Spooky Stories

"For years visitors of Samlesbury Hall have told of their spooky experiences - and now I have my own story to tell...

We were astonished when our camera battery went completely flat inside the Hall and nobody since has been able to offer a feasible explanation. The battery had been charged to over half-way and had been tested before leaving the office. It had been switched off for the journey to Samlesbury and it was only when we entered the Great Hall of the building that we realised it had gone flat.

Sylvia Thomas, Events Manager of Samlesbury Hall, wasn't at all surprised by our spooky mishap. She said: "Let me tell you, it's not the first time it's happened."

The Great Hall is the most impressive room of the building with massive wooden framings and a cosy Tudor fireplace overlooked by the Minstrels Gallery, which is said to be haunted by former owner Joseph Harrison. Sylvia had pointed out a corner of the Hall which was particularly 'active' and it was then that we tried to take a photo.

After we replaced the dead battery with a new one (we brought another camera and battery just in case!) we prepared to take a photo of the corner only to be startled by a strange glow showing on the camera screen. It was like a frisbee but transparent.

Unfortunately none of our pictures showed the light but Sylvia told us that ghostly goings-on are not exactly a rarity at Samlesbury Hall.

She said that one of the most strange occurrences happened last summer when the burglar alarm had sounded repeatedly during an investigation by two psychic mediums - even though it was switched off.

The Long Gallery

Technicians could not offer any explanation as to why it had gone off in the first place or why it went off with such consistent intervals. Soon after they left, the alarm sounded again and they questioned whether the investigators had any equipment which could set the alarm off.

Sylvia said: "They searched them but found nothing. Apart from when the alarm men were here it was going off every seven seconds exactly. It was like they were playing with us."

Sylvia also told us of visitors complaining of feeling short of breath in the Long Gallery and Priest Room upstairs. She added that the visitors most susceptible to hearing, seeing or feeling a presence were those who do not 'believe'.

She said: "Men tend to hear things more than women actually, which is a bit strange since they tend to be more sceptical."

Despite only working here for 16 months, there is no doubt in her mind that there is some kind of spiritual activity at the Hall.

She said: "There's definitely something here. I've felt the atmosphere and was here the night that the alarms were going off."