month to explore spooky locations and get into the autumnal mood.
“The locations on this list are steeped in a rich history, centuries old, and some with ghost stories attached.
"Churches like St Mary’s have long been good places to visit for those looking to experience a thrill.
“From ghostly apparitions to unexplained sounds, visitors to any of the locations on the list will find themselves in for a spooky treat.
"Whether you’re a fan of paranormal investigations or simply love getting into the atmospheric vibe this time of year, October makes for a great time to visit as the autumn air amplifies the mysterious feel to the castles.”
In these reviews, 26 keywords and phrases such as haunting, eerie, chilling, scary and disturbing were analysed.
The locations with the highest number of reviews featuring the keywords per 1,000 reviews were assessed and then ranked.
Only locations with more than 1,000 reviews were considered.