York is one of the most ancient cities in the UK, and it’s history is as dark as it is deep.
This Halloween, light a candle, cover your feet with a blanket and indulge in our boutique hotel’s tales of the true horror stories in York.
York Museum
On a chilly night in 1953, Mr. Jonas, the museum caretaker, claimed to see a little man he described as being clothed in Edwardian-era garments. Mr. Jonas and his wife had closed and locked up the Museum one evening and returned to their apartment located in the basement. As the pair settled down for the night, they heard footsteps through the ceiling from the museum floor above. Upon going to check who had trespassed, Mr Jonas saw the mystery man pacing the floor. Assuming he’d somehow been locked inside, Jonas approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder – at which point the mystery man promptly disappeared!
The Golden Fleece
One thing that York isn’t short on is definitely haunted pubs and ale houses! The Golden Fleece is proud to have a reputation of York’s most haunted public house, something which was dismissed as tall tales for tourists by one manager when she was first hired. During her first few months, she witnessed an apparition moving across the bar and through a wall, the sounds of footsteps and – disturbingly – an ice-cold hand running up her spine! Other witness accounts include a ghostly woman believed to be Lady Alice Peckitt; the wife of a former Lord Mayor of York, a Canadian Airman and of course – One Eyed Jack who appears in the bottom bar in a 16th-Century red coat carrying a pistol!
35 Stonegate
35 Stonegate is said to be the most haunted building in York. Soaked in history, the house was built in 1482, although records show that the site has been inhabited for up to 1000 years..
This house is said to have at least 14 different ghosts, however many people believe there to be many more. Supernatural happenings became a regular occurance in the late nineties when the property was heavily renovated, suggesting the work somehow disturbed them. One of the most documented of the spirits is simply known as Tom, who haunts the aptly-named seance room on the second floor of the house. He’s described as a tall man wearing a hat… who is well known to drag visitors around the room…
Nunnington Hall
What’s creepier than the ghostly sounds of children whispering? That and all the other supernatural happenings at Nunnington Hall! Aside from the chilling, child-like whispers coming from the attic, the ghost of Lady Nunnington is said to still roam the halls. Her dress is heard dragging up and down the staircase, doors open and slam in the dead of night, and sounds of weeping are reported on a regular basis. In the panelled room, a dark, shapeless mass has been seen entering the room through a wall, moving over the bed and out of the window – along with the sound of a blood-curdling scream coming from this room alone. Even the ground-floor rooms appear to be haunted, with more child-like voices, books flying across the room and sounds of raging parties in the dead of night.
Mad Alice Lane
Lund’s Court is a small snickleway leading through the city. Around 1824, one of the alley’s houses was inhabited by a woman only known as ‘Mad Alice’; a woman beaten remorselessly by her husband. The beatings eventually became so relentless, Alice finally snapped, attacked her husband and subsequently killed him. According to rumours, the murder caused her to go insane, resulting in Alice being hanged at York Castle in 1825. Though no documents seem to support this, we somehow can’t explain the fact her ghostly face has been seen by multiple people throughout the decades, looking down over the lane below. Even though the myth has been debunked – we still avoid this alley in the dark!
