Photographs of Japan from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868-1926) have captivated viewers around the world since they were first circulated. One photographer in particular captured Japanese life so beautifully that his work has been seen by countless people all across the globe. Until very recently, though, his name was virtually unknown. Now we know that the prolific photographer’s name was T. Enami – or rather, that was his trade name. He was born Enami Nobukuni, and his work made a deep and far-reaching impact on photography.

Some of T. Enami’s most popular and memorable works were his stereograms: two nearly-identical 2D images taken from slightly different angles that, when viewed together through a stereograph, appear three-dimensional. Here they are animated to give the 3D effect, but all of the originals can be seen on Okinawa Soba’s Flickr collection.

Enami started his career as a traditional photographer, but later embraced the more “modern” stereoviews and lantern slides. Judging from his carefully staged stereograms, he approached his work with a great deal of attention to detail. The colors on these stereograms were all hand-painted, and the resulting product was sold around the world. Today, collectors treasure these exquisitely detailed antique images.

T. Enami ran a photography studio in Yokohama until his death in 1926. His work spanned a multitude of areas, including postcards, large-format prints, private portraits, glass transparencies, photo processing and print-making, and numerous commercial photography projects. His photographs have appeared several times in the pages of National Geographic, a true honor for any photographer. One of his half-stereoview images was even used on the cover of their 100th-anniversary book Odyssey: The Art of Photography at National Geographic.

Despite his monumental contributions to early Japanese photography, T. Enami’s identity was not widely known outside of Japan until around 2006, when his descendants shared information about him with biographers and collectors. He was the only photographer of his era known to work in all contemporary commercial and artistic formats, and it can be said that his work has been seen by more people than that of the more established “masters” of his time.

The appropriate credit is now being given to thousands of Enami photographs that were previously unattributed or simply attributed to the wrong photographer. Enami is now, finally, in his rightful place amongst the most influential early Japanese photographers. A detailed biography of T. Enami can be found at T-Enami.org, and even more of his animated stereograms can be found at Pink Tentacle.

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If the words “gargle” and “gargoyle” sound similar that’s no coincidence, but from their original function as decorative downspouts gargoyles have evolved into whimsically sculptured, cathedral dwelling creatures who often look evil but whose purpose is to do good.

Lookout Below

(images via: Livius, Under the Gargoyle and A.Davey)

Reminiscent of classically inspired lion-headed faucets, the ancient gargoyles above display the openings through which rainwater poured. The purpose of the heads was purely practical at first: keep water that fell onto a building’s roof from coursing down its sides and undermining the foundations. The gargoyles above hail (clockwise from above left) from Ai Khanoum in Afghanistan, ancient Greece and Axum in Ethiopia.

(image via: Corbis)

They may have helped the buildings upon which they were mounted but pity the poor townspeople for whom every rainy day became a walk in the waterpark. The majestic, lion-head gargoyle above once directed rainwater from a corner of an ancient Greek temple’s roof.

Roman Noses (and Mouths)

(images via: Jeff Cook, The Luminous Landscape and Degenerate Press)

In the time of the Roman Empire gargoyles began to be built with lead pipes inside to channel water without eroding the stone. It was an effective innovation, as can be attested to by the many gargoyles still performing their functions atop Roman temples 2,000 years or more after they were built.

(image via: Grows On You)

Like so many innovations pioneered or perfected by the Romans, gargoyles are popularly used today to give a distinctive look to fountains and other water sculptures that don’t need rain to let it shine.

Mooning Gargoyles

(images via: Krossbow and Skeptic Friends Network)

Sometimes gargoyles take on unusual forms that seem out of place with their usual locations – on places of worship. Take the pair of mooning gargoyles above from Germany (top) and England. Some say that these types of gargoyles were “aimed” at competing buildings or in the case of the German one, a government office across the street.

