A HAUNTED London house has been a fascination for paranormal fans for years, but neighbours have had enough.
With Halloween trick-or-treaters upon us, some Enfield residents have revealed they find visitors “annoying” and the situation a “nightmare” with some even being pushed out of the area.
Residents were quick to open up about the ordeal of living close to the well-known property[/caption]
Kate Fortune and Nicos Aoennou drove half an hour to see the house for themselves[/caption]
The semi-detached property sits on a regular looking street but all is not what it seems[/caption]
Michael Ford spoke about living close to the house in Enfield with his two children[/caption]
Ever since the family at 284 Green Street reported an alleged poltergeist, the terrifying supernatural activity has been captured by journalists, investigators and in documentaries.
The story was even dramatised for the plot of the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2 and according to locals it is so popular that fans will appear on the street to take photographs and knock on doors on a “day-to-day basis”.
Retired 66-year-old Michael Ford glanced up sheepishly from washing his car and was clearly acclimatised to new faces walking around the area hoping to speak to locals.
He explained how people come from “all over the world” and it’s even “worse at weekends” when local pubs are shut.
Is the Enfield Poltergeist a true story?
MANY people will have heard about the legend of the Enfield Poltergeist as it has featured in various articles and appeared in films.
The claims derive from supposed supernatural activity at 284 Green Street – a council house.
Still standing, the property sits in Enfield, London, and the alleged poltergeist activity took place between 1977 and 1979.
Single mother, Peggy Hodgson, called the Metropolitan Police after experiencing suspicious activity, including hearing strange noises and witnessing furniture move on its own.
Her daughters Janet, 11, and Margaret, 13, have spoken out about the events since.
There is even a picture of Janet seemingly lifted off the ground.
While she claims to have been hurled from her bed by a supernatural force, others have suggested the image could also be explained by her jumping.
Over the 18 month period, thirty different witnesses are thought to have experienced some level of the activity, including neighbours, paranormal investigators and journalists.
Jeffrey Smith, 43, a painter who lives a few doors down, has described how the frustrating situation “is definitely a nuisance”.
He said: “Yeah, people are knocking on our door all the time, wanting to take pictures and ask questions.
“People are always knocking on her [284 Green Street] door, every five minutes and it’s nothing to do with them.
“It’s annoying they’re taking photos and they’re in the way all the time.
“Before the family moved in, people used to trash the house as it was abandoned for a long time.
“You should come back at Halloween, it’s always busy then but it’s all year round now.
“Back in the days after the documentary we used to have buses filled with tourists because it’s very very popular, but it’s just a nightmare.
“It’s probably the most famous house in the world but it’s really painful to see as it attracts crazy people at all hours of the day, which means my dog is barking at all hours, at two or three in the morning because these people want to park outside my house and take pictures.
“It’s constant but I just feel sorry for the people who live in the house, they’re just living and don’t have any peace.”
Has the Enfield house ever featured in a documentary?
THE BBC released its first episode of Hauntings earlier this month with the series looking into various unexplained events.
Presenting the story using recorded film and audio, the first installment was called The Enfield Poltergeist and looked to investigate the “extraordinary events” that occurred between 1977 and 1979.
Following a police report in September 1977, officers attending the house could not find a reasonable explanation for furniture moving independently and tapping on the walls.
Back in 2018, Sue MacGregor reunited a group of witnesses to “paranormal events” that occured at the council house in Enfield.
The resulting conversation led to a 45 minute show being published on BBC’s Radio 4 and even featured Janet and Margaret Hodgson, the two daughters at the centre of the case.
Another resident, Sharifa Wilson, 42, suggested the number of visitors has declined since the movie but that their behaviour has not changed.
She said: “I’ve lived here for 20 years and it’s annoying but after a while you get used to it.
“As the years progressed, people still drive past and slow down, I want to say something but you can’t.
“The lady that used to live there [284 Green Street], she lived there for years pretty much her whole childhood.
“She’s left now, moved out with her kids and husband because they had people peering through windows.
“The woman next door to me, she’s lived here the longest and says it’s rubbish but she can’t move out, she’s been here all her life.
“I did see a passerby stop and ask the current owner to give her a tour, they even offered her cash.”
Sharifa Wilson spoke of the frustrations she has living just a few doors down[/caption]
The property is situated in the middle of the road, opposite a primary school[/caption]
Sun reporter Charlotte Bend went to investigate at the scene[/caption]
The neighbour that Sharifa spoke of did not want to speak to the Sun for too long, tired from the activity and attention right outside her front door.
