Halloween: Ten of Yorkshire's most haunted buildings

Yorkshire has a rich and varied past and there are an array of places throughout the region which are believed to be haunted by a wide array of ghosts and ghouls.
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Some date back hundreds of years ago.

Nostell Priory, Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Located close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, this 18th century palladian house has it’s very own ghost, Nancy.

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Nancy was a maid who worked at the house, who died in the 1920s by decapitation after putting her head into a lift shaft to see where the next car was.

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Locals who live close to Nostell Priory and those who visit and work there know all about Nancy, some claiming to have seen her from time to time.

Although Nostell is haunted by the ghost of Nancy, rumours and stories make her out to be a ghost with a friendly nature.

30 East Drive, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

30 East Drive is a 3-bed semi-detached house located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. However, this house is not haunted by a friendly ghost, but the ‘Black Monk of Pontefract’, whom is believed to be one of the Europe’s most violent poltergeists.

The haunting at 30 East Drive was the subject of the 2012 horror movie When The Lights Went Out and was also investigated for the Halloween special of Most Haunted Live in 2015, hosted by Rylan Clarke.

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Yvette Fielding was joined by Paul O'Grady, where they explored the terrifying house where where in the past a member of the household was allegedly dragged upstairs and almost strangled by the poltergeist.

Temple Newsam, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Temple Newsam is believed to be the home of quite a few ghosts and ghouls, the ‘Blue Lady’ and Phoebe Gray being two os the most well-known.

The Blue Lady is said to be the ghost of Lady Mary Ingram, who is the granddaughter of Sir Arthur Ingram who bought the estate which was kept in the family until 1922.

After being robbed of her precious pearls, Lady Ingrams is believed to have enter a state of deliriousness, dying shortly after. She now haunts to halls, weeping and searching for her lost pearls.

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Phoebe Gray was a nursemaid at Temple Newsam who is said to have been brutally murdered by a servant and whose spirit now haunts the old estate.

Annison Funeral Parlour, Hull, East Yorkshire

The Annison Funeral Parlour, located in Hull, is now home to a late night pharmacy. It is believed that the spirit of Mary Jane Langley, an 18-year-old girl who was murdered is 1891, haunts this building, which was one of the last places she visited before she died.

It is said that the staff at the pharmacy refuse to travel beyond the first floor or into any of the abandoned rooms which were in use during the funeral parlour years and many of the employees, past and present, have had chilling encounters with the ghost.

East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley, West Yorkshire

East Riddlesden Hall, an historic 17th-century mansion located in West Yorkshire, is said to be one of Britain's most haunted houses.

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It is said to be haunted by a number of spirits, one of these being the ‘Grey Lady’ who is believed to be the wife of a former Lord Of The Manor and who is frequently seen wandering the corridors as if she is searching for something or someone.

There is also the ‘White Lady’ who was allegedly thrown from her horse whilst hunting and is sometimes seen walking around the lake belonging to the estate.

Ripon Workhouse Museum, North Yorkshire

Ripon Workhouse Museum is a former workhouse, where it is believed that disease and death was so common that officials ordered coffins in bulk, struggling to keep up with the amount of fatalities in the workhouse.

One of the ghosts who frequents the hallways of this former workhouse is believed to be a man named Gordon, who used to work there. He is said to have appeared to a number of tourists over the years and has been contacted by a Ouija Board in the past.

Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

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This ruined Cistercian monastery has a number of ghostly visitors. In the past a ghostly choir has been heard chanting in the Chapel of Nine Altars, and in the nearby Fountains Hall, it is believed that the daughter of Sir Stephen Proctor, who built the hall, haunts this hall and is expected to do so for the rest of eternity.

Is is also believed that an Elizabethan man has also been seen emerging from the panelling in the same stone hall.

Golden Fleece Inn, York, North Yorkshire

York is known for its ghostly past, with Ghost Tours of the city being one of its most popular attractions.

The Golden Fleece Inn, a former coaching inn, is believed to be England’s most haunted pubs, with as many as 15 different spirits spotted there.

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Many of the inn’s guests are said to have reported seeing a ghostly woman who wanders the corridors and staircases in the early hours of the morning. She is believed to be Lady Alice Peckitt, the wife of one of York's Lord Mayors and the former resident of the house next door.

Carbrook Hall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire- Sheffield’s most haunted pub

Believed to be Sheffield’s most haunted pubs, this public house has had a large number of visiting and resident ghosts.

One of the pub’s most well-known ghosts is that of John Blunt, who was the pub’s owner when Oliver Cromwell used to use the pub to hold meetings during the 1640s, but it is reported the Blunt’s ghost does not cause that much trouble.

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The spirit of of an elderly lady dressed in 1920s clothing, is also said to be frequently seen rocking back and forth in a rocking chair.

Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire

Nunnington Hall is a 17th century country house located in North Yorkshire. It is said that there are several ghosts which haunt this house, including several reports of child spirits, whose whispers can be heard even from the attic.

It is said that the ghost of Lady Nunnington haunts the halls, and her dress can be heard being dragged up and down the staircase, tending to stop as soon as the sound is investigated.

Doors are also known to open and slam shut in the dead of night and the sounds of weeping have also been frequently heard throughout the night.