|
BLACKWELL GRANGE HOTEL DARLINGTON
Of all the ghosts said to haunt this hotel, none is as famous or feared as the Tartan Lady. Having plundered her Highland
town, the Duke of Cumberland stole her portrait and brought it to Blackwell in 1746. Although the picture was destroyed by
fire, the woman’s spirit is still believed to roam the grange and grounds, seeking revenge for the slaughter of her
husband and kinsmen at Culloden.
WALWORTH CASTLE Nr DARLINGTON
Background: The castle, built in 1189, became a privately-owned hotel in 1981. The east and west wings
were rebuilt during the time of Elizabeth I and in 1759 the north wing was rebuilt. The castle was used by the
Durham Light Infantry as an Officer's Mess and HQ during the war. It then became a school for girls before being refurbished
and opened as a hotel. This is a maidservant's story.
Story: I didn't mean to be any trouble. But you have to do as you're told when you work in the house
of a Lord. We had a bit of fun together and I thought he liked me. I knew he wasn't serious. Why would a
Lord want a humble servant girl when he could have his pick of the rich ladies?
He got very angry when he
found out I was pregnant. I didn't want to tell him because I knew he would be mad. The house was having some
building work done and he had me bricked up in a spiral staircase. That was a cruel thing to do; I didn't deserve that
horrible death. You can still hear me climbing the stairs which go up to one of the turrets from behind the library.
OLD COACH HOUSE CASTLE EDEN
NIMMOS BREWERY......If you look carefully on the picture below you can just make out old Mr Nimmo at an angle at the
left side of the picture, wearing a smoking jacket and a cravat. When we showed this to the brewery staff they rushed
off and retrieved an ancient book with a photo of old Mr Nimmo in the same smoking jacket, but wearing a tie, and sporting
a moustache. They say you can often smell his tobacco smoke - particularly on the stairs shown on our home page.
And there are reports of a figure huddled in the corner of those stairs, and even a rather gruesome pair of torso-less legs
once seen ascending them.
CHILLINGHAM CASTLE NORTHUMBERLAND We
have a number of ghosts. The most famous is the "blue boy" who as midnight rang out would cry and moan in agony or maybe fear.
The noises could be traced to a spot near a passage cut through a ten foot wall. When the bloodcurdling wails die away a soft
halo of light appears around an old four poster bed. Anyone sleeping there, even today, can see the figure of a young boy
dressed in blue, and surrounded by light. Behind the wall the bones of a young boy and fragments of blue clothing were discovered.
Another ghost, Lady Mary Berkeley, searches for her husband, who ran off with her sister. Lady Mary, desolate and broken
hearted lived in the castle by herself with only her baby girl as a companion. The rustle of her dress can be heard as she
passes you by in the turret stairs. And there are more!
DURHAM CITY
Durham City is also known for its ghosts. At the foot of the steps, down from
Elvet Bridge to Brown's Boathouse, lies the entrance to what was for years the old County Jail. Jimmy Alien, once piper to
the Duchess of Northumberland and a notorious horse stealer, was confined in this dungeon prison in 1803 awaiting transportation.
He was a very old man and the sentence was never carried out. The Prince Regent seven years later wrote Jimmy's pardon but
it arrived on the day of his death. There is an old story that his pipes can still be heard in the cells.
SEATON DELAVELOne Halloween night, a witch was caught practising evil spells and was consequently
sentenced to be burned at the stake. She appealed to the people and asked for two bowls made from hazel wood unused before,
and water in which to cleanse her feet. When these were provided she stepped into them and rose into the air. All the other
witches rose with her on their broomsticks, but she lost one bowl and fell to her death in Druridge Bay (The Bay of the Druids).
Another great place to find a ghost is Seaton Delaval Hall. Unfortunatley the hall is not open in autumn and winter but
if you happen to be up in summer make sure you go for a visit. Here you can find a ghost known as the, 'The White Lady
of Seaton Delaval'. She keeps a lonely vigil in what is now known as 'the ghost chamber' awaiting the return of her lord.
She has been waiting for 200 years. Seaton Delaval is a quaint place and it has a really nice coastline a mile away at Seaton
Sluice.
| Corby Castle |
Corby Castle lies on the banks of the river Eden, not far from Carlisle. The castle was the seat
of the Howard family and is haunted by a spirit known as the radiant boy who has been sighted infrequently. The apparition
haunts a room in the oldest part of the castle, which is reached by a passage running through a wall.
An often-quoted
sighting was made by the rector of Greystoke, although there is no date to follow up the story.
Sometime after 1.00am
in the morning whilst staying overnight at the castle, the rector awoke to see a glimmer in the centre of the room. The glimmer
gradually increased in strength to a bright light and then formed into a boy with golden locks of hair. After watching the
rector for a short while the spectre glided to the chimney and vanished.