Japanese Gargoyles

(images via: Digital Photography School, Jenlyn and Sosaku)

Gargoyle etymology breaks gargoyles down into three occasionally overlapping formats: gargoyles that drain water, “grotesques” that are sculptures, and chimeras which are unusual representations of non-existent creatures. The onigawara figures that appear on the tops of medieval Japanese castles, temples and old houses are in a class of their own, however, and at some locations are covered in gold leaf.

(images via: Wikipedia and Tsubu Gai)

The most famous Japanese gargoyles are shachihoko: gold-plated, tiger-headed carp that were placed in pairs atop the country’s most important castles to protect them from fire. Shachihoko are often quite large and although valuable, would be very difficult to steal. They’re popular tourist attractions on the rare occasions they are taken down for cleaning.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s Gargoyles, Paris, France

(image via: Architecture/About)

(images via: Finazzo, Stonecarver and Raingod)

With Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, gargoyle sculpture reached its zenith of artistic beauty and laid the basis for centuries of gargoyle legends and lore. Technically “grotesques” and not pure gargoyles, the many mythical creatures crafted to guard over Notre Dame de Paris are favored subjects of photographers as they glare darkly over the City Of Light. Although extensively restored, the building and its trademark gargoyles looks much like it did upon the completion of its initial construction in the year 1345.

The Chrysler Building’s Gargoyles

(images via: Fotothing, XRoads and Alinbdt)

Completed on May 28, 1930 after only two years of construction, New York City’s Chrysler Building stands as a beacon of modernity and a celebration of American capitalism. With that said, the building harkens back to historic cathedrals with its set of amazing gargoyles.

(image via: Curbly)

William Van Alen designed the Chrysler Building and its iconic gargoyles, one of which is shown above. This spectacular Art Deco eagle – modeled after the hood ornaments used on 1929 Chrysler cars – gleams in stainless steel and looks out over New York City from the Chrysler Building’s 61st floor.

Arizona Gargoyles

(images via: Copperdragon and Photographers Direct)

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a little touch of Gothic charm in America’s desert southwest. The many gargoyles learing out from the church’s walls take on an especially grim appearance on mornings after the city is blasted by winter weather, causing icicles to grow on the already spiky figures.

Alabama Gargoyles

(images via: Selma Daily Photo, Deep Fried Kudzu and DiveMasterKing2000)

Gothic architecture in Alabama? It’s more likely than you think. The First Baptist Church on Lauderdale Street in Selma, Alabama, boasts an interesting group of gargoyles leaning out from the church tower’s four corners.

National Cathedral Gargoyles, Washington D.C.

(images via: Stonecarver and io9)

The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. looks much like any of Europe’s great historic cathedrals from a distance, but up close the visitor is in for a surprise. The cathedral’s gargoyles memorialize a mix of archetypal American imagery with pop culture cues that will fill many with Shock and awe. Perhaps the most famous of the cathedral’s many interesting gargoyles is one chilling figure carved to resemble Star Wars’ penultimate villain, Darth Vader.

Carved in stone or cast in metal, the many gargoyles, grotesques and chimeras perched menacingly on the world’s great buildings never fail to evoke emotions ranging from joy to hope to fear and even terror. It’s a good thing they’re inanimate, isn’t it?

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Live penguins, dead alligators, sausage, doughnut glaze and fake blood: these are just a few examples of the bizarre cargo that has been spilled onto America’s highways during accidents involving tractor-trailers. As the following 15 bizarre truck spills show, you truly never know what’s concealed inside that semi truck riding alongside you on the highway.

Whale Guts

(images via: Weird Asia News)

Imagine walking along a sidewalk, going about your day, when suddenly you find yourself covered in rotting whale blood and guts. In 2004, residents of the Taiwanese city of Tainan got quite a surprise when a whale carcass, being transported from the beach where it died to a biology laboratory, exploded – sending tons of gory, disgusting whale entrails all over the street. The explosion was blamed on pressure from gases building up as the whale decomposed, and it took 13 hours, three large lifting cranes and 50 workers to get it cleaned up.

