The 10 Most Haunted Schools In The UK

July 21, 2018 6:00 AM ‐ ParanormalGhostsTop Haunted Locations Lists

This article is more than five years old and was last updated in February 2020.

From classrooms to old outbuildings and never ending corridors, schools can be a foreboding place and they're a common location for ghost sightings.

Below is a list of ten educational institutions in UK which are said to have the most spooks.

10. The Old Victorian School, Long Eaton

The Old Victorian School, Long Eaton

 

Situated in Long Eaton the school is a popular location for ghost hunters. Evidence collected by these teams include unexplained noises, sightings of dark shadowy figures, and even poltergeist activity. There has been reports of of object moving of their own accord, strange bangs, and the cracking sound of a cane.

There's also been reports of strange light phenomenon, extreme temperature changes, disembodied voices and the unnerving feeling of being watched.

9. University College, London

 

There are stories that this Central London university is haunted by a girl named Emma Louise. She's said to appear if someone is brave enough to say her name three times. It's claim that the girl met an untimely death in a tunnel that connects the modern university building to the older Cruciform building.

One group of students who are reported to have said the girl's name aloud say they head the eerie disembodied sound of a girl laughing, and found the words "help me", "die" and "murder" scrolled on a wall.

8. Halsham House, Hull

Halsham House, East Riding of Yorkshire

 

Halsham House was established as a school in 1584 under the terms of the will of Sir John Constable. Who provided for eight boys, sir John's wife Catherine contributed an endowment for an Oxford scholarship. It provided education for the village until 1947.

People have reported the feeling that someone is watching there every move in parts of the house, particularly powerful on the stairs. Elsewhere in the house, a friendly but shy ghostly figure has been seen in the sitting room, it's believed this sprit could be that of a child, perhaps one of the young boys that attended the school and still thinks of Halsham House as his home.

When the house underwent some restoration in the 1970s, small bones were found in the attic. No one is sure of their origin, or whether they are human or animal bones, but some believe these bones could point to a history of witchcraft as people used to use bones to protect their homes.

7. University Of St Andrews, St Andrews

 

The oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland is said to be haunted by several ghosts, including the spirit of a monk, a piper and ever a ghost ship. One of the best known spooks is the White Lady, who is thought to be a servant of Mary, Queen of Scots. It's said that she died of a broken heart after her lover was beheaded, a fate mirroring that of Mary Stuart. The woman's ghost is now said to wander around a tower in part of the ruined abbey at night.

6. The Old Grammar School, Derby

 

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.

5. The Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

Most Haunted At Black Country Living Museum

 

The Black Country Living opened in 1978, much of the site is said to be haunted included the school house. The museum celebrates the Black Country's important role in the industrial revolution as one of the greatest iron producers in the world. Most of the buildings on the site have been rebuilt here having been moved brick by brick from across the area.

Visitors and staff have reported a wide range of paranormal activity at the museum, including strange nosies, the sound of footsteps, and the voices of children in the old school house. The site is said to be home to four apparitions.

The school made it into celebrity ghost hunter, Yvette Fielding's ten scariest moments from the television show 'Most Haunted'. Her and her team investigated the school building in 2015. At one point, Yvette her husband Karl Beattie were given the fright of their lives when they carried out a vigil in a pitch black classroom. The pair experienced furniture moving in front of their eyes and even the bench they were sat on moved beneath them.

Yvette spoke about her experience after shooting the episode, "it was extraordinary. I was scared but at the same time mesmerised. That is a very active place that is haunted. However, it was not negative. It's my belief they're children who simply want to play."

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4. Llanfyllin Union Workhouse, Llanfyllin

Llanfylin Union Workhouse

 

Although this property is technically a workhouse, set up to house the poor and those who could not support themselves in the community until the 1930s, it also had school facilities. In fact, the standard of education at this particular workhouse was exceptionally high. An 1848 report stated that the workhouse children made better progress with their education than free scholars at other local schools.

The Union Workhouse, which is slowly be developed into a community centre, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a school master. The master is most frequently seen in the building's centrepiece, an area which was original his private quarters. He's often seen looking out of the windows where he would have once been able to oversee the workhouse's four recreation yards.

Visitors have reported hearing footsteps, doors slamming, children crying, and the ghostly cries and shrieks of a classrooms full of children. There's also be claims of shadowy figures, and even the full body apparition of an old school master who is said to haunt the building.

3. Bishton Hall, Bellamour

Bishton Hall, Staffordshire

 

Bishton Hall started its life in the 18th century as a family home, but later became one of the last few family owned and run prep schools in the country. It is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Staffordshire thanks to frequent reports of unexplained phantom footsteps, and disembodied voices.

Other unexplained happenings to occur in the hall include window shutters slamming on the upper floors, door knobs rattling and doors opening and closing themselves, sudden drops in temperature, the haunting sound of a woman screaming, as well as reports of people being touched and pushed.

There has also been sightings of dark mists, shadowy figures and even an apparition of a woman wearing period clothing who has often been seen looking out a window on the upper floor.

2. Ragged School, London

 

Today the building is a museum but 150 years ago it was used to educate the poorest children in the area. Thousands of children passed through the school, many of whom suffered at the hands of their sadistic teachers. It's said it's the spirit of these children that haunt the building now. Countless ghost sightings and weird noises have been reported here.

Those who have visited the Victorian school have reported hearing disembodied cries, laughing and voices, loud bangs and slamming doors, the sound of heavy-booted footsteps coming from empty rooms, and even full apparitions. In the creepy basement play area, witnesses have reported seeing strange lights floating in mid air.

1. British School Museum, Hitchin

British School Museum, Hitchin

 

The Dead Street School opened in 1810. The street it was named after got its name after every family living on the road died of the plague, when it swept through Hitchin in 1349. Disease wasn't the only thing to cause mass death on the street. In 1856 the "great fire of Dead Street" destroyed the street, killing many in its path and also burning the school to the ground. A replacement schoolroom opened the following year on the same site.

One guest to the museum saw a man looking over the wall at the raised end of the playground before walking into the toilets. Thinking it was one of their party, they followed him into the toilets only to find they were completely empty. In the main schoolroom, which was once a place of learning for 300 boys, staff have heard disembodied footsteps and frequently report the unnerving sensation that they are not alone.

Through a fire escape in this room and into a back corridor, you'll find the spot where a small, dark shadowy figure was caught on CCTV. Despite many attempts to recreate the phenomena, the cause of the shadow is still a mystery. In a small adjoining classroom, which is now set up to resemble a school room from the time of the Second World War, local paranormal investigators believe they have had intelligent responses from spirits using ghost hunting gadgets.

The gallery classroom is a small, auditorium-style room that would have once had 100 boys crammed into it. Staff have reported hearing the lids of the wooden desks slamming and furniture being dragged around, even while the room has been locked and empty.

Also on the site is the headmaster's house, which the staff refer to as Mr Fitch's house. Fitch was the longest serving headmaster at the school. When he retired he remained in the house and eventually died in the parlour of old age. Since then unexplained footsteps have been heard upstairs when the house is empty, and a shadow figure has been seen walking around the upstairs.
This is an ever changing, dynamically updated page. Haunted locations may move up or down the list as new locations are added to our database and scores are reviewed to reflect new activity.
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