- Image by sweenpole2001 via Flickr
The old Thundridge church was demolished in 1853. The tower, however, was left in place. At the time Thundridge was one of the oldest churces in this part of England.
The new church was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Saints. It was paid for by a Mr Hanbury in 1858 and cost £9,000.
The original burial ground remains which contains a number of ld tomb and mausoleums. One unusual epitaph for Roger Gardiner and his wife reads;
Roger lies here before his hour,
Thus doth the Gardiner lose his flower.
Thundridge is just shy of three miles north of Ware. The river Rib can be seen from tower.
Locals report tales of wichcraft, vandalism and desecration at the church.
Hauntings
The Church – sometimes known as Cold Christmas church – is believed to be haunted.
A common report is of a ghostly grumbling growl that echoes out from the tower. Reports of the noise became so frequent that in January 2009 the local East Herts Herald sent a camera crew and journalist to investigate.
Another famous tale dates back to 1978 when a terrified local woman reported an entire ghost army marching out of the church. Reports say the ghost army let out a blood-curdling roar and marched straight through the poor woman.
Other reports speak of a figure in a black robe that is sometimes seen in burial ground.
In Pure Spirit
Have you seen ghosts near Cold Christmas Lane, the church or tower?
If you’re a local we’d love to hear what you think about the site!
October 25, 2009 at 8:32 am
please can you send me your pics to daleastwood@hotmail.com cheers going there soon
October 25, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Would You Advide Someone Who Can See Ghost’s To Go To Cold Christmas? Would Anything Bad Happen To Them? Comment Back x
October 29, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I have been twice to the Church recently for research into an article for a paranormal magazine. We didn't hear or see anything unusual. Although the first time the mission had to be aborted due to a thunderstorm (I figured standing in a really tall structure wouldn't be very wise). We did hear an odd growling noise but after some further investigation I decided it was probably the sheep noises echoing around in that valley or the noise of a plane going over as it seems to be under the flight path for Stansted airport.
The rest of our experiences are in the next two threads.
October 29, 2009 at 3:31 pm
One thing we did find in our photographs was a hell of a lot of dust orbs. And that is all it was, dust. Be especially careful of this if you go up the stairs becuase there is 150 years wrth of the stuff just waiting to be kicked up, photographed and called paranormal activity. Also it makes the stairs really slippy on the way down which isn't helpful in the pitch blackness. Be aware of small flying things living in there too. Plus my boyfriend is certain he saw a bat going home to roost up there.
Some unusual things we did find were some specs in the one of our photographs that did seem to be emitting its own light rather than a reflection although we took this from the window at the top of the staircase so I am not ruling out it wasn't just a relection off of some of the debris on the floor in there.
October 29, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Secondly we found what appeared to be a face looking out at us from one of the little slit windows at the top in one of the photos. I am convinced this is a case of matixing (for those of you who don't know, this is when we see faces etc. in images when really it is just a bunch of random shadows or the light shining at just the right angle making us see something that isn't really there) however, it would be interesting to see if anyone else has photographs of that particular window. It is the slit one that is on the same side as the entrance. Wee took the photograph from the ajoining field.
Another thing we experienced was total battery drainage at the top of the staircase. Camera just completely died. Then, once we had left the tower, it turned itself back on again. The theory is that paranormal activity can drain batteries as they need an energy source to help manifest themselves.
The place is certainly interesting.
If anyone has more of its factual history, I would love to hear from you!
March 23, 2010 at 8:28 pm
i experienced something simular too , my fone died too , and when i took it home i couldnt get the back off and when i did the back was somehow like glued to the battery? wierd!
June 25, 2010 at 6:09 am
i sore a women in one of the slits of the window
August 2, 2011 at 5:29 pm
My friend went there and her and her family were taking pictures. When they got home, they looked at the photos, and in one of the windows, there was a face. They didn't remember seeing a face while they were there…perhaps it was the same window you saw?