Penguins and an Octopus

(image via: Dallas News)

25 penguins, an octopus and some exotic fish were minding their own business in the back of a refrigerated truck while being transported from the Indianapolis Zoo to Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas when suddenly, they found themselves on the side of the highway. The truck driver had lost control, flipping the truck several times before it ejected its unusual passengers. Sadly, four of the penguins died, but the octopus and fish were thrown clear and found alive in their plastic bags.

Beef

(images via: Boston.com)

Where’s the beef? Well, on October 26th, it could be found scattered all over the Massachusetts turnpike after an accident involving three tractor-trailers. Those into eating raw meat even had plastic cups waiting for them to scoop it up with, as they, too, spilled from another truck involved in the accident. Yet another truck was filled with tomatoes, but those stayed inside, preventing one big batch of gritty, extremely rare beef stew.

Molasses

(image via: Kval.com)

A deer darting into the highway created quite a sticky situation in Wagontire, Oregon in 2008. The driver of a truck hauling hundreds of gallons of molasses swerved, crashed, and sent the goopy substance gushing all over the road. State police say the non-hazardous material caused very little environmental impact, and it took just about three hours to clean up.

Glue

(image via: Ananova)

Molasses might be sticky, but it’s got nothin’ on glue. Firefighters in China had a hell of a time cleaning up a highway after a truck loaded with buckets of construction glue crashed into a bus in Chengdu City. They tried using water guns to dilute the glue without success, and it didn’t take long before their spades and brooms became mired in the mess. Onlookers even slipped and got stuck. Eventually, the glue was dissolved with special chemicals.

Sausage

(image via: JSOnline.com)

There’s nothing like getting stuck in a major traffic jam early in the morning and being forced to smell breakfast meat the entire time. That’s what happened in Wisconsin last March after a two-truck crash left 40,000 pounds of sausage strewn all over the road. The highway was cleaned up after a few hours, but much of the sausage spilled onto an adjoining road, which probably stunk for some time.

Blood, Both Real and Fake

(image via: BloodCopy.com)

Synthetic blood is probably among the last things you’d guess would be inside a tractor trailer riding alongside you on the highway, but as evidenced by this crash, trucks full of fake blood do indeed exist. A big rig carrying about 8,000 gallons of synthetic Japanese blood known as Tru Blood hit a curb and jack-knifed in Sugar Land, Texas in 2008.

But of course, fake blood smeared across a highway is nowhere near as disgusting as the real thing – and that has happened, too. In Oregon in June 2007, a valve broke on a truck hauling animal waste from a processing plant, sending 4,000 gallons of pig blood gushing forth onto the road and into the yards of nearby homes.

Red Dye

(image via: Autoblog)

It’s not blood, but it still made quite a startling mess: red-orange iron oxide dye, staining a stretch of highway in northern Massachusetts for days. The dye was meant for coloring mulch, but it never quite made it to its intended destination, instead splattering the dye all over the road, where it was spread by traffic for three miles.

Milk

(image via: The Nelson Mail)

What do you get when you combine a truck full of powdered milk and a drunk driver? One extremely bizarre highway spill. The milk powder looked like freshly fallen snow on the New Zealand highway after the intoxicated truck driver crashed and skidded the truck’s trailer for nearly 500 feet. Luckily, the trucking company was able to sweep it up before it rained and gave the entire area that gross sour milk smell.

Rotting Animal Byproducts

(images via: YouTube)

In Cleveland, a pungent smell of rotting animal entrails and other byproducts met commuters one January morning in 2008. “Anyone who drove by the scene will tell you, the smell is putrid,” said a local reporter. A local news station captured the hilarious reaction of drivers as they passed the scene of the accident, gagging at the stench emitted by the animal remains that were being scooped up by workers into trash barrels.

