England’s most haunted workplaces

Most haunted workplaces in London

London’s most active ghostly workplaces are often tied to royal tragedy or high-stakes business:

• The Tower of London: Now staffed by Beefeaters and museum personnel, its famous resident is the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn, seen in the grounds and Chapel Royal, along with the unidentified White Lady and Lady Jane Grey.
• The Bank of England Headquarters (EC2): Haunted by The Black Nun (Sarah Whitehead). Her ghost wanders the offices and courtyard, endlessly searching for her executed brother, a former employee.
• Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (WC2): Known as the world’s most haunted theatre. Staff and performers share the space with the benevolent Man in Grey, whose appearance is apparently a symbol of good luck, alongside the ghost of clown Joseph Grimaldi.
• Hampton Court Palace: (East Molesey) is said to be home to the ghosts of Henry VIII’s wives, Catherine Howard, who has been reported to be heard screaming in the Haunted Gallery, and Jane Seymour.
• Adelphi Theatre (WC2): Haunted by the ghost of actor William Terriss, who was murdered at the stage door in 1897.
• The Langham Hotel (W1): One of the city’s most haunted hotels, its spirits, including a German Prince in Room 333, are sometimes linked to surrounding Marylebone offices.
• Liverpool Street Station: Built over a mass burial site, staff report seeing a man in white overalls waiting on the Central Line platform after closing.
• The Ten Bells Pub (E1): Linked to the Jack the Ripper murders, it’s haunted by the ghost of one of his victims, Annie Chapman.
• Fenchurch Street Offices (EC3 Area): Employees report a general “eerie presence” and disembodied voices, often attributed to the executed spirits of Tower Hill.
• Offices at Lincoln’s Inn Fields (WC2 Area): Reputed to be a vantage point for spotting the ghost of Lord William Russell, who was beheaded on the square in 1683.

Most haunted workplaces in the North West

The region’s administrative and industrial past has left a legacy of restless ghosts in commercial buildings:

• Manchester Town Hall: Reported to be haunted by a patrolling Victorian police officer who died in the late 1800s.
• Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre: Home to the ghost of actor James Maxwell and a female spirit who reportedly throws objects in the Wig Room.
• Chester Thorntons Shop: Haunted by ‘Sarah,’ a jilted bride, who staff claim throws heart-shaped boxes. 
• Bolton Ye Olde Man and Scythe: Haunted by James Stanley, the Seventh Earl of Derby, who spent his last hours here before his execution outside in 1651.
• Manchester JW Lee’s Greengate Brewery: Highly haunted, with reports linked to historical deaths by ‘drowning’ or falling.
• Morecambe Winter Gardens: Staff and performers encounter a grumpy ghost who pushes and slaps people in the auditorium.
• Liverpool 44 Penny Lane: The main haunting at 44 Penny Lane is the Penny Lane Poltergeist, which in the 1970s created a persistent, loud racket of pacing footsteps and banging inside the empty premises, with the sounds even being captured on tape.
• Manchester Bootle Street Police Station: Officers on night shift hear unexplained footsteps and an old timecard machine clanging by itself.
• Liverpool The Cunard Building: The former headquarters of the Cunard Line, is primarily haunted by two figures: The Drowned Sailor, a 1920s crewman who manifests with the sound of wet footsteps and a salty scent in the booking hall, and The Clerk’s Ledger, the ghost of a worker who died in 1918 and whose spirit is heard making the faint, rhythmic scratching of a pen in the old offices.

Most haunted workplaces in Yorkshire & The Humber

Former places of suffering and industry provide chilling spectral activity:

• Industrial Museum Armley Mills, Leeds: Haunted by the spirits of mistreated workers and children who died in accidents.
• The Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds: Haunted by former paupers and patients, with reports of poltergeist incidents and visitors being touched or grabbed.
• The Golden Fleece Inn, York: Claimed to be the most haunted pub in York, famous for Lady Alice Peckett, who wanders the corridors.
• Treasurer’s House, York: Famous for the sighting of a ghostly patrol of green-clad Roman Legionnaires in the cellar.
• Carbrook Hall Starbucks, Sheffield: Formerly a pub, staff still hear children’s laughter and a baby crying in the kitchen. A former bedroom upstairs is permanently shut due to severe paranormal activity.
• Workhouse Museum, Ripon: Haunted by former residents, including the regularly sighted ghost of a man named Gordon.
• Annison Funeral Parlour (now Pharmacy), Hull: Haunted by the ghost of Mary Jane Langley, an 18-year-old murder victim from 1907.

Most haunted workplaces in The Midlands

The historic centres of justice and ancient inns are most active in the Midlands:

• National Justice Museum, Nottingham: Built on a court and prison site, visitors report hearing screams, knocking, and feeling a dark atmosphere left by executed prisoners.
• Birmingham Council House: Haunted by the ghost of former Mayor Joseph Chamberlain, who is said to be preceded by a scent of fresh-cut flowers, and an apparition of a council worker known as the Hanging Man.
• Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham: Claimed to be the oldest pub in England, it’s known for ghostly voices and a dusty model ship that is rumored to curse anyone who cleans it.
• Birmingham Town Hall: Haunted by the ghosts of two stonemasons killed during the building’s construction in 1833.
• Leicester Guildhall: Home to the ghosts of a child named Sarah, a Victorian child named Lucy and a powerful surgeon.
• Drakelow Tunnels, Kidderminster area: A former WWII and Cold War facility, now a well-known location for paranormal investigations.
• Graisley Old Hall, Wolverhampton: Known as ‘The House That Cries,’ it has a history of paranormal activity, including mysterious pools of water and a poltergeist.
• Former RAF Tatenhill (now a business park), Staffordshire: This site, which is now a business park with commercial units and warehouses, is reportedly haunted by the sounds of young men in disused buildings and the smell of old aftershave in a warehouse corner. This suggests residual haunting from its days as a Royal Air Force station.

