Haunted York England Historic Buildings

Ghosts and Paranormal Activity in One of Britain's Oldest Cities

Nov 19, 2007

Hauntings are present in many locations such as the Treasurer's House, Theatre Royal, Clifford's Tower, Yorkshire Museum and York Castle.

According to the Ghost Research Foundation International (GRFI), “York is the most haunted city in the world with a total of 504 recorded hauntings”. The GRFI visited major cities such as Los Angeles, Brisbane and Paris but their paranormal activity cannot compare to York, England. Find out why York has earned this reputation.

York Treasurer’s House

In 1953, an apprentice plumber was installing a new central heating system in the cellar of the Treasurer’s House. He heard the sound of a horn in the distance which became louder and louder. All of a sudden, a horse and rider came through the cellar wall. The rider wore a helmet and armour which was worn by Roman soldiers. A column of Roman soldiers followed, dressed in green tunics and plumed helmets, carrying shields and spears. One soldier had a long trumpet which explained the horn sound as the soldiers approached. The strange thing was; the soldiers’ feet and part of their legs were not visible.

They walked across the basement heading toward a recently excavated area. It was discovered that the Treasurer’s House was built on top of an old Roman road which was 15 inches below the basement floor. The soldiers were walking directly on the road, which explains why their feet and lower legs could not be seen.

York Theatre Royal

Quite often, the ghost of a nun is seen in the room behind the dress circle of the theatre. She is known as the Grey Lady. In Medieval times, the theatre was part of St Leonard’s Hospital, which was run by nuns. It is believed that the nun was the lover of a nobleman and when their love affair was discovered, she was thrown into a windowless room. The entrance was bricked over and she was left there to die. It is supposed to be a good omen if the Grey Lady is seen by the performers.

There is also the ghost of an actor who died during a duel. He is sometimes spotted backstage or in the wings watching the performance on stage.

Clifford’s Tower York

This tower was used by the Jews as a place of refuge during their persecution during the Middle Ages. During one raid, the Jews were surrounded and committed suicide in the Tower rather than surrendering. It is said that the ground of Clifford's Tower can turn red, resembling the colour of blood. Even after the floor was dug out and replaced, the red stains continued.

Yorkshire Museum Library

A particular book was found laying on the library floor several Sunday nights in a row. After several weeks, a caretaker saw the figure of an old man searching a library shelf. The book belonged to a solicitor who had died several years before. When the caretaker was shown a picture of the solicitor, he said the ghost looked exactly like this person. Inside the book, it looks like a document or photo had been there because a brown stain was detected. Perhaps the solicitor came back to retrieve this document. The caretaker also reported that the alarm bells would trigger for no reason and this continued until the book was removed from the shelves.

York Castle

In 1717, Sir John Reresby saw a piece of paper blowing in the wind and it turned into a monkey and then a bear. It is believed that this could have been a hallucination.

Visitors to York can go on nightly ghost walking tours offered by the following hosts:

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