I'm going there tomorrow 0.o
November 9, 2009 at 1:34 pm
The dates are similar because at this time a bad flu or illness could take a few out at once! So when u look everthing about this place is very normal. The people of the village wont speak about the place because the stupid rituals people have tried there, hacking up goats etc!! Its a real nice place i sat in there and read the telegraph on my own from midnight to 3 am using a single candle to prove it wasnt haunted, however please when listening to peoples stories they allways start with drink, drugs, or an over active imagination
December 13, 2009 at 10:06 pm
acn you send me the pics an all off the vids please as i am doin a project on this
please send to
nuluf_08@hotmail.com
many thanks wayne
January 8, 2010 at 6:14 pm
went there today to scope it out. went during the day though incase we couldnt find it, never been in that area before. Went inside with my friend and nothing was out of the norm. It’s a graffited tower with high expectations of paranormal activity maybe.
January 9, 2010 at 5:17 pm
mark
have been to cold christmas manty of times in the past, always late at night, and it is very eary, have had the fog close in on us, many times, as well as hearing the faint sounds of church bells ringing, i think there is deff something going on there, and i dont think its good either………
January 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
any1 gt the postcode??
March 14, 2010 at 2:20 pm
went here with like 50 people and was absolutely rubbish !
March 14, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Hiya hello,
I think taking 50 people there was bound to ruin the atmosphere.
March 23, 2010 at 8:15 pm
went there a week ago , but i believe alot of devil worshipers go there and the odd thing was the police stopped and questioned us about our intentions about our visit there! .. then a few mins later a car pulled up with some people in it and we told then about the police and they sped off! .. bit wierd , but anyways , the place does really play with your mind a bit , even on the way down i was sure i saw someone in the bushes! .. no really! it freaked me out , i eventually calmed down . it is a must see place :) . we went there around 2am so that added to the whole creepyness , its good to go inside dont be scaerd guys! any questions – danniibxn@hotmail.co.uk
March 30, 2010 at 10:09 am
About 4 months ago me and a few of my friends went to this church to see if the rumours were true. We went with the attitude that ghosts and spirits are not real. I did something stupid that night, i researched some priests name’s that belonged to that church and as a dare read three out. since then i’ve been awoken in the night by a dark figure in my bedroom right next to my door, whispering the 3 names. I really need help, it’s got worse. if somebody can help me please e-mail me and tell me what i can do, i really cannot deal with this anymore. please
April 2, 2010 at 4:36 pm
i just din't believe any of these stories, but last night i went there with three friends and we held a ouiji board session. we called up a spirit with the name of william bootle who said that he was killed in 1853 as he was working on the building..when I got home I looked on the internet and found that a group of workman were helping close the building down and one of them slipped and fell from the roof to his death…does anybody know anything more about this or this person?
June 25, 2010 at 6:04 am
yer he is the person that you see hanging from the roof thats wot i heard
April 30, 2010 at 9:25 pm
I went down there today with 3 other people, not expecting to see or hear anything unusual, and guess what nothing happened whatsoever apart from the sheep running about and a farmer driving about lol. Mayb we shuld go back again later at night, we went down around 6ish, Maybe goin after 8ish there might be sum spooky activity WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
May 30, 2010 at 5:12 am
is their anywhere around that sort of area or around north london that is like this but scarier?
June 3, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I was told about this place, so I just had to go, as I have no friends I was forced to go alone, on arriving on my unicycle, I looked down the track to see a pitch black road, so i disenbarked from my unicycle and began to walk towards the old church tower. The closer i got to the tower the more my torch dimmed, a strange feeling came over me as I came into view of the entrance, I could feel a hand run down my arm as if it was pulling me into the tower, this feeling stayed with me right the way into the entrance, I was terrified! Once inside the tower, alone, with the torch now completly off, this hand I could feel on my arm now ran up to my shoulder, then down the front of my body, suddenly my pants dropped to my ankles, I felt my self getting strangly aroused, and my penis slowly getting harder, this ghost like figure began to tug on my peice, although I was shitting my pants (which were now by my ankles) I was so happy I was finally experiencing my first sexual encounter at the ripe age of 44, be it with a ghost! I can tell you all now that I will definately be going back to this place, who knows next time I might get laid!
