Manchester

Five spooky pieces of Manchester myth and folklore

Some strange and storied spots for you to check out this spooky season.

Katie McCall - 19th October 2024

The nights are drawing in and autumnal hues adorn the treetops in Manchester’s parks, which can only mean one thing: Hallowe’en is on its way.

Away from the bustling streets, local folklore suggests that there’s something strange in our neighbourhood; it’s bursting to the seams with ghostly residents.

If you’re feeling brave, put some batteries in your torch and come with me to our city’s darker corners to uncover uncanny tales of ghouls, demons, and macabre happenings. 

Here are just a small taste of Manchester’s most spooky legends and tales.

Manchester mythology and folklore

1. Theatrical ghosts in the Royal Exchange

Decades of drama and tragedy are woven into the fabric of the Royal Exchange Theatre on St Ann’s Square; in fact, it’s packed to the rafters with some of the more artistic spirits that Manchester has to offer and our first bit of local folklore.

Late at night, a phantom piano player is said to tinkle the ivories from deep within the darkened building. During refurbishment work, shocked builders heard an old-fashioned show tune being played from a disused room.

Would you dare to investigate? In the green room, multiple witnesses have seen a spectral couple rehearsing their lines, thought to be a pair of actors from yesteryear; meanwhile, along the corridor in the wig room, a melancholy poltergeist often throws objects around and even causes flowers to wilt. 

2. Devilish encounters at Bury Grammar School and Chetham’s Library

Lucifer himself is said to have appeared in Manchester on at least two occasions, and who can blame him? It might not be as warm as his usual abode, but it’s the perfect place for a night of mischief. 

In the mid-18th century, anarchic schoolboys at Bury Grammar School supposedly summoned the dark one, only to discover that he intended to set up shop right there in their school. Thankfully, their wily schoolmaster outfoxed Satan and banished him back to hell. Teachers are clever like that.

Before his departure, the Devil furiously smote the fireplace with his cloven hoof, leaving a huge crack in the wall. That’s how the schoolboys explained the vandalism, anyway… Before that, famed alchemist, occultist and man of mystery, Dr John Dee summoned the Devil to Chetham’s Library in the 1500s.

This time, he burned a hole in Dr Dee’s table, where you can still see the scorched hoofprint on the wooden surface to this day. If you go on a Chetham’s tour, look up to the ceiling, and you’ll see a devilish face peering back at you.  

3. Satanic sacrifice in Saddleworth

When the sun is shining, the Saddleworth Valley is a picturesque stretch of countryside popular with outdoor enthusiasts from near and far. But, as soon as the weather closes in, the vast swathes of barren moorland take on a different personality, exuding a bleak and sombre atmosphere. 

It’s no wonder, then, that tales of phantoms and dark magic trickle down from these mist-shrouded hills. Back in the days when Druids called the valley home, the rock formations crowning the hilltops above Uppermill and Greenfield are thought to have been used to catch the blood of sacrificial victims. Other markings on the rocks suggest offerings for the fairy folk were once left here by Saddleworth residents.

According to reports from decades gone by, evidence of satanic rituals was uncovered on Saddleworth moor; demonic symbols, suspected animal sacrifice remains, and other unsettling paraphernalia. So, just the usual, then. But it happened again, just down the road in Standedge’s disused railway tunnels – then, again at an abandoned church in nearby Oldham. Gulp. So, next time you’re in one of the Ale Trail pubs and you hear someone talking rubbish, remember demonic entities might be to blame! 

Besides that, locals in Scouthead have reported numerous encounters with a troop of spectral Roman soldiers over the years. Some say that this legion met their doom when a tribe of native Mancunians funnelled them across the boggy heath, where they were dragged to a watery grave by the weight of their heavy armour and weaponry.

4. The Manchester Mummy

What does Manchester have in common with ancient Egypt? We’ve got our very own mummy! In the 18^th century, a fear of being buried alive swept the nation amidst newspaper reports that numerous coffins had been exhumed with scratches on the interior lid. Horrifying. 

A Manchester woman named Hannah Beswick gave her doctor strict orders to keep her body above ground after her death; a wish that set her on course for a rather eventful and bizarre afterlife. The doctor soon embalmed her, then stored her mummified remains inside the case of a grandfather clock!

As you do…

Her mummified body was put on display by Manchester Museum‘s Natural History Society; one of their more gruesome artefacts. Meanwhile, back at Hannah’s old manor house in Oldham, numerous people witnessed her pale figure haunting the grounds, even after it was converted into a factory. Eventually, more than 100 years after her death, Hannah’s body was laid to rest in Harpurhey Cemetery. 

5. Goblin builders of Rochdale 

Alongside Manchester’s abundance of ghostly tales, we’ve also got our fair share of goblin folklore. According to legend, supernatural forces were at work when St Chad’s Church in Rochdale was built.

Overnight, the heavy masonry was mysteriously removed from the building site, leaving the workmen baffled. The night watchmen claimed to have seen strange goblin folk interfering with the construction site, hoisting the stones up the steep hillside with unearthly strength. 

If you visit St Chad’s, a couple of eerie sights await you; within the church grounds, the town’s medieval stocks still stand, used for centuries to torture and punish Rochdale’s criminals. From the rooftop, Gothic gargoyles guard the graveyard.

Can you also spot the tomb lid that looks as if it has shifted? Almost like unseen hands have been meddling with the stones…

Read more:

• The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 21 – 27 October 2024
• An enchanting Halloween lakeside trail is coming to Cheshire this spooky season
• There’s a big pumpkin carving competition happening in Manchester this Halloween

So, do you think it’s just a bunch of hocus pocus? Or will you be brave enough to go on the hunt for Manchester’s ghostly residents?

There is plenty of Manchester mythology and folklore to dive into and whether you believe in any of it or not, it’s still a fun world to immerse yourself in come Halloween. You never know what might be waiting just around the corner.

You can read more of Katie’s spooky stuff HERE.

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Featured Images — Brian Bennett/Diego Sideburns (via Flickr)/Third Eye Traveller