Take a peak at the county’s darker side, courtesy of the book, The Ghost Tour of Great Britain: Derbyshire, by Richard Felix, former presenter of TV’s Most Haunted, published by Breedon Books (www.breedonbooks.co.uk ). Here’s a tantalising taste of just some of its spooky stories – all guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine!
Popularly known as ‘Derbyshire’s Stonehenge’, Arbor Low’s huge stones – lying down like a clock face – date back more than 3,000 years. No one is sure why the monument was built or what it was used for, but its reputation for being haunted is heightened by the fact that several burials were excavated there in 1845 by Thomas Bateman.
Eye-witnesses have reported seeing the figure of a highwayman dressed in black, with a tricorn hat and long coat, sitting astride his horse. The shadowy figure has no face, and disappears as quickly as he appears. Some claim it is the ghost of infamous Dick Turpin and his trusty steed Black Bess, who are also supposed to have been spotted near the Peacock Inn at Oakerthorpe.
Reputed to be the oldest inn in the county, it is said to be haunted by several ghosts. Several guests have witnessed items such as mirrors falling off walls, while others say they have felt their hair being touched when no-one else was in the room. One ghost, known as ‘Little Jenny’ is said to steal things such as knives and forks, which go missing, only to reappear somewhere else.
Situated between Alfreton and South Normanton, 15th century Carnfield is said to be haunted by a ‘White Lady’, who apparently walks through a blocked-up door. Some guests have awoken in the night to find her standing by the side of the bed – though it is said that it always women, never men, who see her.
The Jacobean Tissington Hall, which celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2009, is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a gentlewoman who met an untimely end in a fire in days gone by. Candles are thought to have engulfed heavy curtains, setting the unfortunate victim alight. Witnesses say they have seen her on the top floor, and also the ghost of a young girl on the landing.
Built in 1440 by Ralph, Lord Cromwell, Treasurer of England, the ruins of Wingfield Manor are reputed to be haunted by one of the most famous figures in history, Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Stuart was a prisoner there for nine years, and while she was there was visited in disguise by Catholic supporter, Sir Anthony Babington, of nearby Dethick. Both Babington, who was executed for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots, are said to haunt the crypt at Wingfield. Mary has also been spotted wandering the grounds.
Formerly known at The Civic, the town’s 500-seat theatre is now The Pomegranate, and is reputed to be haunted by no other than famous engineer George Stephenson, who built the first steam locomotive engine. Stephenson died in Chesterfield in 1848 and some claim they have seen him striding proudly across the stage. Reported sightings also include an old lady with grey hair, wearing a grey dress and mourning her husband.
Dating back to the Bronze Age, the ‘Nine Ladies’ is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It takes its name from the nine ladies who were said to dance there – rather daringly at the time – on the Sabbath. Sightings include a large black dog, a man dressed in black and a lady in grey.
Once one of Derbyshire’s finest houses, Sutton Scarsdale was built for the first Lord Scarsdale, supposedly the model for the old peer in Hogarth’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’. Its cellars are particularly atmospheric – the scent of tobacco has been detected and footsteps have been heard amid their inky blackness.
The porch of the church is thought to be haunted by Sir Nicholas Leek, who returned after fighting in the Crusades. Before leaving, he split his wedding ring, giving half to his wife and keeping the other half for good luck. He was captured and spent many years in prison – and legend has it that, one day, dreaming of home, he was transported through the air and landed in the porch. No-one recognised him, but he gave servants his half of the split ring and told them to give it to his wife. She put the two pieces together and immediately realised it was her long-lost husband.
The longest stone bridge in England – stretching for almost a mile – Swarkestone Bridge was built in the 13th century, and is said to be haunted by the beautiful Bellamont sisters. The two girls were betrothed to marry two local knights, who were tragically killed as they tried to negotiate the fast-flowing waters of the river Trent to see their sweethearts. Heartbroken, the sisters devoted the rest of their lives to raising money to build a causeway over the river, so no-one else would have to experience such a devastating blow. On stormy nights, when the Trent is in flood, it is said that the sisters’ ghosts can be spotted, watching in vain for their lost loves.
Once one of Derbyshire’s finest houses, Sutton Scarsdale was built for the first Lord Scarsdale, supposedly the model for the old peer in Hogarth’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’. Its cellars are particularly atmospheric – the scent of tobacco has been detected and footsteps have been heard amid their inky blackness.
The porch of the church is thought to be haunted by Sir Nicholas Leek, who returned after fighting in the Crusades. Before leaving, he split his wedding ring, giving half to his wife and keeping the other half for good luck. He was captured and spent many years in prison – and legend has it that, one day, dreaming of home, he was transported through the air and landed in the porch. No-one recognised him, but he gave servants his half of the split ring and told them to give it to his wife. She put the two pieces together and immediately realised it was her long-lost husband.