June 13, 2010 at 12:19 pm
i go up the oldchurch alot ,at night and during the day to walk my dad ot sometimes just sit in there when im onm a walk with a mate.
we've never seen/heard anything there.and its not haunted.
i went up there once with a couple of mates aswelll at like midnight they siked themselves up to be scared that they believed something was going to get them lol
June 13, 2010 at 12:19 pm
i ment walk my dog
June 15, 2010 at 8:31 pm
seriously?! i just came back from cold christmas lane's church tower, and the only thing horrific there is the lack of some people respect for which seems like a peacful and once beautiful ruin, there was no bad feeling there nor any other sound than the fat arse sheep that were up next to it, stayed there for about 4 hrs just chilling. Bad atmosphere? none, Angression towards people that mindlessly destroy stuff…..off the sacel.
June 15, 2010 at 8:32 pm
whoops! i meant scale*
June 25, 2010 at 5:39 am
went up to cold christmas lane there was me and 4 other people so we went up at about 10 00. i got touched on the soulder i was really freaked out i heared hoofs all the time walking and leaving and sore a greyish women in the window and two people i was with said they feilt if somone was in between them there was loads of orbs got pics on facebook add me if you can bad_boys_spursfc123@hotmail.co.uk
June 25, 2010 at 5:41 am
it was the date of 25/06/2010 please comment
June 25, 2010 at 5:56 am
i went up there a couple of days in the day i went inside the church and up the stairway to the top did not feel any kind of activity going on but it just well spooky at night but i would go back cus it was my first time and i think for my first time i saw plenty still got the shacks this morning
July 4, 2010 at 11:31 am
My great grandmother lived in cold christmas lane and some of her relatives lived in the other cottages. This was in the 1950's and I can remember playing in the grounds of the old church and climbing the tower. I have only good memories of this and took away a life long interest for old churches and tomb stone reading. I remember dancing orbs these to me with childhood fantasies were fairies and I danced around the fairy rings. Enjoy the fantasy of the place because there are not so many of these places left to indulge in.
July 21, 2010 at 2:02 pm
If anyone wants to go there who lives in the Essex (Colchester/Maldon area), please let me know. I'd love to go, but my husband and friends won't go with me! alisonalison@hotmail.com Thanks.
August 5, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Bollocks
August 8, 2010 at 11:05 pm
i heard that the hole was sealed up a few weeks ago so that people can't get in anymore, is this true?
August 9, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I went to Cold Christmas Church on 23rd July 2010 with a pal & although there was nothing ghostly whilst we were there a tabby cat followed us all the way there & all the way back as though escorting us on our trip. When we looked at the photos on the computer there were several misty ones despite it being a clear summer night & strange orange lights when the torches we carried were white light rather than the yellowy orange ones.
Jon when we went the hole was there although I did not venture inside as there are signs warning of the danger. The pics my friend took inside don’t look too safe so I wouldn’t suggest going in!
August 10, 2010 at 5:00 pm
i went up there with a group of about 15/20 friends and we took the long route up there over the fence and past the feilds. upon arriving at the curch we herd nothing and saw nothing. we all proceded to go through the hole in the side and went up the tower, when we got to the top of the tower nothing happened and nobody felt pushed towards the window. i think that the people who go up there and experience these things are just unfortunate that they have picked the same time as other people looking to scare people and the people who say they have these scratch marks on there necks and back have just ran past thorn bushed and have managed to get scratch by then. when you believe that your going to see something and believe that the place is haughnted your mind decides to play tricks on you so your more likely to believe something that actually hasn't happend.
August 16, 2010 at 1:07 am
I asked my boyfriend to take me there one night and we got to the tower and i chickened out. i felt just the 2 of us wouldnt be safe enough as i had already started to feel pretty scared as soon as i saw the gravestones. anyway, a week or so later i got pretty drunk with my boyfriend, his brother and his brothers mate. i decided it would be a great idea to go there again so we did. We had only our phone lights and my video camera. i felt more confident because i was with 3 men and i was also drunk, lol. anywayyyy, everything was going normal but when i got to the top of the tower, my leg started stinging pretty bad. when i got back home i had a big cut on my leg. this could have been caused by anything, but i only felt it when i got to the top of the tower? i uploaded the video to facebook so add me (Charli Knight) and feel free to watch it ;) unfortunately my camera doesnt have night vision so it's just our voices you can hear, but you hear me going on about my leg…also going on about how my names yvette fielding…(drunk) lol :p
also, my sister went there with some college mates and her best friend rob. when they got to the top of the tower rob had developed a cut on his arm. Again, this could be coincidence, but i'm pretty supersticious and personally believe that we were being warned away.
