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From ghostly sightings in Stoke Park to terrifying tales in the city centre, Bristol is home to several spine-tingling stories and paranormal activities, guaranteed to give you a fright this Halloween.
We have selected our top five haunted hot spots for any budding ghost hunters in the city, to celebrate the season of ghosts and ghouls!
Christmas Steps
Despite the merry name, the believed ghostly goings-on here are less than festive! This narrow medieval lane is said to be home to a wailing male spirit, shouting for his life, and sightings have been reported of a young Victorian girl perching on one of the steps, who is believed to have drowned in the river.
The Dower House
Built in 1553, The Dower House is a striking yellow castle-like building set on Purdown, which can be spotted from the M32. The mansion has a spooky past, being used as a hospital up until 1988. In the interim, the building was rented out to the University of the West of England for lectures and seminars, before being converted into twelve flats in 2004.
The story goes that the ghost of Elizabeth Somerset, the Duchess of Beaufort, haunts the mansion and the surrounding grounds of Stoke Park. She died in 1760 when she was just 17 years old, falling from her horse and breaking her neck. Legend has it, her ghost has been spotted by residents in the hallways wearing a petticoat, and the galloping hooves of her horse can be heard around the park.
Bristol Old Vic
The ghost of a theatre manager and actress, Sarah Macready, who worked there over two hundred years ago is said to regularly visit. It is rumoured her sweet scent of lavender is regularly smelt backstage.
Pembroke Road
It is said that the junction at the top of Pembroke Road in Clifton where it meets The Downs, formerly named All Gallow’s Lane, is haunted by a highwayman called Jenkins Protheroe. The thief was hanged for his crimes on Pembroke Road in 1783 and his ghost is said to be seen climbing down from the gallows there on misty nights.
Llandoger Trow
Positioned on King Street and dating back to 1664, Llandoger Trow is one of Bristol’s oldest and most iconic pubs. It is believed to have a resident spirit identified by the cries of a small child and his little footsteps haunting the hallways.
Llandoger Trow is potentially the spookiest of them all, even appearing on Sky Living’s “Most Haunted Live!” in 2007, where the show claimed that there were around fifteen ghosts lurking around the site.
