All Hallows Eve – or as it is known nowadays, Halloween – is almost upon us. The night before All Saints Day, one of the holiest Christian festivals, was always exactly the opposite – the dark night when the spirits of the dead rose and walked. In short, a jolly good time to avoid black cats, deserted churchyards and trios of old crones muttering spells!

Nowadays British children have enthusiastically taken up the largely American custom of trick or treat; dressing up as spookily as possible and terrorising their neighbours with demands for sweets or small change. Having blamed the Americans though, there are long traditions of mischief on October 31 in many parts of Northern Europe, including Punkie Night in Hinton St George in Somerset, which is an excuse for all sorts of high jinks and probably pre-dates Christianity.

So, what better time to think of haunted houses, and who would dare to spend Halloween in an ancient house with a well-documented history of spiritual activity?

As James Lawrie of property specialists Strutt & Parker points out, haunted houses have been a staple ingredient in literature for many years, ‘The Victorians invented the ghost story and they were great at painting a spine-chilling scene. Our mental image of a haunted house probably dates from nineteenth century fiction, whether it’s Wilkie Collins or Dickens. Across the Atlantic Edgar Allen Poe was doing the same thing of course.

‘It didn’t take the movie industry long to cotton on to the genre either. The film The Ghost House was made in 1917 and that was followed in 1921 by The Haunted House. Cinema-goers knew little about special effects and wherever these films were screened the audiences were scared witless!’

Britain has no shortage of haunted houses, needless to say, just about every historic house seems to have a spook in the butler’s pantry or a poltergeist in the buttery.

The infamous Borley Rectory in Essex was always said to be the most haunted house in England. It was extensively investigated by the famous ghost hunter Harry Price, who was so fascinated by it that he rented the property for a year so that he could study it without human interruption. The Rectory was completely razed to the ground by a fire in 1939 – which itself was said to be caused by other-wordly activity.

Borley Rectory was built in the early eighteenth century, but the most famous haunted houses in Britain are much older. The great royal houses of Hampton Court and The Tower of London both have very extensive story of ghostly activity.

Glamis Castle – the home of the Bowes-Lyon family and the childhood home of the Queen Mother – is said to be the most haunted house in Scotland. A young black boy, who was a servant 200 years ago, haunts a stone seat by the door of the Queen's bedroom. It’s said that the chapel is haunted by Lady Janet Douglas, who was accused of trying to poison the king and was burned at the stake as a witch in Edinburgh in 1537. Then there’s Alexander, Earl Crawford, who is reputed to be spending eternity gambling for his soul with the devil. That’s not all of the wraiths at Glamis but it would be more than enough ghosts for most of us.

Mark Rimell, who is based at Strutt & Parker’s London office, points out that haunted houses don’t have to be ancient however; ‘There are many stories of hauntings in modern houses. Unlikely as it sounds, one of the best documented cases of poltergeist activity that I know of is in a council-owned flat which was built in the early Fifties.’

Perhaps surprisingly, a house that has a reputation for the occasional sight of a wraith in the hall doesn’t deter purchasers. ‘I think it would be different if it was a huge ghostly dog or something’, Mark says, ‘But a rumour of a bit of poltergeist activity is thought of as a bit of fun. Over the years Strutt & Parker has handled several homes which were reputed to be haunted and prospective purchasers regarded that as part of the history of the house. It’s something to be proud of, like a Grade I listing or a blue plaque.’

So, as someone who has dealt with houses for many years and heard many stories of hauntings, does Mark believe in ghosts? ‘I’m agnostic on the subject’, he says … but adds quickly, ’Though it’s certainly true to say that some of the things that people have seen and heard take some explaining. I’ll certainly be tucked up safe and sound in my ghost-free home on Halloween.’