Being a local, I am all too familiar with some of the most haunted places in Manchester. In fact, some of these sites are common knowledge to locals. With a rich and varied history, from a Celtic settlement on the site where the Cathedral now sits, to the cotton industry in the 19th century and all in between and since, it is no wonder Manchester is home to many a ghost. The TV show ‘Most Haunted’ featured several Mancunian locations and these spooky sites certainly lived up to their reputations and sent shives down the spines of the crew. If you’re looking to scare yourself silly, here is a list of some of the most haunted places you can visit in Manchester.
Ordsall Hall
Ordsall Hall lies in the middle of bustling Salford and is a wonderful reminder of the region’s past. The hall is some 750 years old but the oldest parts of the building which remain are from the 15th century. Ordsall Hall was the seat of the Radclyffe family for centuries, one of the most prominent families in the region.
The White Lady is one spectre said to haunt the hall. A woman in white has been seen wandering through the Star Chamber and the Great Hall carrying a candle. The ghost is said to be that of Margaret Radclyffe who reportedly died of a broken heart following the death of her brother, Alexander in 1599.
The spirit of Sir John Radclyffe is also said to haunt Ordsall Hall. Women have reported feeling sensations of touching and pushing and also having their faces caressed.
Cecily is the spirit of a child who has been spotted in the hall numerous times, especially when large groups of children visit the landmark.
Ordsall Hall has quite the haunted reputation and runs paranormal evenings so you can be in with a chance of spotting a ghost yourself!
Manchester Cathedral
This was a surprising one for me! Manchester Cathedral is an awe-inspiring Gothic building which was built in the 15th century. In the Victorian era, it was the site of some rather strange supernatural occurrences. One parishioner saw his sister, Fanny in the Cathedral, surprised to see her as she was miles away, he went over to greet her and she disappeared. The following day he learnt of the death of his sister which occurred around the time of his sighting of her.
A headless hound (sometimes reported as a hound with red eyes) known as the Black Shuck was said to roam the Cathedral grounds and the surrounding area. In 1825, the dog reportedly attacked a passing tradesman. This devil dog was eventually exorcised underneath the bridge close to the cathedral which the river Irwell runs under.
Wardley Hall
Wardley Hall was once home to the Bishop of Salford and is now home to the tale of the Screaming Skull. The owner of the skull is said to belong to Father Ambrose Barlow, a 17th-century Catholic monk who preached the Catholic faith at a time when this was outlawed. He was tried, convicted and hung, hacked to pieces, burned in tar before being beheaded and his skull found its way to Wardley Hall.
The screams of Father Ambroise as he suffered in his final moments are said to be heard throughout the hall, the sounds terminating from the skull. The petrified residents of the Hall hid the skull in the walls. It was discovered in the 17th century by the new owner, Duke of Bridgewater who threw the skull into the moat. A storm soon followed which battered the Hall. The Duke had the moat drained and the skull returned to the Hall. Others, over the centuries, terrified by the ghostly screams have attempted to remove the skull from the property only to find it returned to the building the following morning.
Today, the skull is on display at the top of the stairs, attempts to hide the skull appear to be futile. Wardley Hall now embraces its reputation as one of the most haunted places in Manchester.
Royal Exchange Theatre
In 2006. Most Haunted recorded an episode of their TV show in this 18th-century building. The ghosts of a blonde woman and a well-dressed man have been spotted in the Green Room. James Maxwell, actor and director who had a great love for the Royal Exchange, is said to haunt the building too.
Manchester underground
Beneath the hurley burley of the street of Manchester lies a maze of tunnels and passageways. Once used as air raid shelters during World War 2 and an abandoned underground railway system project, Manchester underground was said to be home to ‘rat people’, societal rejects who resided below the city streets. Their spirits are said to haunt the eerie passageways and tunnels. Witnesses report the ghostly apparitions of children along with unexplained sights and sounds.
Barnes Hospital
Established in the late 19th century, Barnes Hospital treated many locals, some from the poorest sections of society. During World War 2 it treated wounded soldiers and finally closed its doors in 1999 after a 120-year history.
The building, now abandoned is the archetypal haunted hospital. In the 1970s it was used as the set for the horror film Let Sleeping Corpses Lie also known as Living Dead at Manchester Morgue.
Throughout its history, spectral nurses have been seen wandering through the hospital seemingly still conducting their rounds. Visitors report the sensation of being watched and an uneasy feeling when on the site. Doors banging moans and other mysterious sounds have terrified witnesses. During recent developments on the site, security guards reported seeing people in the windows and even the ghostly sight of patients in their beds.
