MOST HAUNTED...
From headless women to phantom monks, the city has had lots of spooky sightings
MANCHESTER and its rich history means it’s home to plenty of spooky tales.
Many of its renowned sites and Victorian streets are attached to horrifying stories that’ll be sure to send a shiver down your spine.
And even if you don’t believe in paranormal activity, some of them might be gruesome enough to make you start believing so.
The scary sightings have been reported to the Paranormal Database - which is an ongoing project to document locations with folkloric and paranormal connections in the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands.
The site, which has a section on Manchester, features more than 13,000 entries. We’ve taken a look at some of the stories:
BARLOW HALL, CHORLTONCUM-HARDY
Type: Haunting Manifestation Date: Mostly unknown Several ghosts were reputed to haunt the hall. Saint Ambrose Barlow is said to walk the upper part of the hall, as is a headless woman. A servant who drowned in the lake after a poorly executed practical joke went wrong sometimes returns to run towards the Mersey. A poltergeist-like entity carries coal and moves other items between rooms.
BOOTLE STREET POLICE STATION (NO LONGER STANDING)
Type: Haunting Manifestation Date: 21st century Footsteps have been heard by officers on the nightshift and an old timecard machine occasionally clanged as people walked past. A former female prisoner was said to haunt the corridor outside her cell.
MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL Type: Crisis Manifestation Date: Late 1840s
A man spotted his sister Fanny standing in the nave of the building - he was quite surprised, as he thought his sister to be many miles away. He called out to the woman, who started to walk but vanished suddenly. The following day, the man received word that Fanny had died in an accident, the timing of which matched his sighting.
CHURCH INN, PRESTWICH Type: Haunting Manifestation Date: Mid-20th century
The phantom monk who haunts the cellar under this public house occasionally cries out ‘Hello!’ to gain attention.
MAYFIELD STATION Type: Haunting Manifestation Date: 1980s onwards
The footsteps have been heard echoing in the building late at night - they are believed to be those of a suicide (one of several which happened here over the years).