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Landguard Fort has existed, in one form or another, since 1543, and sits on the mouth of the River Orwell in the town of Felixstowe, Suffolk.

My interest in Landguard Fort began after meeting a middle-aged man who claimed that, as a child, he was playing near the empty building when a ghostly team of horses pulling a carriage galloped past him. The coach and four entered the fort and vanished, appearing to use a drawbridge that was not actually there. Curiosity aroused, I wanted to know more.

I spent a morning at the fort, walking around the quiet, atmospheric structure taking photographs and listening to the ghost stories that are freely shared by the volunteers who now work hard to keep the site open. I was surprised at the number of tales they had to tell.

A solitary musketeer was seen several times by soldiers during the Second World War, marching along a rampart. He is said to have been killed during a Dutch invasion attempt in the distant past. Though the spectre has not been observed as of late, I was told that dogs are still afraid of that particular area. Another soldier that haunts the fort is a Victorian Artilleryman. In the middle of an afternoon, a female worker in the shop was more than a little surprised to see this phantom figure step through a wall and grin at her, before turning around and stepping back into the wall.

Maria is likely to be the most well known spook to be found at the fort. A member of a reenactment group who spent the night in the building was awoken twice by the cries of a woman who also occasionally whispered in a foreign tongue. He and two others broke out their torches to find where the sounds were coming from, but to no avail. The following morning, the man spoke to the site manager about his troubled night, and was told he had probably encountered the ghost of a Portuguese lady...

In the mid eighteenth century, the fort's paymaster sergeant married a young woman named Maria. The wives of the other soldiers based at the fort didn't really like the Portuguese bride, and when a silken handkerchief went missing, the finger of blame was pointed at the young lady. The paymaster sergeant was instructed to deal with the situation, and convinced his wife was innocent, left the site to find help in proving Maria was not to blame for the theft. Unfortunately, when the paymaster sergeant returned four days later, he was immediately accused of desertion and executed by firing squad in the fort's dry moat. Maria was devastated, and in a moment of madness, flung herself from the ramparts to her death. As the reenactment member had discovered, Maria still runs around the area, mumbling in Portuguese and crying out in grief.

Finally, the bathroom is said to be haunted by another soldier who died around the time of the First World War. Two mediums visited the site at different times, one claiming the soldier cracked his head open on the bath during a practical joke that went wrong, while the other maintained the soldier was murdered. Either way, the area has a particular feel to it, though whether this is due to a spiritual presence or environmental factors is subject to debate.

I was actually a little sad to leave the fort, and I could have spent much more time there, wandering the darkened corridors and dodging the cobwebs. Landguard Fort is staffed by volunteers, and I would like to thank them all for their help and hospitality.

Dates for the Paranormal Diary this week...

23 October
Edgehill, Warwickshire

The first direct conflict during the English Civil War, the Battle of Edgehill saw the Parliamentarians and the King's army engage in bloody battle on Sunday 23 October 1642. While the first ghostly reports from the site were reported a few days after the fighting ceased, today the anniversary of the battle is said to be marked by the clash of phantom sword and the screams of men who died three hundred and sixty-six years ago.

- Darren Mann
www.paranormaldatabase.com