GHOST hunters will have the opportunity to explore one of the most haunted houses in the country this Halloween.

People will be able to visit Michelham Priory House and Gardens, which will be host to a series of "spine-chilling" events that are also family-friendly.

The medieval house in Upper Dicker, near Hailsham, dates from 1229 and is well-known for its paranormal activity, with reports of mysterious footsteps from empty rooms, doors opening on their own and shadowy figures passing through the walls.

Tomorrow, visitors can brave an interactive tour of the house by candlelight with ghost stories from Michelham Priory.

Led by their Victorian guide from the Theatre of Dark Encounters, visitors will hear tales of monks, murder and treason – stories of those who lived and died in the house and uncover dark secrets from its 800-year history.

Tickets have already sold out for the ghost hunts at Michelham Priory this October, run by Dark Encounters and the Most Haunted Experience, but another ghost hunt date has been added on November 20 for supernatural enthusiasts.

Ghost hunters will hear from a paranormal expert on the most haunted spots in the building and then get the chance to try out their own experiments late into the night in groups, led by their own professional guide from Dark Encounters, who run paranormal investigations across the country.

Property manager Lindsay Lawrence said: "Michelham Priory is considered legendary by paranormal experts and is widely known as one of the most haunted places in Britain. We get emails daily from ghost hunter groups wanting to get in here.

"There is a multitude of ghost stories from inside these walls – people have reported seeing the spoons on the walls rattling, door handles shaking in our Tudor kitchen and hearing a strange woman's voice whispering in their ear on our upper floors.

"The house has also featured in the popular TV series Most Haunted twice, including the show's pilot and its 100th episode."

Over Halloween itself, Michelham Priory and Gardens will host a weekend of fun activities for families.

Children can enjoy a magic show from the Wacky Wizard in the Elizabethan Great Barn and take part in Halloween-themed crafts, as well as a spooky trail in the gardens.

The Ghost Stories at Michelham Priory interactive tour will take place from 7pm until 9.30pm on Friday October 8, and tickets are priced at £15. The Ghost Hunt at Michelham Priory will run from 8pm on Saturday November 20 until 2am, and tickets are £49.

Tickets for these events are available at www.darkencounters.co.uk/events.

The Halloween Weekend is included in standard admission prices and bookable online at sussexpast.co.uk.

Tickets start at £9.70 for an adult, £4.65 for a child or student, £8.80 for a senior, £25 for a family with two adults and up to four children, and £14.40 for a family with one adult.

Michelham Priory House and Gardens is among the historic sites owned and cared for by Sussex Past - the trading name of the Sussex Archaeological Society.

The county's largest heritage-based organisation and charity cares for eight Sussex Past attractions, including Lewes Castle and Museum, Fishbourne Roman Palace near Chichester and the Long Man of Wilmington, and is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.

After almost two centuries of protecting heritage sites and artefacts that shed light on thousands of years of Sussex stories, a special exhibition of diverse artefacts and archaeological discoveries, The Sussex Archaeological Society: 175 Years of Collecting, is at the Barbican House Museum at Lewes Castle until February 28 next year.

For more information, please visit: https://sussexpast.co.uk

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