English Heritage has unveiled CCTV footage of a ghostly hooded figure at the gates of 950-year-old Chester Castle.
The pale apparition, dressed in dark clothing with a hood, triggered motion-detecting cameras one night at the ancient fortress.
When security personnel responded to the alert, they found the area deserted.
A security guard's dog, normally fearless in its duties, unexpectedly refused to approach the location where the figure had been seen.
A comprehensive search of the secured premises followed, but chillingly, no intruder could be found.
The castle's defences include substantial spikes along its Norman-era battlements.
Slightly more recent defensive measures include surveillance cameras positioned to capture any attempts to scale the gates.
Despite the security systems in place, no evidence of anyone actually getting in came from the investigation.
Is THIS a ghost? Decide for yourself after seeing this still from Chester Castle's CCTV
|ENGLISH HERITAGE
A guard dog was scared off by the apparition - but no trace of a break-in was ever found at Chester Castle
|GETTY
The locked compound remained undisturbed, leaving staff unable to account for the hooded figure captured on their monitoring systems.
The mysterious sighting forms part of extensive supernatural accounts documented by English Heritage staff across the nation's castles, abbeys and historic houses.
According to a recent survey, nearly half of employees working at these heritage locations have experienced phenomena they cannot rationally explain, ranging from spectral music to vanishing figures in the mist.
Dr Michael Carter, the charity's Curator of History, said: "Chilling tales of the returning dead have been told since the dawn of recorded history and provide a way of understanding our relationship with the dead and the past.
"They captivate and intrigue us, and there's nothing like the delicious excitement of sharing a spooky tale with friends and family."
Carter added that these recent accounts from English Heritage properties demonstrate how "the English ghost story tradition - the finest in the world - continues to thrive."
Northumberland's Belsay Hall has recorded multiple incidents, including bedroom doors opening independently, a phantom hand materialising on furniture, and spectral children observed in the grounds.
ENGLISH MYSTERIES - READ MORE:
Battle Abbey in Sussex experienced an unnerving incident when a 'ghost' seemed to join an evening tour
|GETTY
Victorian-era figures have been witnessed strolling through the Quarry Garden when no costumed interpreters were working.
Battle Abbey in Sussex, meanwhile, experienced an unnerving incident when a "ghost" seemed to join an evening tour before inexplicably disappearing.
And staff at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire have encountered soldier-like figures near the pavilion who disappear into the woods, while mysterious bouncing sounds echo through the mansion's stairs after closing.
In Derbyshire, Bolsover Castle unexplained piano melodies can be heard in the dead of night - while other guests report feeling a phantom child's touch in the Venus Garden.
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