Halloween Special: The UK's Most Haunted Cities

Even though I've lived in the most haunted country in the world (based on Western notions of what constitutes a ghost and a haunting) my whole life, I've never had any paranormal encounters myself. I'm rather disappointed by this fact, especially because, living in the Midlands, I have several of Britain's most haunted locations on my doorstep.

For almost three years, my best friend and I did archery every Sunday in the grounds of Bishton Hall: a Grade II listed Georgian mansion and one of the oldest settlements in Staffordshire. It's also said to be one of Staffordshire's most haunted buildings, with visitors reporting hearing the old wooden shutters bang and squeak and the door handles rattle. Ghostly figures are said to wander the halls, including the spectre of former resident Miss Charlotte Sparrow, while poltergeists open and close doors and make wailing noises that echo around the entire mansion.

Although we never saw any spirits of our own, my friend's dad loved to remind us to keep an eye on the windows of Bishton Hall whenever we weren't shooting, in case we caught a glimpse of a ghost peering at us from inside.

While I no longer do archery in the haunted grounds of Bishton Hall, I am currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Birmingham. It may not be home to as much paranormal activity as other UK universities, such as the University of York (more on York later), the University of Liverpool, and the University of Bath, but it's a stone's throw away from Aston Hall, one of the most haunted buildings in Britain. The beautiful Jacobean house was built between 1618 and 1635 on the orders of Sir Thomas Holte, a man with a reputation for being short-tempered, argumentative, and even tyrannical.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Aston Hall is believed by many to be home to a variety of paranormal entities. These include 'The Grey Lady', who is thought to be the ghost of Sir Thomas' daughter, Mary Holte. Local legend tells of a forbidden love between Mary and a man her father deemed unsuitable. Instead of merely insisting that Mary marry someone else, Sir Thomas felt the need to take things even further by locking his daughter away in a room at the top of Aston Hall for sixteen years. People struggle to agree on the ending of the tale, arguing over whether Mary died of neglect or fell down the stairs while trying to escape. Either way, there have been several reports of a pale woman roaming the corridors of Aston Hall, lingering by the staircase where she is believed by some to have fallen to her death.

Continuing the colour theme, Aston Hall is also home to the 'Green Lady': a ghost clad in a high-necked green dress. She is usually a more static figure than her grey counterpart, preferring to stand by windows or sit in chairs. She is thought to be the spectre of Mistress Walker, Sir Thomas' housekeeper.

A slightly rarer apparition is a young boy called Dick, a servant who reportedly committed suicide after Sir Thomas accused him of theft. Sir Thomas' tyranny doesn't even end there, because there are stories surrounding Aston Hall of a cook who haunts the kitchen, her life having been brutally ended by Sir Thomas. He is rumoured to have split her head open with a meat cleaver after her poor performance angered him. Real or not, it speaks to Sir Thomas' violent nature that all of these stories became popular amongst the locals, and were considered by many to be believable.

Alternatively, if I was willing to go looking for ghosts a little further afield, I could find myself at east Lancashire's infamous Pendle Hill, which was home to the alleged witches who were tried in 1612. The trials of the Pendle witches were some of the most famous witch trials in English history, and the story goes that Pendle Hill was a place of terror before the witches were arrested. Several locals died of mysterious illnesses, others were said to have died while in extreme amounts of pain, and cattle died suspiciously as well. 

Twelve peasants were accused of causing all of the suffering through witchcraft, and they were taken to Lancaster to stand trial. One of the accused died during the trials, and another was found not guilty. The remaining ten individuals were found guilty and hung at Gallows Hill in Lancaster, which is another notoriously haunted location.

Locals typically refuse to climb Pendle Hill at night, because many people have reported seeing shadowy figures lurking around the area. The surrounding villages and buildings are similarly believed to be overrun with ghostly apparitions. Many brave paranormal enthusiasts flock to Pendle Hill every Halloween, hoping to catch a glimpse of the spirit of one of the Pendle witches.