She explained: “I don’t want to highlight it anymore in the media than it already is.
“I don’t have anything to say but I’d rather just ignore it.”
Others were happy to comment but wanted to remain anonymous out of the fear of complicating their relationship with neighbours in such close proximity.
A mother and school worker who has lived on the street for nearly 20 years said she has met people visiting from “all over the world” including China, Australia, America, Ireland and Scotland.
She said: “People drawing attention to the house, it’s not good for the kids.
“I’ve never asked the family that live there if they knew about the history before they moved.
“I certainly didn’t know and now people knock on my door and people want to ask about the house.
“There’s nothing I can do, it’s even at 1am in the morning, and it’s anyone, not just kids.
“Even now, people slowing down when they’re driving and they look.
“My son once even let a woman in thinking I knew her. When I came downstairs thinking she was one of my Somali ladies, and I saw a white woman, I wondered why she was there.
“She just sat there and I said I can’t help you with information, people have children, they deserve their quiet private lives.
“Back when the film was released, it was really bad, you know like a tourist bus in central London.
“That’s how bad it was, and they were all photographing themselves outside.
“We can’t just phone the police and ask them to move them on which is why the neighbours just won’t open the door if they don’t want to talk to you.”
What is The Conjuring 2?
THE Conjuring 2 was a horror film released in 2016 and centred around the story of Peggy, and her four children.
Much like the Enfield Poltergeist case, the single mum looks to investigators for help after her children report paranormal activity.
Famed detectives, Ed and Lorraine Warren, that feature as characters in the film did visit the house in real life while the unexplained events took place.
The film was directed by James Wan, an Australian filmmaker also known for Saw, Insidious, Aquaman and Malignant.
The Conjuring 2 is known as The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case in the UK, and is the first sequel to The Conjuring, which was released in 2013.
Near the semi-detached property that many have flocked to over the years, neighbours have made security their focus with one property boasting six CCTV cameras from the outside and black-out style curtains drawn across.
Many others peered out of the corner of their front room window when having someone knock on their door – it was clear most were used to regular attention and shied away from it.
Situated opposite a primary school, the busy main road does not particularly lend itself to a mass of fans hoping to park up and spend some time on the street.
While the current inhabitants of the house were approached by the Sun, they very gently explained that they no longer talk to visitors or media.
Another man residing in a property nearby explained that he “regularly” saw “people trying to peer through” on “a daily basis”.
Another told of how visitors “don’t just knock on our door” but they “ask us questions about the house” and whether the story is true.
He added: “We just have to tell them we don’t know”.
Others refused to speak to us, with one woman living down the road exasperatedly noting: “I am tired of this sh*t.”
Local residents were quick to explain how the situation worsened after the release of the film based on the property[/caption]
Tash Wilson lives further down the street and is still stopped by visitors, hoping to ask her questions[/caption]
Curtis Hart grew up being told about the property by his family[/caption]
Amir Hosaimi works in a pizza takeaway shop just round the corner[/caption]
Tash Wilson, a 24-year-old working in admin for HMRC, explained how she thinks the attention will “start again” this week “because it’s Halloween“.
She said: “I’ve had a few people ask me where it was but I’ve not actually known as I don’t like scary films so I haven’t watched it.
“But it’s crazy that it’s just there, someone’s actually living there.
“Last time someone asked me where it was, I actually didn’t know where to direct them as I live further down.”
Curtis Hart, a local builder who has lived in the area his whole life, told of how his mum used to explain the folklore surrounding the former council house years before any filming took place.
Local business owners were also keen to talk after regularly meeting lost or inquisitive tourists heading inside to ask questions.
Amir Hosaimi, who works at a Pizza takeaway store just around the corner of the street, explained how he “sees people every day” and so it is “not even worse on Halloween“.
He said: “It’s every afternoon, I see the cars parked up and they’re stood there taking pictures.
“Always different people, every day from all around the world.
“It’s mostly young people, many many students and sometimes they come to the shop to ask questions but I can only tell them to watch the movie.
“There’s a lot of talk about it in the area, even when you go for a coffee somewhere you’ll always hear someone talking about it.
“I think lots of old neighbours know the story about the house and they like talking about it but others ignore it.”
Has the Enfield Poltergeist ever been proven false?
