11 of the most haunted places in York & North Yorkshire
Have you visited any of these haunted sites?
Last updated 12th Oct 2021
We’ve been looking at the spookiest, most haunted places in York & North Yorkshire including York Minster, many city centre pubs and Cawood Castle near Selby… read on if you dare…
The Treasurer’s House, York
The Treasurer’s House near York Minster was built on the site of a Roman road. In 1953 a young plumbing apprentice was fixing a pipe in the cellar when he heard the sound of music growing closer and closer. As he looked down from his ladder, a dozen Roman soldiers with trumpets marched past.
The Black Swan, Helmsley
The Black Swan dates back more than 500 years. Resident ghosts including an old, well-dressed gentleman and a young blonde woman have been seen by both staff and guests.
The Yorkshire Museum, York
The Yorkshire Museum in the heart of the city is home to ghostly figure in Georgian clothes. He is very interested in a particular book from the museum’s library, repeatedly pulling it off the shelf -always on a Sunday evening!
The Golden Fleece, York
The spirit of Lady Alice Peckett is one of many thought to stalk this former coaching inn. Wife of a former Lord Mayor of York, she wanders the corridors and staircases in the early hours of the morning. Other residents include a Canadian airman who fell to his death from an upstairs window and “One-Eyed Jack”, seen sitting in the bar in 16th century dress with a pistol in his coat.
Nunnington Hall
The ghost of Lady Nunnington haunts this 17th century country house to the north west of Malton. She can be heard dragging her heavy dress up and down the staircase. Whispering, weeping and the slamming of doors are heard in the dead of night.
York Minster
Among the many ghostly stories from the Minster’s 1400-year history is one that dates back to the 1920s. A woman, whose brother had died at sea, was visiting the Minster when she was approached by a sailor. He whispered in her ear and then disappeared. She had made a pact with her brother that the first of them to die should come back to confirm the existence of an afterlife…
The Snickleway Inn, York
This Goodramgate venue is thought to have many ghosts. Staff have had tools thrown at them in the cellar. An elderly man has been seen walking through a back wall and across the bar. As he takes a seat, he vanishes. A young girl sits on the stairs watching the customers and the reclusive Marmaduke Buckle, born in 1697, died in a room above the bar. His ghost has been seen gazing from an upstairs window.
Cawood Castle near Selby
In the late 17th century, William Barwick drowned his wife Mary in the pond in the grounds of Cawood Castle. He buried her body nearby. Mary’s ghost rose from her watery grave, appearing to her sister to reveal her husband’s crime.
Ye Olde Starre Inne, York
The cellar of this Stonegate pub was used to treat injured Royalist soldiers during the Civil War. It is said their screams can still be heard. Four-legged visitors have been known to chase the ghosts of two black cats who frequent the venue.
York Theatre Royal
The room behind the dress circle at York Theatre Royal is said to be haunted by “The Grey Lady”. She was a lovestruck young nun who broke her vows for a forbidden romance with a nobleman. When they were discovered, she was bricked up in a windowless room for the rest of her days...
The Black Swan Inn, York
Many ghosts have been sighted at this historic venue in Peasholme Green. There’s a gentleman in a bowler hat waiting at the bar to meet someone who never arrives. Highwayman Jack appears in the kitchen and a beautiful, young, jilted bride sits staring into the fire in the bar. A Victorian pickpocket known as Matthew, has been seen in the passageway. He is blamed the disappearance of various items behind the bar.
Take a look at York and North Yorkshire over the last 150 years:
York Railway Station, 1858
The first York railway station opened in 1839. It was a temporary building on Queen Street outside the walls of the city. It was replaced in 1841 by a permanent construction at the junction of Toft Green, Tanner Row and Station Rise inside the city walls. That in turn was replaced with the present York railway station – back outside the walls - in 1877.
York’s Ouse Bridge, 1880
The view from King's Staith towards the Ouse bridge.
York City Walls, 1890
There have been walls of some sort round the city since Roman times. Much of what we see today was built in medieval times. The walls were restored in the Victorian period after falling into disrepair. Parts were widened to allow more space for wall-walkers like the ones pictured here.
Shambles, York, 1900
One of York's most famous streets back at the turn of the century. Some of the buildings date back to the fourteenth century. Thought by some to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter novels, JK Rowling says she has never been.
The top of York Minster, 1931
The building of The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York – to give it its proper name – took 250 years! Completed in 1472, there has of course been much preservation work over the years, like this in 1931.
St Leonard’s Place, York, 1958
This view of the junction of St Leonard's Place, Museum Street, Duncombe Place and Blake Street hasn't really changed much in 60 years!
Parliament Street, York, 1958
Another city centre view from 1958. The market in Parliament Street.
Stonegate, York, 1959
Stonegate before pedestrianisation. Ye Olde Starre Inne sign has spanned the street since 1733.
Thirsk Market Place, 1933
There's been a weekly market in Thirsk since 1145. The Clock Tower was erected in the Market Place in 1896 to mark the marriage of the Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck - later King George V and Queen Mary.
Malton Market Square, c1942
A wartime market in the town centre.
Selby, 1912
The Abbey was first founded in 1069. A fire did significant damage in 1906, just a few years before this photograph was taken.
Selby Abbey, 1935
The Abbey has of course gone through much restoration work during its long history. In 1935, the height of the towers at the front were raised.
Selby Toll Bridge 1935
Until 1991, you had to pay a toll to head over the Ouse on the Barlby Road near the Abbey!
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