But where are the most haunted cities in the UK? Where can you find ghost tours galore, promising the scariest tales you'll ever hear, and sightings of spectres of all shapes and sizes? Let's take a look at where some of the most interesting hauntings happen across the country, exploring just a few of the ghost stories and legends that surround these cities.

 1 - York

Where better to start than with the most haunted city in Europe? 

Known as the 'City of a Thousand Ghosts', York is notorious for its dark and bloody past. Originally a Roman settlement called Eboracum, it was captured by Vikings in 866 and beseiged by the Normans in 1068. It was one of the main targets of the Harrying of the North: a series of military campaigns carried out on the orders of William the Conqueror, with the goal of subjugating northern England.

As a result of this grim history, York is rumoured to be rife with ghostly presences and haunted buildings. One of its most famous haunted locations is York Minster, the oldest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. It is said to be the home of a paranormal parishioner, who hasn't let being dead stop him from attending services. 

Another building known for its supernatural inhabitants is the Treasurer's House, located behind York Minster. It is reportedly home to the spirits of Roman soldiers, who march through the house with their horses, and are sometimes accompanied by the sounds of trumpet blasts. The first reported sighting was in 1953, and it was later discovered that the House was built on the remains of an old Roman highway. 

In honour of the many hauntings of York, the York Ghost Merchants - the only remaining manufacturers of the infamous York Ghost figurines - organise a celebration known as Ghost Week. For a week in late October, a series of events are held at reportedly haunted locations across the city, including Fairfax House, York Mansion House, and St Saviour's Church. These events include the Little York Ghost Hunt, where participants scour the city for hidden figurines; ceramic ghost-making workshops; ghost story readings; and the Ringing the Ghost contest - a game similar to hoopla, with a top score of 42 and a one-of-a-kind hand-painted York Ghost awarded to the winner.

2 - Edinburgh

Edinburgh is home to a few particularly interesting apparitions, including the spirit of Major Thomas Weir: a soldier, strict Presbyterian, and well-respected member of Edinburgh society in the 1600s. Rumour has it he led a double life; in 1670, he fell ill and, on his deathbed, he confessed to many, many sins, including occultism, bestiality, and incest. He had been so respected, many people refused to believe him, but the professions continued and were eventually supported by testimony from his sister, Jean. When finally, the siblings' chilling confessions were believed, they were tried, found guilty, and killed. Weir is now known by many of the locals as the Wizard of West Bow.

Major Weir's house was allegedly haunted ever since his death, with locals reporting that the windows would light up at night, illuminated strange shapes flitting to and fro. Many people also claimed to hear his coach and horses' hooves thundering down the road. For several years, the house was believed to have been demolished in the mid-1800s, until Anthony Buxton, the owner of a Quaker meeting house on the same street, realised that Weir's home formed part of his meeting house. For hundreds of years, visitors to the Quaker meeting house have reported seeing Weir's ghost wandering the halls and walking through walls.

Another haunted location in Edinburgh is the Banshee Labyrinth, the city's most haunted pub. It is rumoured to be haunted by - you guessed it - a banshee, whose screams are a sign that death is near. The famous Edinburgh castle is also said to be haunted by a plethora of ghosts, including a headless drummer and a young piper whose bagpipes can sometimes be heard playing in the tunnels under the Royal Mile. I'm of the opinion that someone should introduce the two musically-minded apparitions to each other and encourage them to start a band.

My favourite Edinburgh ghost story is that of Greyfriars Bobby: a dog believed to have been either a Skye terrier or a Dandie Dinmont terrier. Following the death of his master - the night watchman John Grey - of tuberculosis in 1858, Bobby refused to leave his grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. In fact, he kept watch over the grave until his own death fourteen years later. He was buried in the kirkyard near to John Grey, and a statue was erected in his honour (see above). If you pay a visit to Greyfriars Kirkyard, you may be able to hear him barking, or catch a glimpse of him wandering between the graves.

