Explore the borough’s chilling past with our compilation of the scariest ghosts, from the dark figure hitching a ride to the white lady of the woods.

We’ve compiled some of the most chilling Gedling tales to get you in the spooky spirit for Hallowe’en… 

George’s Lane, Calverton 

A ghostly figure seems keen on hitching a ride with those driving alone on the lane at night. Many drivers have narrowly avoided crashing their vehicle after spotting they’ve picked up an unwanted passenger in the rear-view mirror. 

Many walkers venturing up the lane after midnight also claim to have been chased away by a menacing figure dressed all in black.  The first reported sighting was back in the 1930s when at around midnight, a young man by the name of Bardhill encountered what he described as a ‘strange and frightening entity’ whilst walking home from the Goose Fair. 

It was when Bardhill reached the section of the lane at Dorket Head that he saw a dark mass emerge from the hedge-bottom on the left-hand side of the road. It then changed into the form of a tall man wearing a cloak and a broad-brimmed hat. The figure appeared to glide rather than walk and even when Mr Bardhill quickened his pace and crossed to the other side of the road it kept up with him. It was not until he neared the village and home that the phantom disappeared back into the hedge-bottom.  

Legend has it that Taxi drivers are said to still avoid this route into Calverton after dark, preferring to go into the village via Woodborough instead because of the amount of reported sightings of a figure. Normally the witness only sees the entity in the rear-view mirror; when they turn around, the figure has vanished. 

In 2016 a cowled figure was spotted in the car park on two separate occasions. 

Mapperley Tunnel

Two school children were playing in the out-of-use Mapperley tunnel when they heard a steam engine rapidly approaching them – terrified, they ran out into the fresh air. A few seconds after their escape they realised that the train could not have existed, as the north end of the tunnel was barricaded.

Newstead Abbey

In the 1930s a resident of Newstead village was due to give birth. Her husband telephoned the doctor to come to the house as soon as possible. It was some time before the medic finally appeared and the husband remarked that he was only just in time. The doctor replied that he would have been later still if he hadn’t stopped by a waterfall in the grounds of Newstead Abbey and asked the way of a monk who was standing there. The black robed figure said nothing but pointed in the right direction. It was pointed out that there had been no monks at the Abbey for hundreds of years.

The Goblin Friar was said to appear to the head of the Byron family before any unhappy event. When sleeping in his bedchamber in the Rook Cell, the poet was woken by the sensation of something mounting the bed. On sitting up he was confronted by a shapeless black mass, featureless apart from two red glowing eyes. The apparition rolled from the bed onto the floor and disappeared. This visitation occurred shortly before his disastrous marriage to Anne Milbanke.

One night whilst doing a ghost tour in the Abbey a whole group of people taking part became aware of a very strong scent of roses and lavender. They were convinced it was just another one of the staged effects and would not believe there was anything out of the ordinary, but the staff knew otherwise – it was the Rose Lady. Since the incident the Rose Lady has been included in the tour itinerary.

Sophie Hyatt came to live on a nearby farm back in the 1820s and used to wander around the Abbey grounds regularly. Sophie was tragically killed on a visit to Nottingham by a horse and cart outside the Black Boy pub. Since the accident, she has been seen wandering through her beloved gardens, especially along one path now known as White Lady’s Walk

Mapperley Hospital  

Since closing in 1994, the ghosts of this former asylum are making themselves known. Workers based on the site have heard their names being called by an unknown voice, and disembodied footsteps have also been heard. A woman has also been observed walking down corridors. A man has been heard to call out ‘hello’, to those working on the site – though he can never be found. 
 

Colwick Old Church 

A woman in white has been seen wandering around the gate of the ruins of the old St John’s Church looking for an unknown item. The ruined church itself is home to a tall man who has been seen standing at the location where the altar once stood. 

Colwick Hall Hotel 

One of two ghosts said to visibly manifest in this area is Mrs Chaworth Musters reputedly hides behind trees on the land, concealing herself from the Luddite mob that stormed the hall in 1832. The second phantom is named as Mary Ann Chaworth – reputedly Lord Byron’s first love. She is said to quietly haunt the corridors of the old hall and grounds. Less quietly, the sounds of footsteps, children’s laughter and voices have all been heard from the servants’ quarters. One witness awoke to the sounds of shouting and the feeling of being poked by an unseen presence. 

RHM Factory, part of which was Daybrook Railway Station 

Back in the late 70s and early 80s workers at the factory often reported seeing a phantom woman in one of the mixing rooms, which was once Daybrook Station. After improvements were made to this part of the plant, ‘Mabel’ as they called her, never returned. 

Bestwood Lodge, Bestwood Country Park 

Charles II and his mistress, Nell Gwyn, would often visit Bestwood Lodge and he leased the lodge to her in 1682.^[1] He later bequeathed it to Gwyn and their son   

Ghostly entities said to haunt this old property including a monk, a young man, a woman, a teenage girl, and Nell Gwyn, who would stay at the nearby Bestwood Lodge with Charles II. The Nottingham Ghost Investigations team visited the site and reported experiencing poltergeist activity. 

Gedling Station 

A phantom woman is said to peer over the edge of the bridge and watch passers-by and may be the same entity also reported at the old station. 

Disused railway sidings, Netherfield 

Many residents living near the disused railway sidings at the back of Jackie Bells Playing Fields have reported hearing strange noises at night. One family attempting to capture evidence of vandals damaging nearby property using CCTV were taken by surprise when reviewing footage from the night before. Instead of footage showing criminals being caught in the act, they instead captured noise of muffled voices, mostly European, and music too. When one of the family looked into the local history they discovered Italian prisoners would be escorted up the railway track a nearby World War II POW camp. 

Have you got a spooky story to tell? let us know in the comments below¹

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