The Cage St Osyth

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The Cage St Osyth

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Site of the former village lockup in St Osyth. Widely believed to be the intial holding cell for those accused of witchcraft in 1582.

Legend states it's one of the most haunted houses in the UK. Today, it operates as an overnight accomodation and museum.

03/11/2026

It was such a pleasure opening up The Cage to the local villagers and their children for Halloween the other night - We actually think the adults had more fun looking around than the kids did!

02/11/2026

We were honored to be part of this peice by The Telegraph about the witch trials of Essex, including a feature of our preservation work here at The Cage. A good read for spooky season and those interested in the important history we have here in Essex.

Forget fake tans and reality TV shows – Essex has a far more compelling history for visitors to explore

30/10/2026

Was amazing listening to the story of the St Osyth witch trials with local historian Helen Brown while painting pumpkins and drinking w**e at Artisan Alley - lovely folks and great fun!! If you’re local to the Clacton area and enjoy the arts and crafts, definitely pay them a visit!

29/10/2026

We're unlocking The Cage - 2 years in the making, owning one of the world's most haunted houses. See you on Halloween night!
💛 👻 🎃
Please set a watch reminder below for the video and show it some support. We've poured everything into this one. 🖤

The Cage of St Osyth is claimed to be England's most haunted house....

28/10/2026

We recently had a blast collaborating with some new friends at the University of Essex. They were kind enough to let us access the rare books collection, containing some books that are over 500 years old! Among some of the books we looked at included fresh, newly re-discovered details about The Cage of St Osyth and its use as the former village lockup. We were like kids in a candy store - except the candy had to be put back on the shelf 🖤

08/10/2026

October 7th was the feast day of St Osyth.

St Osyth was a 7th-century Mercian noblewoman, former queen of Essex, and the first abbess of the monastery at Chich (the village now named St Osyth). It is said that she was beheaded by Danish or Viking raiders after refusing to renounce her faith. According to local legend, after the incident, she miraculously walked back to the door of her church, carrying her own severed head. She's also one of the village's oldest ghost stories, with local legend claiming she still wanders the village to this day.

She is famously depicted in art as carrying her own severed head, and was traditionally invoked as a patron saint for protection against drowning, fire, and lost keys, so you'll often see her depicted with keys - an interesting parallel we would draw on journey with The Cage which we look forward to sharing very soon.

Learn more about the legend of St Osyth, the history of the village, and its connection to the folklore and legends surrounding The Cage by booking an overnight stay with us on our website.

30/09/2026

We're now accepting bookings for overnight stays over on our website - a big thank you to everyone who has followed our journey.

30/09/2026

I CANNOT believe in less than 24 hours we are opening up our website to take overnight bookings for The Cage St Osyth. 🥹
Reflecting on the past 2 years of work, time, blood, sweat and tears we poured into the home is pretty emotional and we cannot wait to share it with you all. ❤️
Please enjoy the before and after transformation below. 🥲

27/09/2026

A historic woodprint depicting women being hanged for witchcraft...

It is a common misconception that convicted witches in England were burned at the stake. While this did happen in some other countries (including Scotland), the vast majority of those accused of witchcraft in England were executed by hanging. Those convicted during the St Osyth witch trials were hanged in Chelmsford, with some others dying while imprisoned in Colchester.

We hope to share more knowledge and information about the St Osyth Witch Trials (and witch trials in general) when we open as an overnight museum in November. In the meantime, you can read more about the St Osyth witch trials here:
https://thecage.co.uk/pages/history-of-the-cage

21/09/2026

In 10 days we will start accepting bookings for overnight stays at The Cage. In November, The Cage will be opening as an overnight accomodation and museum. Add your email to the mailing list to be one of the FIRST at thecage.co.uk

Address

14 Colchester Road
Clacton-on-Sea
CO168HA

Website

http://thecage.co.uk/

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