Hamburger Patties

(images via: YouTube)

Emergency crews responding to a major accident in Salt Lake City, Utah last February got quite a surprise when they arrived on the scene only to find thousands upon thousands of hamburger patties littering the road. A truck driver hauling 40,000 pounds of the burgers fell asleep at the wheel, causing the semi to strike the center divider and split open. Strangely, just a few hours earlier, another truck spilled a load of beer onto a nearby highway.

Dead Alligators

(image via: Cellar.org)

On a Fort Lauderdale highway in October 2000, a tractor-trailer that was carrying 26 dead alligators to a processing plant overturned, spilling the carcasses all over the road. The gators were due to be skinned and butchered, accident or no, so the workers simply hauled them up onto a flatbed truck and continued on their way.

Doughnut Glaze

(image via: Q13Fox.com)

Pastry fans lamented the waste of hundreds of gallons of donut glaze, which poured out of a truck  that turned over on a highway in Seattle. A giant pool of the sticky, sweet mess collected in a culvert and had to be cleaned up by the State Department of Transportation.

Honey Bees

(image via: Wikimedia Commons)

Millions of angry bees have spilled onto highways no less than three times in the last several years. In Montana, 9 million bees spilled onto a highway along with hundreds of hives and lots of honey, while Canada saw a honeybee spill that unleashed 12 million from an overturned truck. In California, 10 to 16 million bees were accidentally released and proceeded to sting responding firefighters, police, and even drivers that were stuck behind the accident.

Nickels

(images via: WFTV.com)

A big rig carrying freshly nickels from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia to the Federal Reserve in Miami crashed into another truck in Brevard County, Florida in 2008, spilling $185,000 worth of coins onto the highway. 3.5 million nickels sparkled in the sun like glitter, and cleanup crews had to use blowers and shovels to clean them up.

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It sounds like a horrible nightmare: human bones stacked in patterns on the floor, their skulls lining the walls and staring, gaping-eyed, at visitors. It’s no nightmare, though: in churches, cathedrals and underground chambers all over the world, the bones of millions of dead greet visitors. The grisly rooms, known as ossuaries, serve as the final resting place for human remains, often due to overcrowded cemeteries. They exist for different reasons, but they all hold a sort of macabre fascination for us, the living. These seven stunning examples of ossuaries remind us that life is fleeting, but some part of us can live on in this world.

1. Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic

Easily one of the most incredible collections of human bones in the world, the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic is unlike anything else. The small church rests at the outskirts of Kutna Hora and is filled with the mortal remains of more than 40,000 people. The origins of the “Bone Church,” as it’s commonly known, are nearly as interesting as the array of bones. In 1278, an abbot named Henry made a pilgrimage to Jesus’ burial place and brought back a small amount of earth. He sprinkled the dirt over the Sedlec cemetery, making it holy ground. Suddenly, it was the most popular place to be buried. When the cemetery ran out of room, the previously buried bodies were dug up, starting in 1511, to make room for the more recently dead.

It wasn’t until 1870 that the excavated bones were put to use. That’s when a local woodcarver, František Rint, was employed to arrange the huge quantity of bones in an attractive way. Rint proved to be a true artist, creating the most amazing bone art the world has ever seen. A coat of arms on the wall depicts a raven pecking at a skull, the breathtaking bone chandelier uses every bone in the human body at least once, and the walls and ceiling are adorned with jaunty strings of bones and skulls. The chapel is a Christian church, not a cult or Satanic ritual space as is often rumored. The bones on display were simply removed from the ground to allow more Christians to be buried on holy ground. The resulting ossuary is maybe the most beautiful one on Earth.

2. Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, Italy

Santa Maria della Concezione is a wonderful example of the fact that not everyone sees death as something to be feared. The church features the remains of more than 4,000 Capuchin friars arranged in artistic displays. Some bodies are complete and dressed in Capuchin robes, but most have been disassembled and are displayed individually as bones in artful designs. A plaque in the chapel tells visitors in three languages “What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.” It is a reminder that life is fleeting and that any one of us could be gone tomorrow. Rather than being gruesome or horrific, the reminder is gentle and positive, reminding us to take care of our affairs today and be right with the higher power at all times.

