Cold Cases: Case 11: Borley Rectory
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What is the history behind Borley Rectory?
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Hello, how are you? Thanks for all of your recent messages on our cold cases. In just a couple of weeks time we're going to be doing a huge case update episode, going through all of your theories and answering all your questions as we look back at every single story that we've covered. But right now we are going to climax this series in style with a two-part investigation that's got everything. Ghostly nuns, violent poltergeist activity, headless horsemen riding a spectral carriage and a stakeout by the greatest ghost hunter of his age. It has been called the most haunted house in England. It is, of course... Borley Rectory. But can we separate the reality of Borley from the legend that has grown up around it?
Is this really the greatest haunted house or one of the most extensive paranormal hoaxes ever concocted? We're going to be torn in both directions. Buckle up as we dive into one of the most notorious hauntings in world history. I'm Danny Robbins and this... is uncanny cold cases.
What has passed comes again In the cold where we lay Secret still remains Secret still remains
Welcome to the final investigation of this series. It is a two-parter because it doesn't get any bigger than this one. The story of Borley Rectory, much like many of its apparent inhabitants, refuses to die. But over the years, this case has stirred up as much controversy as it has paranormal intrigue. To try and make sense of it now, I am joined by two of the greatest ghost hunters of our age.
Who was Harry Price and what was his role in the Borley Rectory investigation?
For Team Skeptic, forensic psychologist Dr Kieran O'Keefe, and for Team Believer, writer and parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow. Evelyn, what a case we have here. It's hard to overstate the impact of this, isn't it? It's the stadium-filling legacy act of the paranormal.
It is. I think if you were to stop anybody on the streets of Britain and say, what is the definitive haunted house story, they would say Boreley Rectory. And it was investigated by Harry Price, who is arguably the most famous ghost hunter of all time. He's an incredibly weird and interesting character. He wrote several books about Boreley Rectory. They were the Da Vinci Code of their time.
Totally. And Harry Price is going to loom large in this case, isn't he, Kieran? I know he's a real inspiration for you. For people less familiar with him, just contextualise him for us. His impact, his status within the paranormal world.
Yeah, definitely. He used a scientific method for ghost hunting and that impacts on what we do today. But although he was an inspiration for me, he was also hugely impactful in populising the paranormal. And I'm sorry, Danny, but if Harry Price were alive today, he would be sitting where you would be sitting right now, because ultimately he was the uncanny of the day.
OK, well, let's get this paranormal party started. We're going to travel back to the 12th of June, 1929, as Harry Price and his secretary, Lucy Kay, set off by road for his first visit to Borley. A blink and you'll miss it village on the Essex-Suffolk border in the east of England. Lucy, 27, blonde and stylish, contrasts with 48-year-old Harry, bald, hollow-eyed and constantly puffing away on his pipe. It's a 60-mile drive from London and they've packed everything they will need for their investigation. Cameras, a thermometer, notebooks, torches and a bottle of brandy for emergencies. They have heard stories about the goings-on in Borley that suggest they may need it. But right now, they're slightly lost, so they stop to ask a local for directions to the rectory.
Oh, he says, looking these foolhardy strangers up and down, you mean the most haunted house in England?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the history behind Borley Rectory?
0:00–3:05
2
Who was Harry Price and what was his role in the Borley Rectory investigation?
3:05–5:23
3
What paranormal activities were reported at Borley Rectory?
5:23–8:09
4
How did the Bull family experience life at Borley Rectory?
8:09–9:45
5
What evidence exists regarding the haunting claims at Borley Rectory?
9:45–11:32
6
What theories explain the supernatural occurrences at Borley Rectory?
11:32–13:54
7
How did the media influence the perception of Borley Rectory?
13:54–16:17
8
What conclusions can be drawn from the investigation of Borley Rectory?
16:17–31:53
Speakers
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Cold Cases: Case 12: Borley Rectory Part 2
Cold Cases: Case 10: The Great Amherst Mystery