3 - Derby

Derby is both a hotspot for paranormal enthusiasts and the home of the UK Ghost Story Festival. Taking place annually over three days in February, the festival features writing workshops, talks by eminent ghost story tellers and paranormal researchers, interviews with writers and folklorists, and bookshop pop-up events. It has been running for five years at time of typing and will hopefully stick around for many more.

One of the most haunted areas of Derby is the Derby Gaol. Opening its doors in 1756, it was home to arrested individuals while they awaited trial. It was also the site of 56 hangings. Take a tour of it, or even book to stay overnight if you're feeling especially brave, and you might encounter the ghosts of some of the Gaol's ghostly inmates, prison guards, and execution victims. 

Derby's pubs are home to more spirits than just whiskey and brandy. The city is particularly famed for its haunted pub crawl, organised by Richard Felix, one of the UK's most famous ghost tour guides. He is known for his appearances on the TV show Most Haunted, and currently owns the Derby Gaol. Felix was responsible for turning it into a working museum which is now open to the public. His television appearances and frequent ghost walks have attracted many tourists to Derby, and are a major reason why the city is famed for being one of the most haunted in the country.

4 - Nottingham

Previously voted one of the 'most haunted buildings in the UK', the National Justice Museum is Nottingham's most haunted building by far. Before it was a museum, it was home to a prison, a courtroom, and a police station. It is now believed to be haunted by individuals who were imprisoned, tried, and sentenced there. Some of the National Justice Museum's most frequently sighted spectral residents include a soldier, who reportedly wanders the entrance hall, a poltergeist that loves to throw things and make loud banging noises, and a host of angry spirits who haunt the courtroom, terrorising visitors with groaning, screaming, and knocking sounds.

Another haunted location in Nottingham actually lies underneath the city. The City of Caves is a network of over 800 manmade sandstone caves that date back to the Dark Ages but have been used for a variety of purposes over the years, from a tannery to air raid shelters during World War II. It is even said that the infamous outlaw Robin Hood was once imprisoned in a cell in the City of Caves. The passages between the caves are supposedly full of the echoes of frightening screams and ghostly voices, and several visitors have reported seeing figures clad in dark hoods.

A lesser-known Nottingham haunting is that of Mapperley tunnel, an abandoned, 1,132-yard-long tunnel that is rumoured to be plagued by a ghost train. Numerous intrepid explorers of Mapperley tunnel have reported hearing the rumble of train wheels and the hiss of steam engines, even though no trains have run through it for decades.

As a fan of Romantic literature, I can't move on from Nottingham without mentioning the alleged hauntings of Newstead Abbey: the ancestral home of Lord Byron himself. I have an article on Lord Byron which you can check out here. In it, I mention Byron's disastrous marriage to educational reformer and philanthropist Anne Milbanke in 1815. Shortly before this marriage took place, Byron encountered an apparition known as the Goblin Friar, which is said to appear to the head of the Byron family before a misfortunate event befalls them. One night, Byron was sleeping in his bedchamber, only to awake and find himself face-to-face with a shapeless black mass with two glowing red eyes, which certainly doesn't sound like a good omen.

5 - London

It seems fitting to end with the UK's capital city, which has its fair share of hauntings. Some of its most famous ghosts reside in the Tower of London, where some people claim you can catch a glimpse of a variety of historical figures; from a headless spectre of Anne Boleyn to the ghost of Henry VI, who is believed to haunt the Wakefield Tower, only materialising at the stroke of midnight. There have also been reports of a ghost bear; while he was on the throne, Henry III kept his menagerie of wild animals at the Tower of London, including tigers, jackals, and an elephant. The ghost bear is said to appear behind the door of the Jewel Room, and in 1816, there was a reported sighting of a ghostly black bear near the Martin Tower.