3. Brno Ossuary, Brno, Czech Republic

The Brno Ossuary has been quietly existing under St. Jacob’s Square for hundreds of years, mostly forgotten. When a new construction project was set to begin in the area in 2001, a routine exploratory archaeological dig was performed. What it turned up was beyond anyone’s imagination. The remains of approximately 50,000 people were found stuffed into the subterranean channel. The bodies were likely dug up from cemeteries to make room for more burials. They were, at one time, stacked neatly, but centuries of neglect and flooding saw them washed into a big messy pile. The city began restorations on the site and plan to open it to the public in 2010 or 2011; it will be Europe’s second-biggest ossuary. And although it’s filled with dead bodies, the ossuary won’t be a place to get lost in morbidity or sadness; rather, it will be an ideal place to meditate on the relationship between life and death.

4. Capela dos Ossos, Evora, Portugal

The Capela dos Ossos, or Chapel of Bones, sits next to the Church of St. Francis and is a major tourist attraction in Evora. Like the above ossuaries, the goal of this particular mass crypt isn’t to scare or disgust; it’s to inspire visitors to contemplate the transitory nature of life. The Capela dos Ossos was created in the 16th century to handle overflow from local cemeteries and to communicate the inevitability of death. One of the more noticeable features of the chapel is the two dessicated bodies – a man and a young child – hanging by chains from the wall. Their identities are unknown, but local legend says that they are a father and son who treated the mother of the family badly and were cursed.

5. Chapel of Skulls, Czermna, Poland

The story of the Chapel of Skulls (or Kaplica Czazek) is almost more interesting than the actual display of human remains in this Polish church. Between the years of 1776 and 1804, a Czech priest and a local gravedigger spent many long hours exhuming bodies from the numerous mass graves in the Czermna area. They set aside the more interesting skulls (those will bullet holes or obvious maladies, or those of politicians) and took the rest to the chapel. Overall, they dug up somewhere in the neighborhood of 24,000 skeletons. Most of them are stuffed into the 16-foot underground crypt, but the bones of approximately 3000 people adorn the chapel in what the Czech priest liked to call a “sanctuary of silence.”

6. Paris Catacombs

The bone-lined catacombs under Paris are arguably the most famous – and undoubtedly the largest – underground ossuary in the world. From the 18th century, poor burial procedures and hopeless overcrowding in Parisian cemeteries were causing widespread disease among inhabitants. It was decided that the dead would be buried in a the large system of tunnels (actually depleted quarries) beneath the city, and the long process of moving them all began. While the bones were originally just piled up and labeled, French officials eventually realized that the catacombs could become a major tourist attraction. The bones were tidied and arranged in neat displays, with stacks of tibiae and skulls forming lovely – if macabre walls. Sadly, a vandalism incident in September 2009 caused Paris officials to close the catacombs to tourists for an undisclosed period of time.

7. Skull Tower of Niš, Serbia

The Skull Tower in Serbia is the only bone collection on this list that is actually meant to inspire terror in those who see it. However, the terror incited by the tower was meant for a long-ago enemy. In 1809, the Serbian rebel army suffered a significant setback in their quest for freedom from the Ottoman Empire. The commander of the Turkish army ordered the heads of the fallen Serbs to be cut off and mounted on a tower to warn anyone who might try to fight against the Empire. A total of 952 were once a part of the Skull Tower, but over the years deterioration and family members have claimed most of the skulls. Only 58 remain today, and a chapel was built to protect the tower. It stands today as a monument to the brave Serbs who fought for their independence.

