Nottinghamshire's Haunted Hot Spots

To make your October a bit more thrilling, we’ve curated a list of the most haunted places in Nottinghamshire. 

As Halloween creeps closer, it’s time to get your skeletons out of the closet and uncover the wicked ways of Nottinghamshire. Read on if you’re up for a good fright...

1. The National Justice Museum

With a gruesome history of public hangings and executions, it’s no surprise that the National Justice Museum has been voted the ‘most haunted building’ in the UK. Dating back to 1375, this historic site has served as a court, prison, and police station, before opening to the public as a museum in 1995. Visitors have reported hearing ghostly screams, slamming doors and unexplained knocking while walking in the footsteps of those who met a grisly end at Nottingham’s former County Gaol.

2. The City of Caves


 

What could be more intriguing than exploring something hidden in plain sight? The City of Caves is part of a vast maze of sandstone caverns lying just beneath the streets of Nottingham's city centre. These man-made caves date back to the dark ages and, over the years, have been used as a tannery, public house cellars and air raid shelters during the world wars.

Take a tour of the caves to uncover the history of these medieval underground dwellings. You might even be lucky enough to pay a little visit to the cave cell where the one and only outlaw, Robin Hood, is said to have been imprisoned. But beware, visitors have reported hearing eerie echoes from Nottingham’s troubled past while exploring the depths below…

3. Newstead Abbey

Steeped in history, Newstead Abbey is the subject of many spine-tingling ghost stories. Dating back to the 12th century, the building was originally a priory for Augustine monks. Legend has it that one of them - the Goblin Friar - never truly left, and appears just before something bad is about to happen. Meanwhile, the mysterious White Lady is said to still wander the winding paths of the atmospheric grounds...

Despite its long history, Newstead Abbey is best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron. But romantic poetry isn’t the only legacy the famous author left behind. Some say the ghost of Byron’s beloved dog, Boatswain, still roams the estate, searching for his master. So beware, to this day, a haunted history lingers behind the Abbey’s beautiful gardens and ancient walls. Explore it for yourself... if you dare.

4. Wollaton Hall
 

If Wollaton Hall is good enough to serve as Wayne Manor in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, then a couple of haunted spirits will fit right in too. This Elizabethan mansion was built by the Willoughby family in the 1580s and has been the home of Nottingham Natural History Museum since 1926. However, behind the display cases and dioramas lies a labyrinth of corridors that whisper of Wollaton Hall’s hidden history. Ask the staff, and you’ll likely hear stories of the resident ghosts said to haunt the mansion’s many rooms and secret tunnels.

5. Kelham Hall
 

Situated in the heart of Nottinghamshire, you will find Kelham Hall. This Victorian house, built in 1863, has a rich history as the ancestral home of the Manners-Sutton family. It was also used as a theological college for an Anglican Order of Monks. Along with the distinct design features of renowned architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, this historic estate is home to some beautiful gardens and an extensive parkland.

But all is not as it seems. Featured on the ‘Most Haunted’ TV series, it appears this impressive house comes with some intriguing ghost stories. From hearing loud footsteps and voices when there is no one around, to people being touched by unseen hands, all sorts of shadows haunt the rooms and corridors here. Terror falls upon you, when you least expect it...

6. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

Beloved by locals, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is the site of much history and perhaps even some mysterious deaths… The pub, built in 1189, has been a part of Nottingham for centuries and is said to be the oldest pub in England. In the Rock Lounge upstairs sits a ‘cursed galleon’ – a small wooden model of a ship. Rumour has it that all those who have tried cleaning the ship were met with a mysterious death soon after.

Not planning on having any kids yet? Then be sure to avoid the Trip’s most haunted antique chair. It it is said that any woman who sits on it has an increased chance of becoming pregnant. If a cursed chair isn’t enough to peak your interest, just beneath the pub lies a network of caves you can explore. So whether you want to drink in the history of the old Nottingham caves, or drink away your fears – this ancient pub is well worth a visit.

7. The Workhouse (Southwell)

Built in 1824, The Workhouse in Southwell has housed many of the poorest in society, giving them food and shelter in return for work. 50 years later, an Infirmary was built on-site to provide medical care for the residents of the Workhouse. In the 1970s, this building became a care ward, eventually closing its doors in the 1980s. Over the decades, The Workhouse has seen many a tragic tale, housing the ill, the mentally infirm, the elderly and children without homes or families.

Visit The Workhouse today to see how this fascinating building has been brought back to life. As you explore its history, you’ll have the chance to unlock some of its secrets and experience what life might have been like here. Wandering the corridors, you can’t help but sense the haunting presence of those who may never have left...

8. Church Rock Cemetery

Nottingham’s night creatures call upon us as they wake from the dead at Church Rock Cemetery. Opened in 1856, this ancient cemetery was built on a sand mine and contains burials of both the First and Second World War, along with Nottingham’s famous architect Watson Fothergill. With huge crucifixes and silent stone angels standing as weathered markers for the rich and famous, whilst the poor and downtrodden lay instead in the sandpit below. 

Before you visit, you should know, this isn't just a sacred place of burial, it was also once used as a public execution ground. To read more about the cemetery's gruesome history, click here.

9. The Bell Inn
 

Another of Nottingham's oldest pubs, The Bell Inn, is also connected to the network of caves beneath the city. The cellars of the ancient pub date back to the 12th century and are believed to have been carved by the Carmelite Friars from the natural sandstone. With wells that go down at least 53 feet, these caves once helped people to obtain natural spring waters – later used for the on-site brewing of beer.

Over the years the building and its caves have been used as a secular alehouse, and as an attempted bomb shelter during World War II by the Ministry of Defence. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper pub if there were no stories to be shared - and there are plenty of tales to be told over a drink here.

10. St Mary’s Church

At the heart of the historic Lace Market, you will find St Mary’s Church. This iconic piece of architecture is not only a great example of the city’s prosperity during the 15^th century, it is also the largest medieval building in Nottingham. The Reformation of the 16th century, the Civil War of the 17th and unsympathetic alterations in the 18th stripped St Mary’s of its medieval glory, but over the past hundred years the church has been restored to its full potential.

Learn more about its long and fascinating history, or pay a visit to the grave of George Africanus, a West African former slave who became a successful entrepreneur in Nottingham in the late 18th - early 19th century. It is also believed our very own Robin Hood was once captured here, before he managed to escape and became a free man again. 

---

This blog was written by Ananda Datema, Marketing Assistant at Visit Nottinghamshire and updated in September 2025 by Georgina Richardson