Stanbury Manor, Bude

Stanbury Manor in Cornwall was once home to a notorious “haunted chest,” said to have arrived in England with the Spanish Armada. The chest, carved with disturbing scenes of mutilation, brought strange disturbances wherever it stood: guns fell from walls, heavy pictures dropped or were hurled across rooms, and one even smashed through a panel into a secret passage. Some believed the events foretold a death in the family. Local legend claims two sisters were struck permanently deaf after seeing something unspeakable inside the chest—a vision so dreadful they never spoke of it again.