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Have you ever heard an odd sound in the dark, a weird whisper of the wind, shiver with unexplained goosebumps, or have the feeling of being watched? Scoff if you like but most people have at some point in their lives. In every culture from ancients to present, there have been documented beliefs in ghostly spirits. Some people are fascinated by claims of ghosts, spirits, and even demons. There are unnerving places on this planet in which paranormal phenomenon is reported almost identically throughout history, such as castles that are centuries old. Some castles are seeped through with myths and legends, scary stories of spooks, and are believed to be haunted places where restless souls linger in the night. Some castles have been investigated by paranormal teams who record and offer “proof” of the hauntings.

These are not the most beautiful castles on the outside, some even in sad disrepair, but on the inside there is supposedly paranormal activity and the darkness bumps back at night. Whether you wish to support your obsession with ghosts and ghouls or just for thrills and chills, here is a tour of 10 of the creepiest, most ghost-infested and haunted castles in the world as well as a video after each for you to draw your own conclusion about the proof of the haunted castles.

Castle Bran – Dracula’s Castle

(images credits:msn,Chodaboy,travelblog,About Romania,Ioja)

Dracula’s Playground can be found in a creepy and remote corner of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Bran Castle sits high upon craggy peaks within Transylvania, bringing vampires to mind. But there is no historic proof that Vlad the Impaler resided in Dracula’s Castle during his reign of terror. Dracula impaled thousands at a time, sometimes making their agonizing torture go on for months until death would claim his victims. Castle Bran is renowned for its infamous claim to haunted fame. Tourists are welcomed to find out. The little chapel, or grotto, in the bottom right adds an extra creepy element. As requested in Queen Marie’s will, after her death, her heart was placed in a gold casket and buried in Balcic, later moved to this grotto by Bran Castle.

Scariest Places on Earth visits Dracula’s Castle.

Leap Castle – Ireland’s Most Haunted

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Perhaps the most haunted castle in Ireland is Leap Castle. More than 400 years ago, in 1532, brother turned against brother to shed blood. One was a warrior who rushed into the chapel and used his sword to slay the priest who was his brother. The priest fell across the altar and died. The chapel is known as Bloody Chapel since that time. The dungeon in the castle is called an oubliette. Prisoners pushed into the oubliette fell eight feet onto spikes coming up from the floor. Leap Castle is also haunted by an Elemental, a dark evil creature about the size of a sheep and has a human face and black pools for eyes. It smells of rotting flesh.  It’s a great place to go for a ghost hunt. See if you agree with the paranormal “proof.”

TAPS, the Ghost Hunters, investigated and here is their reveal.

Newcastle Castle Keep & The Black Gate

(images credits:BBC,Lachlan Main,Newcastle Photos,Newcastle Photos)

About AD 12, the Romans constructed a fort in this location which later became a cemetery. Hundreds of the dead in the graveyard were supposedly moved when in around 1172, this stone castle was built upon that very same land. It’s now Newcastle upon Tyne, England. There is about 75 feet separating the Castle Keep and the Blackgate gatehouse. Many teams of paranormal experts have led investigations here where tragedy is seeped into the ancient ground. Many of those experts claim Castle Keep is very haunted.

Most Haunted roams Castle Keep, searching for paranormal proof of a haunting.

Belcourt Castle

(images credits:hotpads)

Construction began on Belcourt Castle located in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1891. The entire first floor was an extravagant stable as was requested by the owner. But in 1956, the Tinney Family bought Belcourt Castle. Harold Tinney adored his castle. He is said to roam the grounds and haunt his castle even in his afterlife. If haunted castles are your type of place, you can do more than travel there to visit. The castle is currently for sale and you can make it your own for a cool $ 7.2 million.

After an investigation at Belmont Castle, Ghost Hunters analyzes the evidence.

Witches Castle

(images credits:Marius Muresan,Luca Baradello)

Moosham Castle in Unternberg, Austria, has a terrible and accursed past. It was in this castle where Austria’s bloodiest witch trials took place. Untold thousands of young women who were accused of being witches were tormented and killed in torture chambers in the dungeon. Moosham Castle is now better known as Witches Castle.

