10 Most Haunted Places In Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

The Town Moor is a large area of common land, which serves as the largest park in the city and hosts various public events, including an annual travelling funfair known as The Hoppings. The park has a much more sinister past as the former site of the city's gallows, where hundreds of people were hanged for various crimes, including 16 for witchcraft. The whole area is said to be haunted by disembodied cries and screams and the sighting of dark shadowy figures.

Located in Newcastle city centre, Blackie Boy in Groat Market, is one of the oldest pubs in Newcastle. Also known as the Black Boy Inn, it was rebuilt in 1889 after part of the structure collapsed. Over the years, many staff and customers have reported strange goings on, including the unsettling feeling of being watched and disembodied voices. One member of staff reported being alone in the second floor toilets changing a lightbulb, when suddenly he heard a female voice coming from one of the empty cubicals shouting "get out!"

Situated on Westgate Road, the now closed Tyne Theatre opened in 1867 and was used as an entertainment venue and cinema for generations. The paranormal activity in the building ranges from visitors feeling like they've been touched by an unseen force, through to objects being thrown and even full apparitions.

The spirit of an actor who died in the theatre is blamed for much of the ghostly activity, but others think that a female spirit may also haunt the venue. There's also a more recent story relating to the television show, 'Britain's Got Talent'. When the show came to Newcastle in 2010, auditions were held in the theatre and it's claimed that small stones were repeatedly thrown at one of the show's judges.

Sallyport Tower was one of the main defensive fortifications forming part of Newcastle's city walls, it's now known as Carpenter's Tower. The ghost of a soldier has been seen looking out of one of the tower's windows, it's believed that he was killed whilst fighting the Scots in 1644.

One visitor to the tower reported seeing him float up from the floor before passing through the ceiling. The visitor didn't know until later that the exact location where they'd seen the ghost used to be the location of a spiral staircase.

The grounds of the Grade I listed parish church on Newgate Street is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman, the daughter of a wealthy local landowner. It's claimed that a young curate had fallen in love with her and saw her walking through the churchyard, but when he approached her, she vanished. The next day the curate found out that she had died the previous night. Her ghostly apparition is still said to roam the land.

The Theatre Royal on Grey Street is one of the city's most famous buildings. It opened with a performance of William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant Of Venice' in 1837, but following a performance of 'Macbeth' in 1899, a huge fire gutted the building, leading to its closure for two years. Within the industry, many believe that 'Macbeth' is cursed and to this day refuse to mention its title aloud, instead referring to it as "The Scottish Play". Of course we'll never know if the fire was a result of this curse or just bad luck.

Over the years staff working in the theatre have reported seeing the ghost of a grey lady. She has been spotted on several occasions and is believed to be the ghost of a woman who took her own life in the theatre by throwing herself off of the upper gallery, landing on the seats below.

It's the alleyway outside of the Cooperage Pub on Newcastle Quayside that is said to be haunted. The Grade II listed timber-framed building closed as a pub in 2013, but the area outside the pub is said to be haunted by a man named Henry Hardwick.

It's believed that Henry was trying to escape a group of thugs who were attempting to kidnap him in order to put him to work as crew aboard a ship, but the gang caught up with him in the alleyway. It seems Henry didn't want to go willingly and the gang ended up beat him to death in the dark alley. Ever since, a man dressed in Edwardian clothing, believed to be Henry, has been seen close to the spot where he was murdered.

The Literary & Philosophical Society of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is situated on Westgate Road and is the largest independent library outside of London. It was here in 2012 that video evidence of a strange event was captured on CCTV, the footage shows an emergency exit opening on its own. There are also reports of people seeing strange light anomalies and hearing the sound of footsteps, coughing and even the sound of pages of books turning.

This 17th century former coaching inn in the popular Cloth Market is said to be haunted by royal appointment. In 1646, King Charles I was held by the Scots in the nearby Anderson Place, but it's rumoured that he was allowed to leave his prison on numerous times and on these occasions he would visit the Old George for a drink.

A room in the pub is still known as the "Charles I Room" to this day and the actual chair that the monarch is said to have sat in still exists in the room. Many of the pub's visitors believe that they have seen the ghost of the king sat in the chair in the form of a grey mist.

Over the years the pub's staff have also reported lots of strange goings on, including the eerie feeling that they are been watched in empty rooms, the apparition of a phantom man and his dog seen standing at the bar, and the sound of unexplained footsteps.

The castle keep is the oldest part of the castle from which the city gets its name. It dates back to the 12th century and was once part of a larger medieval fortification. It is the oldest building in Newcastle, one of the best surviving examples of a Norman Keep and also the most haunted location in the city by far.

The keep's most famous ghost is known as the "Poppy Girl". She's said to have been a flower girl who was imprisoned in the castle and eventually died in incarceration. Her ghost has been sighted around the building and coincides with the smell of fresh flowers.

The Black Gate was added to the castle by Henry III between 1247 and 1250, serving as an additional barbican in front of the earlier north gate of the castle, this part of the castle is also said to be haunted. Its two most famous ghosts are that of a woman seen standing on a balcony watching visitors pass by below, and an apparition seen holding a baby.

Other paranormal activity in the old castle buildings includes the sounds of ghostly chanting coming from The Queen's Chamber in the keep, where a female apparition has been seen, and unexplained screams from the gallery, as well as disembodied voices and footsteps. Visitors to the castle have reported seeing black mists, feeling like they've been pushed or touched by unseen hands and even reported being scratched. Unexplained cold spots have been recorded around the building and dark shapes, light anomalies and strange mists have been captured in photos taken in the keep.