Halloween Ghost Hunting at Bolsover Castle

Since it’s Halloween, let me share something a bit different with you. A couple of weeks ago a Ghost Hunting event at Bolsover Castle was advertised in my mailbox. What caught my eye was it mentioned that the castle is rated ‘English Heritage’s spookiest site by staff’. After reading that I thought why not do something spooky this Halloween?

So, we bought two tickets, dug out a torch and headed into the dark and mysterious castle of Bolsover in the hopes of finding…well anything spooky really. 

So, here’s what happened…

Brief History of Bolsover Castle

The 17th century castle is located in the English county of Derbyshire in the town of Bolsover. The castle we see today actually lies on the ruins of a 12th century medieval castle. Bolsover castle is considered both a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is also an English Heritage Site. 

The castle has changed hands many times over the years. It was originally built by the Peveril family in the 12th century. Later the castle became the property of the Crown before it was besieged then returned to the crown again. It was then granted to local farmers and slowly fell into decay.

In 1553 Sir George Talbot was granted the castle. He was actually married to Elizabeth Cavendish (later Talbot), also known as ‘Bess of Hardwick’. She was a very wealthy and astute business woman also known for her building projects (of which the most famous are Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall). Her son, Sir Charles Cavendish, bought the castle and commissioned the building of the ‘Little Castle’. After his death, his son – William took over and continued to renovate the castle. During the Civil War, he was exiled abroad. In the meantime, the Parliamentary Council of State slighted the castle so it would not be worthy for royals to use. 

However, William returned and bought the castle back and his sons continued to repair it. Later the castle passed to the Duchess of Portland. It became uninhabited in 1883 and suffered some environmental damage before it was given to the nation in 1945. When The Ministry of Works took over, they stabilised the damaged structure before opening it to the public.

Paranormal Activities at Bolsover Castle

Old castles like Bolsover which have changed hands over the years and seen many historical events will always have some ghost stories to tell. So why do staff rate Bolsover Castle English Heritage’s spookiest site? 

I assume the fact that the castle is located in a town that is often referred to as ‘the Satanic capital of Britain’ and is built on an ancient burial ground has something to do with it wouldn’t you agree? 

Okay you’re probably asking the same question I did when I was reading this Satanic capital ‘fact’. My Google search revealed that, according to the 2011 Census survey, Bolsover has the highest concentration of people claiming Satanism as their religion. So according to the stats, the town is indeed the ‘Satanic capital of Britain’. However, the Church of Satan suggests that their data doesn’t show that a high number of their members are from Bolsover. 

Whether or not the above fact is true or the townsfolk are just playing a prank, staff members of the castle (and even visitors) report strange, paranormal activities on a regular basis. These range from creaking doors and hearing strange noises and screams to seeing unusual lights and feeling movements. (Well, I wouldn’t be a night security guard at Bolsover Castle that’s for sure…). Apparently staff started recording these spooky experiences in a ‘Ghost Book’ which is available for visitors.

About the Ghost Hunting Tour

Okay let’s do some housekeeping before I detail the tour and my experiences: 

Cost – The ticket costs £15 per adult and you have to purchase your ticket online. This exact tour is aimed for adults (age 16+), however they offer similar spooky tours for families. 

What to wear and bring with you? – Since you’ll be outdoors in the dark, you should wear warm / waterproof clothing and comfortable shoes. It’s also recommended on the website to bring a torch since you’ll be chasing ghosts in the dark. (However, we could see pretty well without one since it was a bright night).

How long will it last? – Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside Little Castle, therefore, the tour lasted about 45 minutes. I assume when people had the chance to go inside Little Castle it lasted about an hour. They operate the tour every half an hour starting soon after it gets dark. 

Setting the Scene

As we drove past the castle, I noticed straight away that the castle wasn’t lit. However, there were some random windows from the stable building where you could see light coming through. I assume it was to create an even creepier atmosphere for the ghost hunt. We had to wait in the shop for a few minutes before our tour started.

Once it was time for our ghost hunt to start, our tour guide welcomed us dressed up in a corset with a lantern in her hand to guide the way. She was very funny from the start and the way she started re-telling the stories of Bolsover quickly gained my full attention. Both her and the atmosphere instantly made me feel like I had stepped back in time and that I was part of the tales. (I guess the fact that it was dark and you couldn’t hear or see the surrounding 21st century helped!)

