15 Most Haunted Places In Derbyshire

Below are the 15 haunted locations and their paranormal history which are best known throughout the county.

The Bell Inn has its own unsolved murder. The pub is said to be haunted by a Victorian lady who materialises in front of drinkers at the bar and in room 29 the ghost of a 18th century serving lady has been seen. She's said to have been killed in this room by having her throat cut.

Built over 500 years ago, this Tudor building is the oldest pub in Derby. It is said to be home to no less than four resident ghosts. Derby's very popular ghost walks starts at this location, guided by local ghost hunter, Richard Felix, of 'Most Haunted' fame.

The pub once had a doctor's surgery built on to it as an annex. Criminals where taken there after they'd been hanged for dissection by a local physician. It's said that the cellars were used to store bodies of criminals.

The Friary is built on the site of a former Dominican friary, which is why the building is believed to be haunted by a black-robed monk. He's often spotted in the basement and in one particular corridor. The building is now a pub, but was once the home of Henry Mosley, who shot himself there. Ever since the spirit of a Victorian gentleman is said to haunt the upstairs of the property, believed to be the trapped soul of Mosley.

The factory was spread over five floors and produced meters of silk in a day, employing 300 adults and children as young as seven who were expected to work torturous hours in poor conditions. The building is credited as being the birthplace of the industrial revolution, as this was the site of England's first real factory, built in the early 1700s. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1826 and again in 1910, only the bell tower survived, a bell tower that was once used to summon the factory's workers to duty.

The tower is said to be haunted by a young boy who died after being kicked down the stairs by one of the factory's overseers. Staff and visitors to the building have reported hearing him crying at the foot of the stairs, when staff have gone to investigate they've found the stairwell empty. The lift in this part of the building is also said to operate by itself, randomly moving between floors.

The Temple of the Sun is known as the Stonehenge of the North. It's situated on land where there's been a lot of paranormal activity. It's a place of earth energy that is crisscrossed with ley lines. In the 1970s a group called the Dragon Project did some research here and found that at certain times of the year the stone seemed to be emanating ultrasound also electromagnetic signals.

The ancient stone circle is reportedly haunted by a bogart, which is a mischievous spirit that wanders around the area.

Now in ruins, Sutton Scarsdale Hall was once a grand Georgian home to many families, before falling into a state of disrepair. When the hall was put up for auction in 1919, the market for large homes was in decline and the hall did not sell. Instead the hall was bought by a group of local businessmen who stripped its valuable fixtures and fittings, and even the roof.

The ruins have been a regular haunt for paranormal investigators. The hall is said to be haunted by one of its former residents, Nicholas Leke. Some think he has been seen wandering around the ruins and the neighbouring graveyard in the form of a dark shadowy figure. Others have reported orange and white balls of light floating in the sky around the hall.

The most paranormally active part of the property is the cellar where there have been countless reports of the sound of disembodied footsteps, screams and whispers. English Heritage staff working on renovating the building claim to have smelt the smell of tobacco in this part of the hall several times.

Perhaps the creepiest phenomenon to be reported at Sutton Scarsdale is the sighting of a floating dismembered arm, which beckons people down into the cellar, but why anyone would accept that invitation is beyond us.

A historic performance venue built in 1911, which is said to be plagued by numerous unexplained incidents. Multiple witnesses have reported seeing paranormal activity which includes the sound of disembodied footsteps, voices and whistling, as well as sightings of shadow people and ghostly figures.

Nearly 300 years ago this building was the home of John Flamsteed, he was a personal friend to King Charles II and he was also the first astronomer Royal. Apparently the whole house is haunted, ghostly footsteps are heard, and doors open and close on their own.

A lot of the paranormal activity, like strange noises and dark shadowy figures, seem to emanate from the attic, also known as Annie's room. She was the maid of one of the former residents who lived in the attic, which was used as the servants' quarters. She's been blamed for sightings of the dark, hazy female figure who has been seen in this area and for the house's poltergeist activity.

