Ghost walk in the northeast part of England
Greetings horror fans! In my previous blog, published on Halloween night (31st October 2020), I mentioned my travel experiences to some of the most haunted locations in Edinburgh, Scotland. As promised, here I am, ready to share another ghost walk experience with you all. To add a bit of spice and adventure to life, I decided to explore some of the dark and hidden secrets associated with the history of northeast England in the year 2020. The tour allowed us to walk through time, which turned out to be quite interesting.
Newcastle Upon Tyne is a beautiful city on River Tyne in northeast England with an overall population of around 800,000. Its twin city Gateshead and the famous Gateshead Millenium bridge, adds to the scenic beauty of this place overall. The university crowd and dazzling nightlife in this city make it more interesting. Here is the lesser-known fact: it is believed that Newcastle has a history of witchcraft practices, which dates back to the 1650s when women and men were accused of practicing black magic. Many witchcraft trials occurred during the era. Around 30 people (including men) were accused of practicing witchcraft and were executed after being tortured. Apart from its reputation of black magic and witches, Newcastle is home to some of the most haunted castles and streets. Also, it is said that Newcastle Upon Tyne is considered to be one of the most haunted cities in England.
Haunted areas around Newcastle Castle in the city Newcastle Upon Tyne:
- The Castle Keep
- The Black Gate
My ghost walk guide, David, is a paranormal investigator by profession. He is known to be an expert on demonology and paranormal science. He is also known to have contacted the dead on tours with the help of a device which is used to communicate with spirits. The demo of the same was shown at the end of the tour (contacting the spirit of a child) which was one of the most shocking and interesting parts of the tour (no harm done). The night I went for the tour was one windy night. There were around 15 people in the group. The numbers of people in the group were reduced, keeping in mind Covid-19 restrictions. Our tour lasted for about 2 hours as there was so much history to be told in detail. All thanks to David, who made the whole experience extremely interesting until the end.
The Castle Keep: The Castle Keep is the castle’s main fortified stone tower. Our tour started right in front of the Castle Keep at 7 PM sharp. As a part of a group, all of us were waiting for the tour to start within the area enclosed by its defences. What we didn’t know before we started was the beneath the road on which we were standing, was a burial ground. There used to be a Cemetery at that place. The castle keep was also used as a prison during the 16th and 17th century and it is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a monk until this day.
Back then, there was a caretaker named Jimmy, who served the castle for many years. With a strong personality and mind, Jimmy never believed in ghosts or in any kind of paranormal activity until he experienced the same one evening. He used to work for a day shift until 6 PM. In those times, the castle had a central lighting system which means that there was only one light switch inside the castle at the top of the spiral staircase. Once the switch was turned off, one had to go all the way down the stairs towards the exit, in total darkness. One evening, when Jimmy was ready to leave the castle as per the usual routine, he heard a noise near the exit. The noise sounded more like chanting. Assuming it came from a pub nearby, he continued his way towards the exit. Before leaving the castle, he turned back to have a quick glance one last time. On doing so, he couldn’t believe what he saw. A tall figure of a black monk standing right in front of him looking straight into his eyes, in complete silence. The face of this entity wasn’t clear, so couldn’t be described in detail but the eyes were described as two hollow sockets. Jimmy closed his eyes and counted till 10 hoping that the figure would disappear, considering that it was just his imagination playing in his brain. The figure remained in front of him when he opened his eyes. This time, it had moved so close to him that it was touching his face. When Jimmy didn’t return from the castle that night, one of his companions went in to check. The caretaker was found lying unconscious in one corner. For the next six months, he went under a treatment, which was more of counselling. After this incident, Jimmy gave his resignation as soon as he returned from his treatment.
Visitors have felt cold spot inside the castle, and a feeling of being touched by invisible hands. Dark shadowy figures and mist appears in the corners, inside the castle, followed by a loud banging noise.
After knowing the history behind the hauntings, I was a bit relieved that entering the castle that night was not a part of our tour, thankfully. The castle remains closed after 5 PM.
The next 45 minutes, we spent walking on the streets opposite the Castle Keep, which was believed to be haunted by many spirits. Hauntings were associated with the spirit of a young 16-year-old female who was physically abused and murdered by a group of sailors. She was tied to an iron railing, assaulted and murdered one night while returning home. It is believed if we touch the railing, one can feel the presence of a spirit around and also experience a feeling of extreme despair and sadness. The victim’s four-year-old brother drowned in a well after a few days of this incident. The same well is now covered with a net and a stone wall covers its surroundings.
The streets are also believed to be haunted by the spirit of a serial killer. The serial killer, who when alive, murdered women by slitting the victim’s throat. It is believed that he took the victim’s head to his place and put it on his shelf. The spirit marks his presence on the street by touching the hair of a passerby (only women).
Our last stop of the tour was ‘The Black Gate’ which once stood as the entrance to the Castle Keep. The gate served as a barrier and prevented the invaders from entering into the castle. A dark history lies beneath the gate. William Heron ( governer of the castle) installed a Heron Pit beneath the gate, where prisoners were thrown in. With no source of light and fresh air, the prisoners were left alone in the dark dungeon-like pit, with no chances of escape. Heron was known as the cruellest man of his time.
The open-air premises inside the black gate is believed to be haunted by a very strong poltergeist activity. Visitors have been known to feel dizzy and pushed against the walls. We were advised, that in case any of us feels dizzy at any given point, we must immediately sit on the ground and should not panic.
As I mentioned, this was the last stop and also one of the most interesting ones. Here, we come to an end of the tour. We all thanked David and headed back to our home.
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Stay Connected,
Nikita Kohli