As soon as you get to cold christmas you instantly get chills down your spine. it is very eery and really quite scary, If i had to advise anyone, i would say to record your experience (with torches aswell) and please, please, please don't go in a pair. safety in numbers people. I highly doubt a 'spirit' can attack someone but you are better safe then sorry. people go to places like this for fun, and yes, it is fun! and a great laugh, but it must still be taken very seriously and treated with the upmost respect. good luck to anybody who goes there.
September 5, 2011 at 6:26 am
I got scratches all over my legs too! There's a huge one that runs all the way from the top of my thigh to the start of my ankle, and it stings like a bitch!
August 16, 2010 at 1:11 am
Also! when you walk down the path towards the church, be aware because you do get other visitors who like to hide and jump out to scare you. don't let them throw you off! chances are, they're only trying to scare people because nothing scary happened to them in the church and theyre hoping to shake you up beforehand.
September 4, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I've been copped hall n heard weird noises and also seen unexplained things in epping forrest and high beach I wanna go but my car is a write off n my freinds are to chicken shit to go after high beach ! Anyone goin tonight?
September 4, 2010 at 12:42 pm
My freind went last week said no 1 was there and a candle was lit in the middle of the tower
September 7, 2010 at 7:58 pm
if any one has any photos or fotage of cold christmas i would realy apreciate it if u could send me them pink_knickers1@hotmail.co.uk im so intreged by it!… ive bein to meny haunted locations but this seems by far to be the best i am hopeing to viist myself very shortly
September 8, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Does no one realise people go down to Cold Christmas Church to scare morons like you? Me and my friends being those people who go there to scare you lot :-)
September 20, 2010 at 6:36 pm
We went to cold christmas last night to do an investigation, what a remarkable place, did we see any thing or heard anything our answer is YES.would we go back there again oh yes.how ever we did place 2 coins on some flour when we done this we all went out side to look at the grace stones, but when we returned to check the coins by the coins there was a round thumb print including a small childs hand print ontop of the flour.
September 20, 2010 at 6:39 pm
If anyone would like to join us on an investigation at cold christmas next time please e,mail me on spookykaz1234@aol.com.
September 26, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Me & my friends went hereee, My friend sarah somehow dropped her iphone out the tower window ontop of the stairsss, plus we saw 2 wierd goth people having sex :|
We heard a wierd whistling noise, and some random growling :/
Going back on halloween! :D
October 26, 2010 at 10:23 am
cold christmas ghost , please can u tell me by this website if u see a group of boys and maybe girls coming to the site please can u tell the boys to stop coming to the place because i just want the site to be a rest so that u can lie in peace. thanx
November 14, 2010 at 8:50 pm
my sister went there with her mate and as he pointed to the first floor a light filickered then stayed on lol they ran like shit lol
December 29, 2010 at 10:58 am
there nothink in that old church only the dead probly was some one messing around making all them moaning nosie in the old church
January 4, 2011 at 11:38 am
there nothink haunting that old church as iv been there loads times and never seen or heard anythink there and as of the guy saying there was growling coming from the old church i think it was a person in there messing around making all them noise there
February 2, 2011 at 3:12 pm
i went there with 13 of my friends so there was 14 of us, i never believed anythin my mates were tellin me about this place, it was 8th january 2009, it was a cold night but the sky was clear from clouds i remember walkin down the lane ar in arm with my friend we come across 4 big grave stones near some trees my mates werent interested so moved on, i however saw some thin move near a broken gate so walked over to have a look, no word of a lie i saw a little girl about 9ish with a white dress on and long blonde hair with a red ribbon tied in her hair, she said 'please leave they will get you' i crapped myself and ran towards the church were my friends were already inside (you have to cimb thru a tiny hole) to get inside of the tower now, we had candles alcohol, weed and cigarettes, we all sat in a circle chattin away forgettin where we was until we heard a loud noise comin from the stairs we all looked up and saw a man in a black suit with a hat on the guys in our group thought some one was havin a laugh with us so ran up the stairs of the tower with some of the candles they come back down a few minutes later with blood on their hands sayin it was all over the walls, we left. i started to have a panic attack as i suffer from them rather badly, i was the last one out of te tower no one was beind me but some one told me to 'run' when i looked around no one was there but a