The Old Grammar School is now a hair salon and was once Derby's Heritage Centre, but it started its life in 1554 as a boys grammar school and is built on an old plague pit. One of the most common ghost sightings here is that of a little boy, he's been seen upstairs in the dormitories and wears a leather waistcoat and has blond hair. It's been claimed that he wanders around the dormitories and has been seen to walk through walls.

The Jorrocks, another old inn which was formerly known as Lafferty's and before that, The George dates back to 1693 and has been the location of many disturbing paranormal occurrences. In 1994, a team of men working in the pub unearthed a human skull directly under the pub. Ever since the pub is said to have been haunted by poltergeist activity. Visitors have seen glasses slide off bars on their own and even smash in their hands. The bar is also said to be where the ghost of a Victorian lady roams, could the skull belong to the lady?

Derby's Grand Theatre has had a mixed past, having been abandoned for various periods throughout the years. It's been known as the Locarno ballroom, which was hugely popular throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, before becoming a nightclub under different names including Tiffany's, Confettis, Ritzy, Eclipse and finally McClusky's.

The club closed in 2006 and became a Chinese restaurant, May Sum. The theatre is said to be haunted by two resident spooks, both are believed to be the spirits of two people who died in a fire in 1886. In recent years the restaurant's owners have brought in a medium to try to free the ghosts from the building.

Elvaston Castle is a Gothic Revival stately home within walking distance of the city centre, which over the years has fallen into disrepair. The castle is said to be the most haunted location in Derbyshire.

Various professional investigations have been conducted in the castle, including by Yvette Fielding and the 'Most Haunted' team, with phenomena being reported including unexplained noises, unexplained apparitions, people being pushed and things being moved.

The castle's ghosts are said to include a maid and "a strong woman", as well as two spirits known as The Grey Lady and The White Lady. The White Lady is said to be the ghost of Maria, wife of the 4th Earl - she's been seen sitting in the windows of the castle, and walking the grounds with a white dog.

Derbyshire's Bolsover Castle has been voted the creepiest castle in the UK. The castle, which is built on an ancient burial ground has been the site of many hauntings, including an incident when the spirit of a boy was seen holding hands with a visitor without them even noticing.

Staff at the castle have also reported sighting themselves, a security guard said he has seen unexplained lights, and another member of staff heard screaming when she was locking up for the night.

Codnor Castle near Derby is a medieval castle which sits right on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The castle is now in ruins after it was nearly completely dismantled in 1643 and is surrounded by countryside that has been parkland for a hundreds of years.

The castle grounds are said to be haunted. The most famous story is that of a soldier of the Knight's Templar who was injured in battle and took refuge in the castle over night. The soldier died during the night, and ever since, his rather aggressive ghost has been seen wearing a dull metal helmet in the castle grounds outside the cottage. He's also seen running through the ruin of the great hall.

The grounds are also said to be haunted by a spirit known as the Grey Lady, the name could be linked to the De Grey family who occupied the castle for centuries. It's said she was a heavily pregnant French woman, and died following an accident while out riding her horse. She has since been seen gliding around the estate and the echoes of a French woman singing have been heard.

A 16th century, farmhouse known as Codnor Castle Cottage was built on the grounds of the Codnor Castle estate, it has its own history of murder, suicide and witchcraft. In the foreboding attic space there are several unusual markings, which are believed to have been created to ward off evil spirits.

The paranormal occurrences at cottage range from dark shadows, to poltergeist activity like doors slamming, furniture being moved across rooms, and glasses thrown. There have been countless reports of disembodied voices including singing, laughter, the voices of children, and blood-curdling screams.

Part of the historic old gaol still exists in the basement below the building that once housed a much larger jail. Situated on Friar Gate to the west of the city centre, the gaol was built in 1756 as the second of three county jails. If you committed crimes in any part of Derbyshire, you were brought to Derby to face trial and brutal execution right outside the prison.

Due to the huge amount of death, torment, anguish and terror, the old gaol is said to be very haunted. The paranormal activity at the gaol seems to most frequently occur in June and July, and again between October and December. It ranges from doors opening and closing by themselves, through to full-bodied apparitions.