We also had an almost full moon guiding us around the dark grounds of the castle and providing us with some extra spookiness. As we walked through the dark, unlit castle we stopped at significant points where our tour guide re-told the history of the castle, its occupants and the ghosts that have been heard, felt or even seen around that particular spot. 

Ghosts of Bolsover Castle

The Soldiers and Horses

Stories involve seeing a ghost-rider riding his horse through the main gate, perhaps on his way to warn William Cavendish of the impending arrival of Oliver Cromwell’s army. An army of soldiers marching through the fog before disappearing into thin air was seen one night by a reenactor who left his tent in the early hours to relieve himself in the bushes. Safe to say after seeing what he did he likely didn’t need to continue on to the bushes!

Angry horses have been heard when walking past the stables. William Cavendish was very proud of his war horses – horses trained to charge at cold steel and crush a mans skull with their hooves. These horses must have had rage boiling in their blood. Happy horses have also been heard in the yard as once wartime was over Cavendish began training his horses in dressage and treated them with love and care.

The Little Tree-Boy

A little tree-boy has been seen and felt many times around the tree in the centre of the courtyard. No one really knows his story but visitors claim they have felt a cold, clammy presence in their palms as they walk around, particularly female visitors and mothers. Maybe he is a forgotten child seeking the motherly love that he lost. 

The Kitchen Ghosts

People often smell the food wafting up from the ruins of the kitchen and also hear muffled sounds of pots and pans like someone is preparing their next meal. A lady has also been seen carrying a bundle down the stairs to the kitchen cellar and placing that bundle in an area where the old fireplace once stood. What could be in that bundle I wonder?

The Grey Lady of Bolsover

The Grey Lady of Bolsover has also been seen walking around in the walled garden many times, a place where lovers used to meet and mingle. Nobody is sure who she is exactly, but she is often heard wailing and crying as if compelled by a great sadness. A grooms wedding party, on their way to Bolsover Castle, suffered a fatal accident when their carriage upturned. Perhaps the Grey Lady was the bride-to-be, forever waiting for a day that now will never arrive!

The Ghosts of the Little Castle

Last but not least, plenty of incidents have occurred in the Little Castle that could only be explained as paranormal. The Little Castle was used by William Cavendish as his ‘Pleasure Palace’ and it is in fact here that the ghostly figure of Cavendish himself can be seen. He lingers by the fireplace, perhaps warming his hands after a long autumnal hunt in the surrounding grounds. There is also apparently a chamber within the Little Castle where, upon entry, people are known to move to the centre of the floor, lie down on the ground and die right then and there! Not sure I believe that particular story!

After doing a full circle and learning about the ghosts the tour ends at the gift shop. Here you’ll have the chance to taste their ginger wine, which you can then purchase inside the gift shop. 

So, was it worth it?

You will probably want to know if it was worth it. Let me summarise my experience with some positives and negatives.

What I Enjoyed

Firstly, I loved how the guides were dressed up carrying a little lantern. It definitely added to the mood! Our guide was very funny and great at re-telling the stories of the ghosts of Bolsover. I also had a chance to speak to the two additional staff that tagged along with us. They told us some of their experiences working at Bolsover Castle. Of course, they admitted that they do a lot of pranks on each other, however, they also mentioned some pretty creepy stories of what other members had experienced in the dark during locking up. 

We were also lucky because we had a clear night with an almost full moon adding to the spooky vibe. I assume the experience would’ve been worse if it rained for the duration of the tour. However, it was extremely cold so make sure you dress according to the forecast. 

What I Didn’t Enjoy

Of course, we didn’t see, hear or feel the presence of another lost soul in the duration of the tour. So, in that term, our ‘ghost hunt’ was rather unsuccessful. Bolsover Castle is also a good 3-hour round trip from where we live and the tour lasted only 45 minutes. We also ran into other groups which of course was unavoidable and half expected, but still brought you out of the ‘zone’.

Final Thoughts on the Ghost Hunting Tour at Bolsover Castle

All in all, even though we didn’t see any ghosts or had any of the feelings and senses our tour guide explained others had reported, we really enjoyed ourselves. It was definitely a fun way to learn about the history of Bolsover Castle and makes me want to return during the daylight. I’ve never walked through a historic castle in the dark before so it was definitely a new experience. After all, how often can you walk around a castle in the dark?

Have you ever been Ghost Hunting before? If so, where did you go and what was your experience? Was it worth it? If you haven’t would you dare to go on one? Let me know in the comments below.