are a number of ghosts said to haunt Sissinghurst castle, some of which appear
to stem from the time of Queen Mary's reign when the evil Sir John Baker
resided in the castle.
John was renowned for the execution of hundreds of Protestants, hence he came
to be known as 'Bloody Baker'.
two women once hid under the main staircase of the castle to escape their
execution. At this time, Sir John and his servant were carrying a
freshly-murdered woman through the castle when her hand suddenly caught in the
banisters. Baker had no time for such inconveniences, and cut the hand off the
body to free it. The hand fell into one of the hiding woman's laps.
more recent times, Lady Nicholson, who was responsible for the restoration of
the castle, had a dog that would not pass the place where this event
supposedly took place without whimpering and rising its hackles.
paranormal events linked with Sissinghurst include a ghostly monk who
frequently wanders the gardens and the sound of clicking and footsteps
apparently coming from thin air.