Derby is reputed to be more haunted than York, so it's the ideal place for a spot of ‘spook spotting'. Here are ten of the city's best known supernatural stories, taken from the book, Ghosts of Derby, by Wayne Anthony and Richard Felix, published by The Breedon Books Publishing Company (www.breedonbooks.co.uk).
Charles Edward Stuart – otherwise known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – is thought to haunt the precincts of Derby Cathedral, where he attended a church service in 1745 before he and his troops turned back at Swarkestone Bridge. Other strange spirits include a ‘White Lady' seen walking down the steps at the back of the church, a young woman who is weeping, a small boy and former executioner John Crossland. Originally a criminal himself, Crossland is often said to be seen at large, wandering the grounds.
An elderly lady in Victorian costume – who appears to have no legs and seems to be floating – has been seen in one of the city's most popular social venues. Security guards have also seen what appears to be a ring of children dancing in the Darwin Suite and have reported eerie sounds of laughter when there is no-one in the building.
Mysterious sights and sounds were frequently reported at the city's former shopping mall, the Eagle Centre. Shadowy figures included an old woman with a scarf or shawl around her head, a long-haired girl, a man with black pin-striped trousers and black shiny shoes and a young girl dressed in old-fashioned clothes.
Spooky sounds included laughing, giggling, screaming, crying, banging noises and crockery rattling. Objects would go missing and re-appear, boxes would fly through the air, unplugged plugs would be plugged in and electrical items switched on. Happily, since the new Westfield development was built, all the spooky activity appears to have stopped.
With its murky history of imprisonment, misery and death, Derby Gaol on Friar Gate is said to be the most haunted place in the city, and is now home to a museum and Ghost Walks business run by former Most Haunted TV presenter Richard Felix and his son Edd.
While the Goal was being restored and revamped, a builder said a heavy cell door closed itself twice, and he had to leave the room several times because he felt sick. Other people have also reported being ‘pushed down', feeling suffocated or sick. Other ghostly figures said to have been spotted include a bald man wearing a sleeveless leather outfit, a lady in a large, Ascot-type hat,coat and a grey, hazy figure gliding down a corridor and vanishing. Even cups and saucers have been seen flying through the air!
Derby's oldest public house dates back to around 1530, and is said to be inhabited by several ghosts. A ‘Blue Lady' has been seen walking through the lath and plaster walls, as well as in the pub itself and the tea rooms upstairs. Part of the building was once a doctor's house, and it is said many dead bodies were delivered there for dissection in the cellar. To this day, it is thought to be haunted by a poltergeist, which has the habit of turning off the taps of the beer kegs!
Some say the footsteps of Alice Wheeldon, of Peartree in Derby, who was wrongly accused of plotting the murder of Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1917, can still be heard there. The ghost of a little boy dressed in rags has also been spotted by workmen. When they shout at him, thinking he is trespassing, he disappears.
The Jorrocks made national news headlines when a woman's skull, animal skulls and bones, old shoes and strips of leather – thought to be at least 1,000 years old – were found in a pit beneath the cellar floor. Ghostly goings-on include a long-haired man in a blue coat, spotted walking along the landing in the middle of the night. The mystery man has been followed downstairs, where he literally vanished into thin air. Bar staff have also reported stainless steel buckets being thrown from a table and plastic taps used on the beer kegs flying across the cellar floor. Groaning has been heard in the cellar and on several occasions, thick pint pots have mysteriously shattered.
A ‘White Lady' has been spotted in a bay window taken from the original house, which was built in the 16th century. She is said to move from side to side, as if sitting in a rocking chair, and has been seen to walk from the house into the churchyard.
Some say she is regularly heard going from room to room, banging doors and generally making a nuisance of herself. She has also been seen wandering around the churchyard, looking at gravestones and muttering to herself. People living just off Elvaston Lane have reported hearing a troop of horsemen cantering and the sound of harness and swords. Local legend has it that they are the ghosts of a troop of Oliver Cromwell's men on their way to Elvaston Castle.
Derby's Fish Market, in Lock-Up Yard, was originally the city's police lock-up. In 1879, Staffordshire ‘ne'er-do-well' Gerald Mannering – armed with a revolver and 50 rounds of ammunition – wounded an inspector and shot dead Police Constable Moss. The unfortunate PC Moss's ghost is said to haunt the area to this day.
England's first factory, the Silk Mill, now a museum, was built on the banks of the river Derwent in the early 18th century. Children as young as seven were employed there, and the tower – all that remains of the original building – is reputed to be haunted by a little boy who was kicked down the stairs for not working hard enough. He bled to death at the bottom and it is said his cries can be heard to this day.
