Leicester and Leicestershire’s Most Haunted Buildings

04 April 2018 | Your Stories

Leicester and Leicestershire has a long history, and therefore we have some old buildings, which may be hiding a secret or two.

These are the buildings thought to be the city and county’s most haunted.

The Guildhall, Leicester

 

Regarded as the city’s most haunted building, the Guildhall, near Leicester Cathedral, boasts five separate spectres.

The most famous is the White Lady, who reportedly resides in the museum’s library.

Other encounters involve a tormented Cavalier and a black cat in the Great Hall, a phantom policeman and ghostly dog in the courtyard. At least one witness claims to have been shocked by a pair of phantom legs hanging from the portrait of Henry Earl of Huntington hanging in the Major’s Parlour.

Parapsychologist Lee Gilbert has hosted ghost-watch evenings at the 14th century building.

He said: “It’s thought that the Guildhall has about five ghosts. I think there are a lot more – they are not as obvious but they are there.

“Mediums and other parapsychologists from all over the country have come to the museum and all talked about having the same experiences, which says to me that the Guildhall is certainly more active than people think.”

In 2006, footage of an apparent apparition was caught on the museum’s CCTV cameras. Sceptics dismissed it as simply the sun moving across the floor.

Belgrave Hall Museum and Gardens, Leicester

 

In 1998, video footage of what appears to be two apparitions at Belgrave Hall made it into the national press.

CCTV images were taken of what the hall believed were images of Charlotte Ellis, one of seven sisters who lived at the stately home during the mid 19th and early 20th century.

She is reported to wander the gardens in Victorian dress and is often referred to as the Victorian Lady, the Green Lady and the Grey Lady.

She was born in 1836 and died a spinster, aged 81, at the hall in 1917.

In addition to seeing ghosts, people have reported smells such as fresh baked bread and gingerbread when no-one is cooking.

Museum assistant Liz Baliol-Key said: “There have been quite a lot of people and museum staff who have said they have felt the spirit and seen a woman in Victorian attire on the garden path.”

After the security images were publicised, the International Society of Paranormal Research (ISPR) came to the museum to investigate.

They claimed to have come into contact with several spectres, including a “negative male energy” which they found upstairs. They also found a child ghost that had died of tuberculosis and a male ghost that had died in a fall.

All of the “people” found by ISPR were later linked by staff to people who had lived at the hall at some point.

Bradgate Park

 

The carriage of Leicester’s best-known phantom is said to race through Bradgate Park between the old church and the ruins of her home.

Lady Jane Grey was executed in 1554 and her ghost is said to appear at her former home in the park on Christmas Eve each year.

Her coach is said to be pulled by four headless horses through the pathways of the north Leicestershire woodland.

Another ghostly carriage has also been seen in the area by a milkman on his early round.

The ghoulish vehicle was seen to go across Cropton Road straight into the reservoir without making a sound.

Bosworth Hall

 

A tragic 18th century affair between Ann Dixie and her gardener sparked one of Leicestershire’s most notorious ghost stories.

After finding out about the regular rendezvous between his daughter and his gardener, Sir Wolston Dixie set up a series of traps around his home – Bosworth Hall – to catch the lothario.

However, his plan took an unexpected twist when his daughter, Ann, stumbled upon one of the trap, suffering horrific injuries to her leg and dying a short while later of blood loss.

Known as the Grey Lady, Ann Dixie wanders the corridors apparently looking for her lost love, or possibly revenge.

 

You can read the full article on the Leicester Mercury website. Have you tried these great #paranormal books from G. Michael Vasey? If you’re looking for true tales of the paranormal to keep you chilled throughout this harsh winter… just click here.

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