Leeds has been around since roughly 1626 and is now the industrial capital of Yorkshire. As the city has been here for so long it has built up a large backlog of mysterious sightings and disappearances.

There are so many old buildings in Leeds from mills to family homes and even universities.

Here are a few of my favourite locations which you could visiting during this spooky season:

  1. Armley Mills is on the borders of Armley and Burley. This old mill was built in 1805. It was one of the largest woollen mills in England and it is now a museum. This mill mysteriously burnt down during the night. Some say that it was the angry spirits who caused the blaze as they had used materials from a Corn Mill which had burnt down there a few years prior. Some of the museum workers have sworn that they have seen and heard ghosts in the museum during the later hours. Spooky!

  2. Temple Newsam near Halton Moor was built by Lord Darcy in 1500. This house has been past down by many Lords and holds many secrets. There are two well-known ghosts who haunt the estate, the most well-known being the ghost of Phoebe Gray. She was a nursemaid at Temple Newsam who was brutally murdered by a servant called William Collinson. Nobody knows as to why William committed this crime but it was speculated that he was being controlled by unearthly beings. The other ghost being Sir Arthur Ingram's granddaughter, who died at the estate two weeks after being robbed.

  3. The House of the Hassett's has seen so much paranormal activity that TV shows like "Haunted Homes” has investigated their haunted family home. The craziest thing is that their dogs refused to go into the cellar. Just the fact that they have a cellar puts it on my “nope list”. I have watched one too many horror movies for that!

  4. Kirkstall Abbey is a well-known place for hearing strange things. The noises being the students who live next door or the ghost Mary who supposedly roams the ground. Kirkstall Abbey was built in 1152. As this was holy grounds, you would not find evil spirits here. The ghost Mary has been said to be roaming the grounds, wallowing with guilt after witnessing her husband murder someone on the grounds. The old Abbot is also said to be wandering the grounds, though many people have only heard him, not seen him.

  5. Finally, Carnegie College, Leeds Beckett is said to have its own ghost, which has been dubbed ‘the unhappy butler’. According to legend, a man ended his own life when he realised that his mistress would never love him. His body was found at the bottom of the large spiral staircase in the college. Apparently, you can hear his wails late at night and students have said that it always seems colder at the bottom of the staircase compared to anywhere else in the building.

There are many other haunted locations you can visit in Leeds but these are a few of my favourites. I hope you have a great Halloween and do not see too many strange things!

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