Alma Fielding and the Thornton Heath Haunting

October 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Alma Fielding and the Thornton Heath Haunting

In February 1938, a 34-year-old London housewife named Alma Fielding went to the press with an extraordinary story: her home in Thornton Heath was haunted. Objects flew off shelves by themselves. A six-fingered handprint appeared on a bedroom mirror. Tumblers smashed against walls while she and her husband lay watching in bed. What followed was one of the most documented—and most baffling—poltergeist cases of the twentieth century, involving newspaper reporters, a desperate paranormal researcher, and a woman whose own mind may have been the source of the chaos.

The Haunting Begins

The strange events started when Alma fell ill with pelvic pain and took to her bed for a week. Her husband Leslie joined her after having his teeth pulled for dentures, his gums bleeding so badly he couldn't go out. While the couple lay resting, Alma noticed a handprint on the mirror above their fireplace—and realized it had six fingers. She dismissed it as a fever hallucination. Then, that night, a tumbler flew off the nightstand and smashed against the wall. When she turned the light back on, nothing happened—the bulb had been removed and placed on a chair, still hot.

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What you'll learn

1 (02:04) **Episode Intro and Host Banter** - Alina and Osh introduce the episode, discuss Dunkin’ coffee (not sponsored but kind of sponsored), and tease a bonus episode about Ben Affleck.
2 (05:56) **The Haunting Begins: Alma Fielding’s First Encounters** - The story of Alma Fielding and the Thornton Heath haunting is introduced, starting with the first strange events in February 1938.
3 (12:00) **Personal Ghost Stories and Escalating Activity** - The hosts share their own side hauntings before returning to Alma’s story, where the poltergeist activity intensifies.
4 (16:40) **Reporters Witness the Phenomena** - Victor Thompson and Lionel Crane from the *Sunday Pictorial* arrive at the Fielding home and immediately experience the haunting firsthand.
5 (20:04) **Publicity and the Arrival of Nandor Fodor** - The story makes the papers, attracting the attention of paranormal researcher Dr. Nandor Fodor, who is desperate to prove his belief in the supernatural.
6 (31:38) **Fodor’s Investigation and the Focus on Alma** - Fodor begins his investigation, concluding the poltergeist activity centers on Alma and theorizing she may be unconsciously psychic.
7 (43:58) **Tests at the Institute and Materializing Objects** - Fodor brings Alma to the International Institute for Psychical Research for testing, where objects and even living creatures begin to appear around her.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In February 1938, thirty-four-year-old housewife Alma Fielding went to the press with an amazing story: her home in the London suburb of Croydon was haunted. According to Alma, objects would fly off the shelves without the aid of human hands, the family was constantly under assault from unseen forces, and on multiple occasions, they found a six-fingered handprint on a mirror.

It was through a local clergyman that paranormal investigator Nandor Fodor learned of Alma’s haunting and he was immediately interested in the family. As a member of the International Institute for Psychical Research, Fodor had recently come under attack from the Spiritualist community, who saw him as nothing more than a cynic, and he was looking for precisely this kind of case to reestablish himself as a believer. However, after several months studying Alma and the haunting of the Fielding home, Fodor found himself at the center of a story far more complex than he’d ever expected.

References

Crane, Lionel. 1938. "House is haunted, declare experts." Sunday Pictorial, February 27: 3.

Duchi, Shireen. 1992. "The strange case of the terrified housewife." Croydon Advertiser, August 28: 20.

—. 1992. "The strange case of the terrified housewife, part three." Croydon Advertiser, August 21: 16.

—. 1992. "The strange case of the terrified housewife, part two." Croydon Advertiser, August 14: 16.

Masad, Ilana. 2021. 'The Haunting Of Alma Fielding' Is A Ghost Story — And A Tale Of Power And Fear. April 28. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/991151623/the-haunting-of-alma-fielding-is-a-ghost-story-and-a-tale-of-power-and-fear.

Norwood News. 1938. "Is it an evil spirit?" Norwood News (Croydon, UK), February 25: 3.

Summerscale, Kate. 2021. The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.

Thompson, Victor, and Lionel Crane. 1938. "Terror night in home wrecked by ghosts." Sunday Pictorial, February 20: 40.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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