The origins of Bisham Abbey began with the Knight Templars, who built a preceptory here in the 12th century. The preceptory became an Augustine Priory and then a Benedictine Abbey in 1537. This did not last for long as the same year saw the dissolution of many Abbeys under Henry VIII, and the destruction of Bisham Abbey was soon to follow.
The castle was built by William the Conqueror and has been part of royal life and intrigue for nearly a thousand years.
The castle has a menagerie of royal ghosts. Henry VIII haunts the cloisters of the castle, announcing his presence his lumbering footsteps and the wheezing of his breath.
Apparitions / Hauntings / Road Ghosts
by Ian · Published July 23, 2008 · Last modified December 29, 2018
According to local legend, the bridge was haunted by the ghost of a man who met an unfortunate death here. During the 1920s a train travelling to Compton pulled to a halt with one of the carriages straddling the bridge. A male passenger stepped out of the door thinking the train had come to a halt at the platform, and fell to his death onto the road below.
Apparitions / Hauntings / Road Ghosts / Witchcraft
by Ian · Published July 22, 2008 · Last modified December 31, 2018
On a minor road between Wilden and Ravensden a strange figure dressed in black has been seen in broad daylight.
The figure has been identified as a witch with a malevolent character.
Directions: The haunted road is a minor road off the B660 between Ravensden and Wilden
Anniversary Ghosts / Apparitions / Devil / Hauntings / Legends
by Ian · Published July 22, 2008 · Last modified January 1, 2019
Five black marks on the front porch of the church are said to have been left by the devil, who attacked the church trying to get Sir Roland Alstons. Sir Roland is said to have sold his immortal soul to the Devil and was seeking sanctuary when the time to hand it over had arrived.
The ghost of Sir Roland is said to appear at the church riding a black mount every 100 years.
The abbey originally belonged to the Cistercians and was modernised in 1744, it has a multitude of ghost stories, many of them well authenticated.
Phantom monks have been seen in the Crypt area and in what is now the sculpture gallery.
The Theatre is haunted by a Grey Lady, she has been seen many times over the years by actors and actresses. Legend suggests that she is the ghost of an actress who committed suicide in the Garricks Head next door, after a duel between her lover and her husband left her lover dead.
Apparitions / Black Dogs / Hauntings / Road Ghosts
by Ian · Published October 5, 2007 · Last modified December 30, 2018
The roadway near the Hampton Fields entrance to the 730 acre Gatcombe Park Estate is said to be haunted by a headless Black Dog. In 1976 the Daily Express newspaper interviewed Joe Hattersall who lived nearby; "I’ve seen it four times. It moves fast and silently, then brushes up against you, and one doesn’t hang about when it happens."
Apparitions / Haunted Pubs / Hauntings
by Ian · Published April 16, 2001 · Last modified May 7, 2020
In an article promoting the excellent ‘Ghost Taverns of the North East’ by Mike Hallowell and Darren Ritson, that appeared in the
The following article entitled ‘Yard was foreman’s favourite haunt’ appeared in the Shields Gazette on Tuesday 19 June 2007 and concerns a ghost that haunted the Elswick facilities of the Vickers Armstrong Ltd a manufacturer of aircraft, artillery, ships and military vehicles.
Vickers Yard, Elswick
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