7 historic places to get spooky this Halloween

    Queen of scots film location
    Hampton Court Palace. Credit: VisitEngland/Historic Royal Palaces

    Britain’s historic buildings are packed with history – not all of it happy. Indeed, some buildings retain a positively spooky air. So if you’re looking to give yourself a scare this Halloween, we’ve round up where you can find freaky thrills and frightful goings ons.

    1 Ghost Tour, Hampton Court Palace, 31 October 2016-February 2017

    Home to King Henry VIII’s Tudor Court, Hampton Court Palace has certainly seen a few things. From Halloween onwards through the winter months you’ll be able to go on a special adults-only spooktacular which is a nail-biting romp through over 500 years of the palace’s haunted history lasts around two hours.

    Attingham Park. Credit: National Trust Images/Mike Williams
    Attingham Park. Credit: National Trust Images/Mike Williams

    The Murderous Mansion: Spooky Encounters, Attingham Park, Shropshire, 28-30 October, 10am-4pm

    Dress in your Halloween finery to meet the master of this murderous mansion. Keep your eyes peeled (or tightly closed!) as you look out for ghostly surprises. Who knows what may be lurking in the basement and cellar?

    Wicked Walk, Castell Coch, Cardiff, Wales, 27 October-29 October 29, tours at 6.30pm, 7.15pm, 8pm, 8.45pm

    In 1911 the family of the Marquess of Bute – the richest man in Wales – deserted the castle and went to live in one of their other, grander, homes. But after spending a fortune on rebuilding Castell Coch as a holiday home, why did they suddenly leave? Some say it was horribly haunted by the spirits of the castle’s former occupants – or maybe there are the ghosts of more recent times? Could the Marquess’s obsession with a book of gruesome and horrific stories hold the key? Go on a wicked walk around Castell Coch after dark where you’ll hear real Welsh ghost and spooky stories. Wear your creepiest costume and experience a night of light, dark and illusion.

    Whitby Abbey
    Whitby Abbey. Credit: Shutterstock

    Illuminated Abbey, Whitby Abbey, 26-29 October, 6pm-9.30pm

    Cast light on a dark history and See Bram Stoker’s inspiration in a new light as Whitby Abbey is bathed in dramatic illuminations. As you explore its gothic splendour while costumed characters will introduce the darker side of the past with tales of grave robbing and witch trials. You can also experience a live performance of Dracula to complete your visit. Halloween fancy dress encouraged.

    Blenheim Palace
    Blenheim Palace. Credit: VisitEngland/Blenheim Palace

    5 Spooky Candlelit tour of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 29, 30 & 31 October, 5pm

    Hop on board the Blenheim Palace ghost train and go through a creepy tunnel to the Pleasure Gardens, where a bone-anza of activities can be found. And there will be Spooky Tours running throughout the week with terrorific candlelit tours of the palace, as well as classic spooky storytelling in the cinema of the Stables Courtyard.

    6 After-hours ghost tours, Ham House, 21 October-21 December,  various times

    National Trust property Ham House in Surrey, as well as being unique in Europe as the most complete survival of 17th-century fashion and power, also has a 300-year history of spooky goings-on. Said to be haunted by the ghost of a malevolent duchess, it is the site of pilgrimage for ghost societies and you can discover those things that go bump in the night, if you dare, on one of the house’s atmospheric after-hours ghost tours, which run from

    7 Fright nights, Aston Hall, Birmingham, 28, 29 & 30 October, various times

    One of Britain’s most haunted buildings is open for an immersive horror experience., promising spirits, shocks, gore and plenty of scares. This interactive nights of terror will leave you wondering if ghosts really do exist. This event is one step up from Aston Halls usual ghost tour on the fright factor, so book if you dare.

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