Seaside town church breaks silence after being named 'spookiest' in UK

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Whitby
-Credit: (Image: Flickr/Philip N Young)


A North Yorkshire church has been named the spookiest in the UK

St Mary’s Church in Whitby gives people the shivers according to Tripadvisor reviews, where visitors used several 'spooky keywords' to describe it. According to 42 reviews out of 1,000 - 1 in 24 - many described the church as ‘spooky’ and ‘haunted’ but gave the church an average star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

The study was conducted by JeffBet.com, who analysed the Tripadvisor reviews to determine which churches and cathedrals across the UK have the highest number of spooky-related keywords in their reviews.

Read more Former Top Gear star James May spotted filming in North Yorkshire

Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire in South Wales was second on the list, followed by Coventry Cathedral in the West Midlands. St Paul's Cathedral in London was named the least spookiest in the reviews.

Fr Michael Gobbett of St Mary's Church said: "It's rather surprising people have found the church spooky. The only ghost present is the Holy Ghost, God's Holy Spirit bringing wisdom, peace and love to all who are open to his presence.

"We will be delighted to welcome visitors over this coming week as the church celebrates All Saints and gives thanks for the way in which the light of Christ triumphs over darkness in human lives."

Get all the latest and breaking North Yorkshire news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here.