class bottle got thown at me i got a bit lary tht some one would do tht so went back i wasnt until a massive log type thing was launched at me from the tower that i went back to find my friends the guys in our group realised we left our candles etc behind and told us to go back to the cars, so we started to leave, they chased after as a few moments later sayin our stuff has gone we shit ourselves walkin very slowly back thru the lanes, then i turned around a see all our candles in a massive circle and we heard chanting. there were no other cars to be seen and no one else other then us was there. some thing else was there tht night. we had been there before and all we heard was voices from the tower but nothing like tis, i would to go there again even tho i was very scared. however clophill hill is the next place!!! :)
February 7, 2011 at 5:49 pm
there nothink in that old church as you must be on somthink or seeing stuff rachel as iv sat in that old chuch loads times and nothink never ever happpend there
February 8, 2011 at 2:49 pm
iv been to this thundrige old church long time ago when i was young and was with 3 of my biker mates we had a quija board and went inside the tower and used the ouija board and all hell busted out that night when we did the quija board somthink very evil came there that night so i say to you all that go there please be very carefull and dont mess around with these things as bad things can happpen and we was smoking sum weed and had a fire going inside the floor in the tower seeing is beliving if you dont belive me then go see with your own eyes
February 23, 2011 at 8:15 pm
I met the ghost, names derek died in 1798 used to be a blacksmith. Nice guy, good morals.
just leave him be
March 9, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Been to this site a few times. Have personally heard the growling noise coming from within the church tower and heard things being thrown in the graveyard, also suffered problems with my car upon returning to it. When i turned the keys, none of the electrics came on. After the 3rd attempt to start the car and with nothing happening, i popped the bonnet, all wires were fine, everything seemed normal. The car then started fine. I must add that the car had never done this before and when i took it to a garage the next day, everything checked out fine and there was no explanation.
April 6, 2011 at 9:06 am
pussys
April 12, 2011 at 10:42 pm
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DONT VISIT THE OLD CHURCH !!!!
Saw something last night i will never forget…cant say on here for fear of being cursed,but just to warn people, this has changed my life and whole way of thimking.
April 15, 2011 at 9:48 pm
which was? come on you cant leave everyone wonderin haha
May 14, 2011 at 5:27 pm
I have been to Cold Christmas church loads of times now, all at different times of the day & night. One of the times, I went with my kids as they had heard about the church from their school friends. Once entering the church yard we had a good look round & I explained that a woman dressed in black has been seen floating in the church yard.we entered the church through a hole at the back & it is very dark and dusty inside which could be mistaken for orbs when taking a picture. My eldest son decided to climb the very tight stairs up towards the tower were reports have been said that ghostly noises have come from, he could only get half way up as a metal pole had been put there to stop people climbing to the top. I told him to look through the hole in the wall so I could take a photo of him, he leaned out & I took a photo using my phone & when we looked at it there was someone looking at him from the next level which you can't get to as it's blocked. He came down & I showed him the picture & you could see a black figure looking down at us. We didn't hear any noises until we were about to leave the church we heard someone walk around the side of the church on the outside as around the church is loads of trees & there is a good covering of leafs on the ground, we all rushed outside and went around the outside of the church and there was no one but us there, we took a few more pictures of the outside of the church & hearded the noise of someone walking through the leaves again & decided it was time to go.
I have been back since & have heard or seen nothing,it is a creepy place when your there late at night & there are noises that can't be explained if your interested in this type of stuff like me & my family are then this is a good place to go but I recommend taking torches cause inside it's very dark. Happy ghost hunting
May 15, 2011 at 9:07 pm
i went there today with my mum and a friend. we had no idea what this tower was, but we was curious to find out. i got too scared but my mum went right up to the church. we couldn't find any way to get in but we looked at the gravestones which dated back to 1800's. when we was around the church we felt very cold and eery. also the graves stones were for all the same family and they were as young as 11 years old. as we walked away we notices some scratches and rashes on our skin but didnt think anything of it. but when we came home we researched and found out scary things about the church.