The Cage St Osyth

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The Cage St Osyth 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.

October 7th was the feast day of St Osyth.St Osyth was a 7th-century Mercian noblewoman, former queen of Essex, and the ...
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.

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

A historic woodprint depicting women being hanged for witchcraft...It is a common misconception that convicted witches i...
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

In 10 days we will start accepting bookings for overnight stays at The Cage. In November, The Cage will be opening as an...
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

Because there was no standardized blueprint for building cages and village lockups, they vary widely in shape, size, and...
17/09/2026

Because there was no standardized blueprint for building cages and village lockups, they vary widely in shape, size, and materials. Most surviving examples in Essex are made of local clay brick, whereas in other parts of the country they could be made of stone or other materials. Cages were also sometimes known as "blindhouses", as they typically had no windows. Read more about cages and lockups at thecage.co.uk

Featured below are Cages of Eaton Socon, Braintree, Bradwell and Great Dunmow.

A historic photograph of Clacton Road, St Osyth.This one was interesting to us because it features a constable standing ...
06/09/2026

A historic photograph of Clacton Road, St Osyth.

This one was interesting to us because it features a constable standing on the left monitoring what is today nicknamed "Bar Corner", the corner of Colchester and Clacton Roads. This photo is estimated to have been taken between 1895-1905.

Parish constables assumed the role of the modern police constables prior to the establishment of the national police force. This was gradually rolled out over the second half of the 19th century. Given his uniform and hat, it's likely this chap was a modern police constable, though St Osyth wouldn't have had a police station, and in the advent of modern police cars, it's likely they still would have been using the village lockup at this time when they needed to detain somebody for drunkeness or while awaiting transfer to a regional court.

We will have one of these hats on display in The Cage when we open as an overnight accomodation and museum later this year. Stay tuned for more...

A historic print from 1579 depicting a "witch feeding her familiars with blood". In the 16th and 17th centuries, life w...
31/08/2026

A historic print from 1579 depicting a "witch feeding her familiars with blood".

In the 16th and 17th centuries, life was heavily influenced by deeply ingrained superstitions and fears of the supernatural. This chilling 1579 woodcut offers a glimpse into that period, illustrating beliefs about witches and their 'demonic familiars' - animals thought to be demons who assisted in black magic. Fear of such practices was widespread, with many common folk genuinely believing they were real. It was during these dark times that events like the infamous St Osyth witch trials took place, where accusations based on such fears could lead to serious, life-threatening consequences. It was one of the earliest witch trials that mentioned the use of demonic familiars, with Ursula, herself, accused of having four - 2 cats, a lamb and a toad.

As dark as this all was, it's equally interesting how events from 450+ years ago still influence modern pop culture - think about some of the familiars you see depicted in movies today, though, these days they're more often depicted as friendly companions rather than demonic beings.

How times have changed...Right until the mid 20th century, the neighbouring property to us at 14 Colchester Road was a c...
24/08/2026

How times have changed...

Right until the mid 20th century, the neighbouring property to us at 14 Colchester Road was a convenience store, selling to***co and other supplies. It has since been turned into a home and subdivided, so it looks nothing like what you see in this picture - The brick building on the right is the building that today is adjoined to The Cage (not pictured). To the left of the shop would have been Hamby's Forge, also not pictured but for which we shared a photo of a few weeks ago.

While we're not specifically interested in the history of this part of the building, trawling through the archives in St Osyth and the Essex Records Office looking through anything relevant to The Cage, you inevitably come across photogtraphs and records relating to sorrounding properties.

Any locals remember this store? It still existed after 1950s, so it's possible some Toosey's today still remember visiting as children...

We'll be sharing these photos and other important records about The Cage and sorrounding properties when we open as a museum later this year. In the meantime, read more about The Cage's history at thecage.co.uk

These are amazing ❤️
17/08/2026

These are amazing ❤️

Address

14 Colchester Road
Clacton-on-Sea
CO168HA

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