The Black Monk of Pontefract, Part 2: Inside the Modern Haunting of 30 East Drive
After the Pritchard family left 30 East Drive, the hauntings didn't stop. Explore Most Haunted footage, visitor accounts, shadow figures, and theories about Pontefract's most famous haunted house.
When the Pritchard family moved out of 30 East Drive in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, you might expect the story to end there. It didn't. Decades of investigations, TV crews, and curious visitors have added new chapters to one of Britain's best-known poltergeist cases.
In Part One of our Black Monk of Pontefract series, we covered the Pritchard family's years of reported activity: unexplained water, strange substances, thrown objects, and the terrifying staircase incident involving Diane Pritchard. This time, we're looking at what happened next.
Why 30 East Drive Kept Its Reputation
The original haunting had already drawn local attention, and writer Colin Wilson helped carry it to a wider audience. He interviewed the Pritchard family and others connected to the case for his 1981 book Poltergeist!
The Black Monk, the hooded figure tied to the property, appears to have become part of the legend only after the original reports began. Even so, the name stuck. After the family left, the house drew paranormal investigators, television presenters, and overnight guests who wanted to experience it for themselves.
The Most Haunted Investigation
One of the best-known modern investigations came from the TV series Most Haunted, which visited 30 East Drive for a two-part episode. Because it was filmed, viewers could see the crew's reactions as events unfolded.
According to accounts of the first episode:
The marble: As presenter Yvette Fielding finished an introduction at the top of the stairs, a marble reportedly shot toward Karl Beattie and struck him, before the investigation had properly begun.
The knife: The team reportedly found a knife wedged between the sofa cushions in the living room. Footage from moments earlier reportedly didn't show it.
Skeptics rightly ask whether the sofa was continuously on camera or whether someone could have placed the knife out of frame. Still, the discovery reportedly unsettled the team, and the earlier footage was cited as part of the reason.
EVP Experiments and Physical Reactions
In the second episode, Eamonn Holmes took part in an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) experiment in the smallest bedroom, the room associated with Diane Pritchard. In case you're new to the term, investigators record audio and review it later for sounds they interpret as voices that weren't clearly heard at the time.
Multiple microphones were reportedly connected to a reel-to-reel tape machine and two laptops. While the recordings were being reviewed, a marble was reportedly thrown on the landing. When Yvette asked whether the spirit had thrown it, there was no reply.
Crew members also reportedly described:
Loud banging inside the walls and a door slamming on its own
A power outage in the house
Feeling drained, dizzy, and tight in the chest
Karl growing cold and clammy, struggling to breathe, and passing out
Karl and cameraman Stuart both appearing with what looked like rope burns across their arms
Later EVPs reportedly included heartbeat-like tapping, a guttural growl, and a deep whispering voice.
The Domino Account
One of the stranger modern reports comes from the house's official website. The writer describes being alone in the kitchen on February 14, 2016, when he felt an instinct to turn around. He reported seeing a small object appear above the dining-room table and fly toward his head. It missed and hit the kitchen window, and he found a small wooden domino on the floor.
Visitor Accounts From the Official Comment Page
The property's visitor-comment page includes 288 accounts from people who describe frightening or unusually active visits. Some standouts:
Gemma E reported that an empty jug she'd used to fill a dog bowl was brimming with water when she turned around.
Debra M reported feeling an invisible finger draw a circle on her back during the night.
Hazel F reported a vase thrown violently at guests as they arrived, and included a photo.
Merseyside Paranormal described a team member who did a short solo vigil in the coal house and came out shaking, crying, and unable to move his arm. A spirit box session afterward reportedly produced a hostile response.
Adam O. and guests reported moving objects, loud banging, a Bible thrown at a guest, and people being pushed out of rooms.
Kevin W. and his group reported a strong sulfur smell throughout the night, and one guest was visibly scratched.
Neighbors reportedly saw a glowing blue ball of light in the corridor and a dark shadow moving in the house.
Other reports mention dolls changing position, pennies appearing in mid-air, more rolling marbles, thermostat swings, drained batteries, and scraps of 1970s newspaper turning up in places that were empty moments earlier.
Shadow Figures and the Black Monk Question
The Pritchard accounts included a black-robed figure, and later stories tied it to a monk from Pontefract's medieval religious history. But the historical identity of that monk hasn't been established the way the legend describes, so the connection isn't definite.
What continues are sightings of tall shadow figures, especially on the stairs. Whether they're the Black Monk or something else, nobody can say.
What Investigators Found
Modern teams use a range of methods, including audio recorders, motion sensors, cameras, and EMF meters. A Ghost Hunters PI report describes using trigger objects and an Alice Box. In the second bedroom, the investigators said they felt unwelcome, and the Alice Box reportedly produced the words "black," "dangerous," "death," and "knife." They reported EMF readings and EVP recordings but no clear visual appearance of the Black Monk.
Theories About 30 East Drive
Explanations vary widely:
A classic poltergeist case
A residual haunting
A story invented by the Pritchards
A house built on a ley line or cursed land
A demonic entity, given how physical and sometimes cruel the events were
We also wondered whether a place with so many frightened visitors might hold onto that emotion, or whether visitors help create the spookiness themselves.
So, What Actually Happened?
The most honest conclusion is also the simplest: 30 East Drive continues to attract paranormal interest, and visitors keep reporting experiences they find hard to explain. Some leave convinced they witnessed something extraordinary, and others leave without experiencing anything at all. Every new visit has the potential to add another account to the house's history.
So, would you spend the night there? Tell us in the comments or on social media.
Listen to the Full Episode
Hear Andi and Feliz banter their way through the full story on the You Two Scare Me podcast. If you missed it, start with Part One for the Pritchard family's original haunting.
