Spooky North Herts

Being so rich in history, it is hardly surprising that North Herts is also a hub for hauntings and ghostly activity.

Hitchin

Hitchin has its very own popular Ghost Walk which has been running for the last 20 years. On the evening NHDC’s Communications team attended, over 40 people were gathered to hear from local historian and author Derek Wheeler. The guided tour took people on a search for Hitchin’s ghosts and ghouls, revealing the town’s most atmospheric and haunted locations. Some of Hitchin’s most infamous haunted places highlighted on the tour include:

The Sun Hotel

Dating back to the 16th century when it was a traditional coaching inn, it is reputed to have several ghosts haunting the place including Lord Havisham, known for his gambling habit. He has reportedly been seen holding a fish under his arm by guests, after committing suicide in one of the rooms in the 1800s and still walks the ballroom!

The old coach entrance is also said to be haunted by the spirits of three robbers who held up a coach at gunpoint in 1772 and were hanged.

Hitchin Priory

Dating back to the 14th century, the Priory has its fair share of stories to tell. Legend has it that a headless horseman, believed to be Goring the Cavalier, a royalist killed by Roundheads during the civil war, rides on a white horse from High Down to the site of the cell (former chapel) in the grounds of Hitchin Priory every year on the night of 15 June.

The guided tour revealed Hitchin’s most atmospheric and haunting locations, in search of Hitchin’s ghosts and ghouls.

Royston

Royston has its fair share of spooky tales too. An article printed in the Royston Crow newspaper in July 1900 reported on a sudden death in the Kneesworth Street Schoolroom at the Royston Museum.

Lizzie Oliver, 30, was preparing for a tea party for the children of the Sunday School (this is what the museum building was built as in the late 1800s). Shortly after 4pm, Lizzie was found lifeless at the bottom of the cellar stairs.

An inquest found she had injuries that were likely caused by a fall down the staircase. One museum volunteer says she once saw someone in a large floaty Victorian dress in the upper gallery. Another has reported smelling lavender with no obvious explanation.

The general feeling in the museum is one of peace and happiness. Perhaps Lizzie is still there and is enjoying seeing more children come in to the building. If they do have a ghost, it’s certainly a friendly one!

Knebworth House

Knebworth House is arguably Hertfordshire’s most haunted house. Former home of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Britain’s most popular writer of the 1830’s, his family resided at the house for 500 years.

His ghost stories, penned in his study at Knebworth House, are some of the earliest and finest ever written. They stirred the imagination of Victorian readers and still send shivers down the spine.

Edward remembers arriving at Knebworth for the first time as a young boy in his memoirs:

“How could I help writing romances when I had walked, trembling at my own footsteps, through that long gallery, with its ghostly portraits, mused in those tapestry chambers and peeped, with bristling hair, into the shadowy abysses of Hell-hole?”

The chambers Edward describes as a ‘hell-hole’ were pulled down in the 1800’s but are still marked on old plans of the house. The plans also show the room of Jenny Skinner – Knebworth’s most famous ghost.

Possibly the most haunted room in the gothic house is ‘Mrs Bulwer’s Room.’ This room has been kept more or less as it was when Mrs Bulwer Lytton, Edward’s mother, lived there. Many visitors to Knebworth have experienced powerful and unpleasant sensations in the room, which is used as a guest room for particularly brave souls. On one occasion a family friend awoke with the feeling of hands around her neck, as if someone was trying to strangle her.

It is not surprising that Bulwer decorated the façade of the house with gothic beasts to ward off evil spirits. However, members of the family, staff and visitors still detect ghosts in the house occasionally, especially those of Edward Buwler-Lytton and his mother.

Ghostly Events

Hitchin Ghost Walk: Tickets can be bought in advance from Hitchin Initiative, located at 27 Churchyard. Tickets are priced at £5 per person. Call 01462 453335 to find out more.

Knebworth Ghost Tours: For those who are brave enough to step inside and hear some of Knebworth’s haunting tales - Ghost tours take place on selected dates in the season. 2020 dates will be released on the website in January. Visit www.knebworthhouse.com to find out more.