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Walworth Castle Hotel
Recently I had cause to visit this gem, nestled in the countryside on the outskirts of Darlington.Despite living nearby for many years, I had never visited before and as I drove up the driveway to the ........
Two sad ghosts of Durham Castle
Durham Castle stands alongside the cathedral, separated by the building which is now a library. Both are beautiful buildings; the cathedral is renowned for its architectural beauty but the castle too ........
Jimmy Allen
Jimmy Allen was born sometime during the 1720’s, into a border family of gypsies. Little else is known of his early life.He would later become known as ‘The man with the golden pipes’ but during his l ........
Lumley Castle Hotel
Some years ago I had the pleasure of staying overnight in this beautiful castle hotel. I was a headteacher at the time and we were hosting staff from our partner schools in Scotland, Germany and Bulga ........
Bamburgh Castle dates back as far as AD 547
An imposing sight, today it belongs to the Armstrong family and is a family home, although open to the public. It is a Grade 1 listed building and deservedly so. A Norman stronghold, construc ........
Haunted Newcastle
In a city as old and as large as Newcastle, it can be of little surprise that there is a significant number of its buildings which are alleged to be haunted.The Theatre Royal on Grey Street is an impo ........
Durham’s haunted pubs
It isn’t just castles and stately homes that boast their own ghosts. Many pubs and inns in the north of England have their own supernatural inhabitants.Of course, there are many more pubs than castles ........
Chills at Chillingham
Northumberland is the English county with the most castles. It comes second in the UK with a staggering 81.Of these, Chillingham Castle holds the title of the most haunted so with so many ghosts at ho ........
The ghosts of Raby Castle
When I was asked to write about ghosts of Northern England I found myself wondering where on earth I would start. After all, this part of the UK, like the rest of it, is teeming with tales of those lo ........
A burning question
I have a host of questions I’d like to ask Anne Boleyn but the one I’d really like to ask, the single burning question on my mind is (in the words of a well known song) “If you had the chance to do it ........
Who’s coming to dinner?
I love history. I love reading and learning about the past; the people, the places, the palaces, the feuds, the tragedies and the sad lives of every day folk. I find it endlessly fascinating.I’m very ........
To believe or not to believe…….?
Do you believe in ghosts? It’s a question I’ve been asked many times, most recently in the wake of my book’s publication.If anyone had asked me that question in my teens, the answer would have been an ........
Dreams can come true!
I’ve always enjoyed writing and have started many times but my career always got in the way. For so many people lockdown was a very trying time. For me, it gave me the time and the incentive to wr ........