Ryecroft Hall
Ryecroft Hall was built as a mid-19th-century home for a wealthy cotton merchant and his family, the hall later served as a First World War hospital. Ghostly footsteps have been reported by visitors along with poltergeist activity, such as objects moving on their own and disembodied voices. The ghost of a Victorian girl has been seen along with cigarette buds dropping from a balcony.
Ryecroft Hall is a favourite among paranormal researchers in the area due to its reputation as one of the most haunted places in Manchester.
Peveril of the Peak
The landlady of this early 19th-century pub claims it is haunted by a rather helpful spirit. The invisible additional staff member reportedly removes broken glass and on occasion has emptied the ashtrays and even moved dirty glasses into the pot washer.
Unlike many other witnesses in this post, the landlady of the Peveril of the Peak is quite happy to live side by side with such a willing helper!
Boggart Hole Clough
The name Boggart refers to a malevolent spirit primarily found outdoors in Lancashire and Yorkshire. The boggart is said to have the power to turn milk sour and to steal things, even children from its victims. According to an early 19th-century source, George Cheetham and his family were reportedly forced to flee their farm at Boggart Hole Clough for fear of their children’s safety but returned when they realised the spirit had followed them. The boggart reportedly knocked over drinks and rattled their beds.
Samuel Alexander Building, University of Manchester
The namesake of this building, Samuel Alexander is said to haunt this Manchester University building. University staff have witnessed the philosopher wandering the halls of the building.
Brannigan’s Nightclub/The Albert Hall
Most Haunted conducted an investigation of what was then known as Brannigan’s Night Club in 2003 (renamed Albert Hall in 2011). The building began its life as a Wesleyan Church and opened its doors to a congregation in 1910. It was converted into a nightclub in the 1990s.
Witnesses report poltergeist activity such as thrown glasses and the inexplicably lights switching on and off. As part of the Most Haunted investigation, the late great Derek Akora picked up on an evil entity whose energy Derek claimed was suppressed by a trio of deceased clerics, one of whom was Reverend Samuel Collier, former minister of the Church. Derek gave Godfrey as the name of the entity who was so evil in life he was said to have murdered a child.
The Most Haunted crew reported the sounds of a baby crying which came from the building’s tower.
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester Royal Infirmary is on this list due to a personal experience I had 13 years ago. I was visiting a family member who had been rushed into hospital one evening and was undergoing emergency surgery. It was my first visit to the hospital and I had no idea where I was going. I had been given some very complicated directions to the theatre by the reception staff and I was trying my best to remember them as I wandered down the totally deserted hallways and staircases of this huge hospital. As a 20-something woman on her own in a desolate hospital, I was feeling rather vulnerable and became very aware of my surroundings.
It was about 10 pm, and I found myself lost and, at one point, actually running up a staircase as I tried to make it to the operating theatre. As I climbed the stairs, I saw a doctor on the stairway below me, some 5 metres or so away from me. He was wearing a white coat and looking down at some papers. I then realised I hadn’t heard the door open to the stairway, so where did he come from? I looked behind me, expecting him, by this point, to have reached the same stairs as me, but he had vanished. The door to the stairway didn’t open. He was no longer below m,e and he certainly didn’t pass me on the stairs. I quickly headed to the next doorway, which was, incidentally, the way to the theatre which had been lost to me for so long.
I’m not sure if my sighting of a full-bodied apparition was incidental, perhaps the doctor did help me to find my way. The incident did leave me feeling a little perplexed. But, given the emergency situation I was involved with, I put the sighting to the back of my mind and only processed it once I returned home.
Even 12 years later, I can still vividly recall the experience and still feel my hairs stand on end when I think about my night in Manchester Royal Infirmary.
The Palace Theatre
Witnesses have reported seeing a lady in grey in the corner of the ladies’ toilets and then vanishing. Others report a grey mist wandering through the building and even making an appearance on the stage.
There are rumours that a cleaner died in the building however as Manchester’s Finest excellent article points out, there is no evidence to suggest a cleaner ever died in the building.
But I did find that the Managing Director of the theatre, Mr Alan Young, passed away in the building in 1926 in his office. The cause of death for the 49-year-old was said to be gas poisoning.
Perhaps Mr Alan Young could be responsible for the hauntings, or perhaps the grey mist is just someone who loves the theatre in life and pops back for a visit in death?
I hope you enjoyed this post on some of Manchester’s most haunted places as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you know of any spooky sites in the local area that I have missed out, please let us know in the comments below.