ALTHOUGH there has never been anything proven or discounted officially, one expert revealed the case could be a hoax.
Psychology professor, Chris French, explained five reasons to TimeOut in 2016.
- The girls “admitted they faked” some of the activity
- Janet’s photo where she can be seen levitating above her bed could be explained by jumping
- Bill, the old man who possessed Janet, was obsessed with periods and Chris believes a young girl would be more likely to be interested on this
- Eyewitnesses can be incredibly unreliable
- According to Chris, there are other cases of schoolgirl pranks that have gotten out of hand
Another resident explained how it must be “terrible for the people that live” at the house itself.
He has seen people “going round the back” looking for “other ways in”.
More recently, he told of spotting three people staring at the house trying to convince each other to go and knock on the door.
He continued: “We’ve had people ask us about the house, most of them will just stand around and stare at it or take pictures in front of the thing.
“It’s a regular thing, I mean a couple weeks ago there were two groups sitting out on blankets with candles around them and all sorts.
“I presume to protect themselves from whatever.
“We don’t talk about it with the people who live there though, we have always known the people involved over there as neighbours and if they spoke to us about it they spoke to us about it but we never asked questions.”
Meanwhile, a couple who parked their car in front of the house got out to take pictures and admire the exterior of the property.
Nicos Aoennou, 53, told the Sun how they regularly visit and even stay in places believed to be haunted.
Other spooky places in the UK
Pendle Hill – A hill in England that is believed to be the most haunted place in the UK. It is the burial site of the twelve Pendle Witches who were hanged in 1612.
Tower of London – A popular historic attraction in London that is also considered one of the most haunted places in the UK. The tower has a dark history of torture, imprisonment, and execution.
Chillingham Castle – A 13th-century fortress in Northumberland that is said to be home to many ghosts and ghouls.
Berry Pomeroy Castle – A castle in Devon that is said to be haunted by the Blue Lady and the White Lady.
Blickling Hall – A grand hall in Norwich that was once home to the Boleyn family and is said to be one of the most haunted houses in Britain.
Hampton Court Palace – A palace in England that is known for being one of the most haunted attractions in the UK.
They have explored castles and hotels which claim to be inhabited by ghosts and spirits.
Two weeks out from undergoing a hip operation, Kate Fortune, 50, explained how attractions like this make for the perfect activity to fill some time while braving her new set of crutches under each arm.
She said: “We like to find haunted places and go to stuff like this all the time.
“It’s just to get out for a bit and I am quite open minded to stuff like ghosts – although apparently there’s no haunting there anymore.
“I find it really interesting and I’ve always loved history, and so that comes with it.”
Kate even spoke of an experience when she was younger where she believes to have seen a ghost.
It freaked her out so much at the time that she ran down a set of stairs and broke her ankle.
Despite this, she “loves haunted stuff“, including films, saying “there’s not enough of them”.
She added: “Nothing bad has happened to me but I don’t quite know how I’d be if there was a poltergeist flying around the house, that would freak me out.”
Explaining how the pair discovered the property, Nicos added: “I used to drive past every day as I lived locally but I wasn’t taking it in, to be honest.
“Then she mentioned she wanted to go and I said I’d take her down.
“I’ve watched the film and all that stuff so knew it was here.”
I photographed that terrifying snap of the Enfield Haunting – I thought it was nonsense until chilling moment
GRAHAM Morris was a sceptical photographer when he was sent down to snap the apparent haunted family home in Enfield.
He previously told the Sun that he “initially thought it was going to be a load of rubbish” when he was on his way to 284 Green Street in North London.
At the height of the so-called supernatural activity, Graham was in his twenties and headed to the location with a reporter.
He said: “The children came in one after the other with adults but nothing happened until Janet walked in.
“It was unbelievable – things were just flying all over the room. Little things like toys, marbles, and Lego bricks. I tried to get a picture of something flying across the room, but everything was moving so fast.
“You couldn’t pre-empt where the next object would come flying from. It was coming in from all angles.
“I was hit in the eyebrow, and although it didn’t draw blood, I got one hell of a lump. Whatever this was, you had the feeling that it was out to get you.
“It didn’t like the fact that I was taking pictures. I could see the fear on the family’s face.”
The history of the property has attracted tourists from all over the world including China, Australia and America[/caption]
Kate Fortune and Nicos Aoennou drove to visit the property, having regularly visited haunted places[/caption]
