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Are you planning a spooky getaway to Newcastle Upon Tyne? Dive into our latest guide and create your own Newcastle Ghost Tour, thanks to the paranormal author and host of “How Haunted?” podcast, ROB KIRKUP
Create your own Newcastle Ghost Tour
Many people log on to Spooky Isles when deciding which places to visit for a spooky vacation. To make it easier, we’ve created Create Your Own Ghost Tour guides and put all the spooky things you want to visit in one place.
History of Newcastle
Beneath the vibrant modern facade of Newcastle upon Tyne, the whispers of another era hang heavy in the air. A labyrinth of cobbled streets and towering stone structures, they echo with ghosts of times gone by. From Roman whispers on the ancient wall to ghostly encounters in Victorian pubs, Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a treasure trove of chilling legends and eerie encounters.
The recorded history of Newcastle-upon-Tyne goes back almost 2,000 years to 120 AD, when the country was under the control of the Romans. It was the Romans who built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or ‘Bridge of Aelius’, Aelius was the family name of Emperor Hadrian. Thirty years later, a stone-walled fortress was built to protect the river crossing and this settlement was named after the bridge and became known as Pons Aelius.
After the Romans left Britain, it fell under the rule of the Saxons and then the Danes. The name Newcastle dates back to the Norman conquest of England, and specifically in 1080 when King William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, to a settlement then called Monkchester to build a ‘new castle’.
Thanks to its convenient location on the River Tyne, the city continued to develop enormously throughout the Middle Ages and has never looked back.
Newcastle today is famous for its football club, Newcastle Brown Ale, Geordies who refuse to wear a coat even in the harshest winter weather, and for its lively nightlife. But in this guide, the nightlife that is not lively is our prey. Because Newcastle has a lot of ghosts to track down.
Spooky places to visit in Newcastle
The Castle Guard is steeped in a history of violent deaths, the likes of which are far worse than one could imagine, and of tortured souls who spent their remaining days within these walls before being taken away to be executed.
Unsurprisingly, the oldest surviving building in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the Castle Keep, is undoubtedly one of the most haunted buildings in Tyne and Wear, perhaps the entire country.
The most famous of these phantoms is the Poppy Girl, who was only fifteen years old when she lost her life within those walls in the 17th century, when she was arrested for selling flowers and thrown into a cell with a group of men.
Bessie Surtees House is a historic house on Newcastle’s Quayside, named after its most famous former resident. In 1771, 17-year-old Bessie fell in love with a Scotsman, 22-year-old John Scott.
The Scotts were not social equals to the Surtees, and Bessie’s father, the Mayor of Newcastle, forbade him from seeing him.
The young couple ran away and secretly married in Scotland.
It is believed that Bessie’s ghost remains in the house and it is said that her face can be seen through the first floor window, as she would have done while waiting for her lover on the fateful night they fled to Scotland.
The Central Arcade is an Edwardian shopping arcade, built in 1906, replacing an earlier arcade of 1838, but destroyed by fire.
It was built with an impressive mosaic floor and shoppers today will discover that the building’s beautiful decoration remains as it looked when it reopened over a century ago.
In the 1980s there were a number of reports of a ghostly man staggering around the Arcade bleeding from his head, mouth and eyes. He walks with his arms outstretched as if in pain and looking for help, towards the Gray Street exit before disappearing.
The Royal Theatre opened in 1837 and is the meeting point of the Gray Lady. She was in love with a leading lady in a Victorian play. She came to every performance. She waited for him at the stage door one evening and they began an affair.
They planned to run away together when the play was over and get married. She couldn’t be happier. But after the penultimate show he told her that he was already married and could no longer see her.
As the final piece neared its climax, she threw herself from the gallery into the packed stalls below, and to her inevitable death.
The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas was founded in 1091, during the construction of the castle, but was destroyed by fire and the current building was completed in 1350.
The ghosts you encounter here include a ghostly knight who you see and hear rattling in his armor. Its identity is unknown, although it is believed that it may be the ghost of the ‘unknown knight’ whose image is in the cathedral.
Spooky places to eat and drink
The Blackie Boy, located on the Groat Market is one of the oldest cafes in Newcastle, and for many years customers and staff have reported unusual occurrences and the eerie feeling of being watched.
A male staff member was once replacing a light bulb in a second-floor restroom. The silence was broken by a female voice from one of the cubicles: “What are you doing here?” the stunned man knew he was the only person in there, he hesitated.
Suddenly the woman’s voice shouted from the empty booth, “Go away! Out!” the terrified man couldn’t get out fast enough, his heart was pounding. A colleague came from downstairs to see what all the noise was. They returned to the toilets together and discovered that it was completely empty and that the screaming had stopped.
The Old George is a 17e century café located on the Lakenmarkt, in the heart of Newcastle’s famous Bigg Market. The most famous ghost is a king who drank here in 1646 while held captive by the Scots, who allowed him to play a round of golf and have a drink.
The chair he sat on while drinking in the Old George remains in the ‘Charles I Room’ to this day. Over the years, many visitors have claimed to have seen the faint outline of a ghostly figure in the chair.
Ghost excursions nearby
The City Moor is an area of common land covering almost 1000 hectares, just outside Newcastle city centre. Every June, locals flock to the Town Moor to visit ‘The Hoppings’, Europe’s largest traveling fair.
Despite the fun and laughter experienced annually during those two weeks in summer, the Town Moor has a dark history of death and fear. In the early 14e century, the Town Moor was chosen as the location for Newcastle’s gallows. Hangings drew huge crowds from miles away and were treated as great family entertainment.
This appears to have left a stain on the land, as dog walkers and joggers often describe seeing dark shadows moving quickly before dispersing. Cries have also been heard coming over the Town Moor, carried by the wind.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne has a rich, long and very dark history. It is a beautiful city that is well worth a visit, and certainly suitable for those looking for things to see at night.
Have you been to Newcastle for a ghost tour or put together your own ghost tour route? Tell us about it in the comments below!
And please tell us if we’ve missed anything that you think we should add to this Newcastle Ghost Tour Guide.
Read more about Rob Kirkup and his work at The How Haunted? Podcast.
Listen to Spooky Isles interview with Rob Kirkup
We recently spoke with a paranormal researcher, author and historian Rob Kirkup on Ghosts of the North-East of England including Newcastle Upon Tyne, for our Ghostly Islands: The Podcast. Listen below and check out our other interviews with some very interestingly creepy people!
