16 Creepy British Wikipedia Pages That Will Give You Nightmares

Britain is terrifying.

1. Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

Flickr: hardluck-hotel Creative Commons

An unidentified corpse being found in a tree trunk is creepy enough, but the real weirdness in this story came years later when graffiti reading "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" started popping up over the region where the body was discovered.

2. The Highgate vampire

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Throughout the late 1960s and early '70s many people reported seeing "a grey figure" roaming around Highgate Cemetery, London. The ensuing media attention lead to a mass vampire hunt occurring at the cemetery on 13 March 1970.

3. The Solway Firth spaceman

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According to Jim Templeton, no one was present in the background when he took the above photo of his daughter. National press soon picked up on the creepy picture and dubbed the figure "The Solway Firth Spaceman". Spooky spaceman or just a terrestrial passer-by? You decide.

4. Jack the Ripper

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Perhaps the most famous serial killer the world has ever known, and with reason. The savagery of the murders and the culprit's taunts to the police and media caused a sensation and instilled a major curiosity amongst the public – a curiosity that still exists to this day.

5. Hairy hands

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Hairy hands is the name given to a ghost believed by some to be responsible for the high number of motor accidents on a stretch of road in Dartmoor. Many drivers have reported feeling a hand take hold of their steering wheel and forcing their vehicle off the road.

6. The Enfield poltergeist

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From 1977 to 1979, two sisters from the London borough of Enfield received national press coverage when they claimed to have been possessed by a poltergeist. Paranormal researchers flocked to their house, where one reported seeing the younger sister “sound asleep, levitating in midair”. Spooky.

7. Spring-heeled Jack

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The 19th century's version of a Batman villain, Spring-heeled Jack was an entity noted for his bizarre, devilish looks and ability to jump extraordinary heights. Spring-heeled Jack was sighted all over Victorian Britain, from London to Scotland, with the last alleged sighting taking place in 1904.

8. UK crop circles

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Are we alone in the universe? Not if some theories about the formation of crop circles are true. Crop circles have appeared mysteriously worldwide, with an especially large number popping up in in Hampshire and Wiltshire.

9. The Devil's footprints

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After a heavy snowfall in 1855, residents of Devon awoke to find a set of hoof shaped footprints stretching a distance of between 40 to 100 miles. Some believed the tracks to be the mark of the devil.

10. Overtoun Bridge

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Overtoun Bridge is a bridge located near Dumbarton, Scotland, that became famous for the number of dogs who've leaped to their deaths from it. The deaths became so notorious that a sign reading "Dangerous bridge – keep your dog on a lead" was erected at the structure.

11. Gef

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Of all the mysteries to have taken place in Britain, this one featuring a talking mongoose who was alleged to have lived between the walls of a farmhouse on the Isle of Man is perhaps the most bizarre. Seriously, a talking mongoose named Gef.

12. The Rendlesham Forest incident

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UFOs, army involvement, and claims of a cover-up: There's a reason this incident is often referred to as the British version of Roswell. Three decades later and the events of December 1980 still remain a mystery.

13. The Beast of Bodmin

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Britain has a long history of big cat sightings, but none as famous as the Beast of Bodmin. Throughout Cornwall, farmers have reported sightings of a panther-like cat and claimed to have had livestock brutally mutilated.

14. The Hollinwell incident

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On a summer's day in July 1980, 300 children at the Hollinwell Showground in Kirkby-in-Ashfield mysteriously suffered fainting attacks and nausea. Mass hysteria and pesticides are some of the theories put forward by people who've examined the case, but the true cause of the incident remains unknown.

15. Cock Lane ghost

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The Cock Lane ghost is said to have haunted the London lane of its name during the 18th century, and gathered mass public attention. The case became so well-known that Charles Dickens referenced the haunting in a number of his books.

16. Bible John

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A Bible-quoting serial killer sounds like something out of a horror movie, but during the late 1960s a killer of this description was actively roaming the streets of Glasgow. Despite intense efforts by police to catch "Bible John", the killer was never caught and the case remains unsolved.