Ghost Hunters International conducts a ghost hunt at Witches Castle.

Predjama Castle

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A castle built within a cave, now that is brilliant in terms of defense and offense. In Slovenia, Predjama Castle is known to date back to at least 1274. In the 15th century, a renowned robber baron fled the revenge of the Holy Roman Emperor and settled his family in this castle fortress. There ensued a long siege in which the castle was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1511 before being destroyed by an earthquake. The castle was once again rebuilt in 1567 and has a secret natural shaft that leads out of the castle for supplies as well as when the robber baron needed a quick in and out for his robberies. With at least 700 years of violent history, Pedjama Castle is said to be extremely haunted.

Ghost Hunters International reveals their evidence at Predjama Castle.

Dragsholm Castle

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Dragsholm Castle in Denmark was built in the late 12th century. Today it is a renowned hotel, but Dragsholm Castle’s biggest claim to fame is its alleged haunting of over a hundred ghosts. Legend has it that three of these spirits continue to demand attention: Grey Lady, White Lady and the Earl of Bothwell. Perhaps the most tragic of all, the White Lady, was a young girl who fell in love with a commoner who worked in the castle. The girl’s father found out about the lovers and ordered his daughter imprisoned in her room, never to be seen alive again. During the early part of the 20th century, workers were tearing down some old walls. To their horror, they came across a small recess in one of the walls which contained a small skeleton wearing a white dress.

Ghost Hunters International leads an investigation at Dragholm Castle.

Edinburgh Castle

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The Scottish fortress built high upon a plug of an extinct volcano dates back to the 9th century. Edinburgh Castle has been there since the 12th century. Although it appears impregnable, in 800 years, the castle has taken part in numerous historic conflicts and wars, having been besieged both successfully and unsuccessfully many times. Deep in the bowels of Edinburgh Castle, dark and damp dungeons lie hidden away that had been used for imprisonment and torture over the centuries. Additionally there was construction of the vaults in the fifteenth century, but now that underground labyrinth of tunnels with 120 rooms are in an area known as Crown Square. At one point in history, the vaults were used to quarantine and eventually entomb victims of the plague. Archaeological evidence points back to the Iron Age, so Castle Rock and Edinburgh may very well be the longest continually occupied site in Scotland. With so much conflict and so much history, is it any wonder that many people swear Edinburgh Castle is haunted?

Screaming Vaults

The vaults that run underground are said to perhaps be even more haunted than Edinburgh Castle. You be the judge as people scream.

Rational

Edinburgh Castle and the vaults are like any so-called haunted place. There are believers in ghosts and things that bump back in the night as well as rational explanations as to what might be causing the “paranormal” events.

Dalhousie Castle, Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh, Scotland

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More than 800 years old, teenage Lady Catherine of Dalhousie was once deeply in love. Her parents however forbid her to see her young man. She then locked herself in the top room of the castle and starved herself to death. Legend has it that her lovelorn ghost roams the castle still to this day. Dalhousie Castle is now a renowned hotel, ironically a hotspot for lovers and newlyweds.

An investigative reporter, a non-believer in ghosts, quickly has her mind changed.

Chillingham Castle

(images credits:Historic Houses Association,tripadvisor,Chillingham Castle)

Chillingham Castle in England is most famous for its ghosts and is marketed as the most haunted castle in Britian. The “star” ghost of castle is the “blue boy” who is sometimes also called the radiant boy. Legend has it that he haunts the Pink Room. Guests of the Pink Room have reported seeing blue flashes of light or a blue halo of light above their bed after a long loud wailing. The hauntings decreased or perhaps ceased after renovation work revealed two bodies, a man and a young boy who were both bricked inside a 10-foot thick wall. The owners however claim the hauntings continue, so ghost hunters and paranormal investigators still come to investigate the mysteries of Chillingham Castle.

Most Haunted visits Chillingham Castle to investigate the paranormal.

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