Most haunted workplaces in the South East

Historic coaching inns and dramatic theatres feature heavily in the South East’s ghost list:

• The Mermaid Inn, Rye, East Sussex: Guests report hearing the clanking of swords from the infamous Hawkhurst Smuggling Gang.
• The Eclipse Inn, Winchester, Hampshire: Haunted by Lady Alice Lisle (the Grey Lady), who spent her last night here before being beheaded in 1685.
• Oxford Castle & Prison, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Recognised as one of the UK’s most haunted buildings, with many spirits linked to its history as a jail.
• MacDonald Berystede Hotel, Ascot, Berkshire: Haunted by Eliza Kleininger (the Blue Lady), a French maid who died in a fire in 1886.
• Bradbeers Department Store, Romsey: A white or blue lady is said to have been sighted in the older parts of the store.
• The Old Bank Hotel, Oxford: This location, which was formerly a bank and a stately townhouse, is believed to be haunted by a woman who died of a broken heart. There have been sightings of a figure in a long brown dress gliding through the building, sometimes passing through displays or walls.
• Pluckley Village, Kent: This is often called England’s most haunted village. Several commercial spots there report paranormal activity. The Black Horse Pub is a famously haunted location. Elvey Farm, now a hotel, is home to a farmer’s ghost and a soldier in uniform. The Chequers Inn has a “haunted room” visited by a Napoleonic soldier. The Woolpack Inn’s resident ghost is a friendly “grey lady.”

Most haunted workplaces in the South West

From rugged coasts to historic cities, the South West has some famously bleak professional settings:

• Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall: Famous for the ghost of a murdered smuggler, disembodied footsteps and cold spots in Room 5.
• Bodmin Jail, Cornwall: Infamous for its executions, the former jail is home to many spirits, including those of executed prisoners.
• Odeon Cinema, Bristol: Reputedly haunted by the ghost of the cinema manager who was murdered in his office in 1946.
• The Theatre Royal, Bath: Home to the famous Grey Lady ghost, an 18th-century apparition often accompanied by the scent of jasmine.
• The Red Lion, Avebury, Wiltshire: Located inside the stone circle, it is haunted by Florrie, a former resident who was murdered by her husband.
• Bristol Fire Station, Temple Back: This is a current fire station built on the site of an ancient 12th-century Knights Templar garrison. Fire crews and staff have reported strange sightings and odd characters in the building since it opened in 1975, believed to be linked to the site’s history.

Most haunted workplaces in the North East

Castles and unique coastal establishments hold their ghostly secrets:

• Newcastle Castle, Castle Keep & Black Gate: Haunted by the “Poppy Girl”, ghostly monks and a violent spirit known to scratch visitors.
• The Literary and Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil), Newcastle: Staff report up to sixteen phantoms, disembodied coughs and un-aided movement of books.
• John Lewis, Eldon Square, Newcastle: Haunted by an elderly female ghost named “Ethel” who appears when the department store undergoes major construction.
• Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn, South Tyneside: Visitors claim to experience poltergeist activity and sightings of a young girl near the engine room.
• The Old George Inn, Newcastle: Rumoured to be haunted by King Charles I, who visited while held prisoner nearby in 1646.
• Willingdon Mill, North Tyneside: This is noted as one of the most haunted buildings in the area, with multiple ghostly sightings including a woman with no eyes in her head. It was historically a working mill.
• 13 Grey Street, Newcastle: The office building at 13 Grey Street in Newcastle is reportedly haunted by the apparition of a “half a man,” who is only visible from the waist down in a coat, trousers and boots.

Most haunted workplaces in the East of England

From stately halls to historic trade areas, the East of England is tied to royal and monastic hauntings:

• Blickling Hall, Norfolk: The most famous spectre is the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn, who was born on the estate.
• The Maids Head Hotel, Norwich: This centuries-old hotel is home to a jilted bride who wanders the hallways, a phantom maid, and a former Mayor.
• Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk: The library is haunted by the spirit of William Windham III, who tragically died trying to save his beloved books from a fire.
• The Red Lion, Colchester, Essex: Haunted by Alice Miller, who was murdered there in the 1630s.
• Landguard Fort, Suffolk: Staff and visitors have reported a ghostly sailor looking out from an upper window and a lone marching musketeer.

This tour of the UK’s most haunted work locations confirms one spine-tingling truth, that spectral activity isn’t just for crumbling castles anymore. From high-street retail to active commercial offices, the paranormal is deeply embedded across virtually every sector of British business.

For the businesses brave enough to operate on these famously haunted grounds, maintaining a professional environment often means scheduling around the supernatural.