Like Nottingham, London has a haunted museum: The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. The museum is hold to the oldest surviving operating theatre in Europe, and has experienced several hauntings over the years. One of the most frequently sighted ghosts is an elderly lady clad entirely in black, who lurks in the operating theatre and is usually described by witnesses as extremely sad, weeping and wailing loudly. 

The first instance of recorded paranormal activity in the museum occurred when a member of staff was setting it up for opening one morning. Her work was interrupted by a sudden loud noise, coming from the herb garret, and when she went to investigate, she found that every cupboard and drawer had been opened, even though there was nobody else on the premises.

Rumour has it you can find a train carriage full of skeletons in Paxton Tunnel, in Crystal Palace Park. In 1978, a woman claimed to have fallen through a hole in the grounds of the park - Alice in Wonderland style - and found herself in the abandoned Paxton Tunnel, where she discovered an old train carriage full of skeletons dressed in Victorian-era finery. She never gave any proof of her discovery, and no investigations were able to uncover a tunnel or a carriage, although parts of the railway line were found. Nevertheless, stories that a site near Crystal Palace Park was home to an entombed train have been circulating in the area since the 1930s. These tales stem from the unexplained and sudden closure of the Crystal Palace pneumatic railway, which was open for just two months in 1864.

Constructed by English engineer Thomas Webster Rammell, the Crystal Palace pneumatic railway was an experimental atmospheric railway line. He intended to use it to demonstrate feasibility of using air pressure to move train carriages through tunnels. Because the closure of the railway was never explained, and Paxton Tunnel was suddenly blocked off, rumours soon began to circulate that the train carriage had been sealed away inside the tunnel and its passengers abandoned.

From grey, white, and green ladies to headless figures, from drummers and pipers to bears and dogs, there are a wide variety of ghosts, ghouls, and spectres that call the UK their home. With our Ghost Weeks and our Ghost Story Festivals, we have a rich history of supernatural storytelling and paranormal investigation. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it's hard to deny that they've become an important part of our folklore and culture. And, this Halloween, you might see something spooky and strange yourself - although it's more likely to be a hoard of colourfully-dressed children on the hunt for sweets than a ghost.

SOURCES:

• 'A List of Key Dates in York's History', History of York

• Ashford, Sam, 'Bishton Hall: A History of Hauntings', Spirit Shack, (2023)

• 'Aston Hall, Birmingham's Haunted Jacobean Mansion', Spooky Isles, (2025)

• Castelow, Erin, 'The Pendle Witches', Historic UK, (2019)

• 'City of Caves Ghost Hunts', Brooke's Paranormal

• 'Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway 1864', Xenophon Group International

• 'Derby Gaol - Derby, Derbyshire', Haunted Happenings

• 'Ghosts of the Haunted Old Operating Theatre in London', Amy's Crypt, (2018)

• 'Hauntings at the Galleries of Justice', Haunted Rooms

• Johnson, Ben, 'Greyfriars Bobby', Historic UK, (2024)

• Kemp, Charlene Iowe, 'Capture of the Ghost Train of the Abandoned Mapperley Tunnel', Paranormal Hauntings, (2019)

• 'Nottinghamshire's Haunted Hot Spots', Visit Nottinghamshire, (2022)

• Rogers, Rachel, 'York Ghost Week', York Mix, (2024)

• 'The Dark Secrets of 17th Century Edinburgh's House of Horrors', The Scotsman, (2017)

• 'The Five Ghosts of Newstead Abbey', BBC, (2008)

• 'The York Ghost Merchants', About Us — The York Ghost Merchants, accessed 3 September 2025

• Tucker, David, 'The 13 Ghosts of the Tower of London', London Walks, (2023)

• 'UK Ghost Story Festival 2025', Visit Derby, (2025)

• Wiggins, Dan, 'The truth behind the tale of Crystal Palace Park's ghost train full of Victorian corpses', My London, (2021)

• 'York, England: The Most Haunted City in the World?', National Geographic, (2008)