The Enfield Poltergeist

The Enfield Poltergeist A celebration of the most famous poltergeist case in history - The Enfield Poltergeist

On the evening of August 31st, 1977, in the north London borough of Enfield, the Hodgson family was to become witness to one of the greatest poltergeist cases in history - The Enfield Poltergeist. Peggy Hodgson and her four children - Janet (11), Margaret (13), Billy (7) and Johnny (10) were to endure poltergeist activity for over a years time, lasting between 1977-1979 and briefly in 1980. As mos

t of the activity seemed to centre around Janet, such activity included movement and disappearance of objects, fires igniting, levitation, knocking on walls and floors, materialization and dematerialization, possession, young girls speaking in gruff voices for extended lengths of time, etc. Two researchers from the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair, were brought into the case early on and spent fourteen months in the house documenting the activity through tape recordings, written documents and to a lesser degree, video recordings. With over 30 witnesses to such activity, including a written statement by police officer, WCP Carolyn Heaps, photographer Graham Morris and neighbours Vic and Peggy Nottingham, the Enfield Poltergeist is considered to be the longest and most well- documented case of such phenomena in recent history. For further inquiry, please read This House Is Haunted by Guy Lyon Playfair. This brilliant, and extraordinarily creepy, book is Guy's firsthand account of the goings-on at the "house of strange happenings."

Janet in flight - extremely rare photo of Janet during one of her many levitation bouts. One could argue that this image...
11/10/2025

Janet in flight - extremely rare photo of Janet during one of her many levitation bouts. One could argue that this image may be the closest that we have thus far towards any kind of proof of actual levitation. Given the straight, upright nature of her body, as well as her feet pointing downwards, this would not be the typical way ones body would be positioned when both jumping and landing. Note likewise that the bedcloths are not pulled back as if she had gotten out of bed to make the jump, and as well, there are no foot indentions on the corner of the bed where she would have jumped from.

Be it levitation or jumping, this is precisely the kind of weirdness that keeps the Enfield poltergeist story so lovable.

Moment of crisis - Janet Hodgson pictured here during one of a number of mysterious fits. Here, we see photographer Grah...
31/08/2025

Moment of crisis - Janet Hodgson pictured here during one of a number of mysterious fits. Here, we see photographer Graham Morris (left) and Maurice Grosse trying to contain Janet. (November, 1977)

Worth noting - one will notice that both walls, behind the bed, as well as the window wall, are free of posters and other wall art and photographs. One will also notice that in pre-November, 1977 photos, these walls are completely covered in posters, etc. Due to the poltergeist phenomena, the Hodgson family decided to take down all images on these two walls. Some sort of saftey concerns could have likewise been at play. This is not the only part of the house in which such wall images were either taken down or moved. This happened throughout the Hodgson home during the poltergeist period.

Janet Hodgson (February 17th, 1978)
12/07/2025

Janet Hodgson (February 17th, 1978)

Johnny, Margaret and Billy Hodgson (February 17th, 1978)
22/06/2025

Johnny, Margaret and Billy Hodgson (February 17th, 1978)

Intimate photo of the Hodgson children. Pictured left to right - Janet, Billy and Johnny (1977)
08/06/2025

Intimate photo of the Hodgson children. Pictured left to right - Janet, Billy and Johnny (1977)

Thrown and awakened - one of many trying moments in which Janet and Margaret Hodgson were thrown out of bed due to the p...
26/04/2025

Thrown and awakened - one of many trying moments in which Janet and Margaret Hodgson were thrown out of bed due to the poltergeist force. Seen here are Peggy Hodgson comforting Janet, Janet’s uncle, John Burcombe with Margaret and John’s wife, Sylvia. (1977)

Margaret Hodgson (1977)
01/12/2024

Margaret Hodgson (1977)

Address

London

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Enfield Poltergeist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Enfield Poltergeist:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share