Traditionally the radiant boy was associated
with the Howard family, if seen by a family member that person would rise to a position of great power but meet a terrible
end. |
|
By Richard McCulloch.........A few years ago, I was involved
in the conversion of some 17th Century buildings in Durham City, England, from houses into shops and a cafe.
For those who've never been, Durham is an old Cathedral town, with many old buildings crammed into
quite a small space.
These particular buildings were based around an old courtyard of Saddler Street, and consisted of a
large building of about three stories and a narrower one of similar height. These were seriously old and atmospheric buildings;
the smaller of the two had beams which were reckoned to have been old ship's timbers from about the time of the Spanish Armada,
and the larger one had lots of narrow passageways upstairs, and a big oak panelled room.
While I helped prepare the smaller building for use, the larger building was being converted into a
Cafe.
Taran, the daughter of the owners of the Cafe, used to play alone on one of the upper floors of the
building while her parents worked downstairs.
(At this time she was about three years old, I think, and her parents swore later that they hadn't
mentioned death to her in any particular way - all her grandparents were still alive and she'd never had any pets which might
have expired.)
On this occasion her parents could hear her thumping about upstairs, and called her down.
"Don't make so much noise, dear!" they said.
"It's not me, it's Davvy making the noise" she answered promptly.
Like many children of that age, Taran had pretty regular games with imaginary friends, so her parents
weren't too impressed by this attempt to duck the blame.
"Well, ask her not to be so noisy" they asked.
"I will", said Taran, "but she likes making noise because she doesn't get to play much. She says she's
been dead for such a long time that she can only come out to play with me"...
In an interesting development, a few days after this happened, Taran (who had never been spoken to
about death, remember) started holding funeral services for her Barbie dolls; putting them in boxes and surrounding them with
flowers, saying prayers "for the dead Barbie" and generally being quite alarming. She stopped short of burying them, though!
Over a few months, the cafe was finished and opened, and in time Taran's fascination with death wore
off, and - as far as I know - nothing more was heard of "Davvy".
- - although it's worth mentioning that the staff at the cafe often receive warnings from people who
visit the upstairs toilets that they can hear a child playing in the stockroom...
|
 |
 |
 |
THEATRE ROYAL,NEWCASTLE
Stage carpenter Robert Crowther was killed in 1887 when his skull was fractured by a cannon-ball from
a thunder sound-effect device in Newcastle's Tyne Theatre. His ghost is said to stalk the theatre gallery to this day. Another
theatrical ghost is that of an actress who committed suicide in the Theatre Royal in 1935 and is said to still be walking
the aisles.
LINDISFARNE PRIORY
Photographs taken at the ruined 12th century Priory occasionally
depict the image of a 'white monk' standing in the archway that is not the visitor's entrance to the Priory. Aside from appearing
on the photographs the monk is invisible and there are no historic records to indicate who he may be. Lindisfarne is located
on Holy Island a real novelty, especially since you have to wait for the tide to go out before you drive on or off the island.
Not only can you visit the white ghost monk who is said to stand in the archway of the entrance of the priory, but also you
can take in the interesting museum after you have learned more eerie facts.
BAMBURGH CASTLEVisitors to Bamburgh Castle have been known to report the sight
of a young woman with a bundle in her arms descending the steep steps from a small postern gate, north of the clock tower.
As she descends, she stumbles and cries out, falling down the narrow stairway. From above are the sounds of heartless laughter,
and upon rushing to her aid; visitors have reported that there is no sign of either the young lady or the bundle she was carrying.
The best explanation for this occurrence is that the young lady is the ghost of a local girl called Jane, who was sent by
her impoverished family to beg for food at the Castle. After being abused and then turned away by the guards Jane overcome
with weakness, stumbled and fell to her death, along with the baby that she carried in her arms. This phantom is often called
'Green Jane' because of the striking colour of her cloak.
DARLINGTONA James Durham died on January 9 1917, aged 75, and was buried in North
Cemetery. Almost exactly one hundred years later, before North Road station was taken out of operation, the ghost made a return
journey. It was a snowy day in the Fifties. The ticket collector swore he heard a train pull in. The carriage door opened,
someone got out, slammed the door shut, and the train pulled away. The person was then heard to walk across the platform.
The ticket collector naturally expected the passenger to pass by his booth but after a few minutes no one came. He looked
out, but the station was deserted, and the snow on the platform lay untouched and virginal.
These are only two of many reported hauntings made by the railway ghost. In the early eighty's a group of
train buffs, including Councillor Barrie Lamb who went on to become Mayor in 1989-90, slept over in the station which had,
by this time, been converted into a museum to mount a night-long vigil guarding valuable exhibits on loan. All of the party
of rail-lovers slept soundly and undisturbed, but when they awoke next morning a small puddle of water had mysteriously formed
on the platform. The question on their lips was had the ghostly porter's dog spent a penny during the night?
|
|
 |
|
The Story of Mary Ann Cotton
click below
Click here to download file
|
|
