Halloween countdown of Nottinghamshire's most haunted places

A former abbey and the ancestral home of Romantic poet Lord Byron, Newstead Abbey is said to be the home of many a ghost.
A painting of Little Sir John with the Great Beard would frequently fall off the wall when it was hung in the great drawing room and many have claimed to see his ghost sitting in an armchair.
The rooks at Newstead Abbey are said to be the souls of black monks who have never left the abbey.
A 'goblin monk' is said to have appeared in the bedroom of Lord Byron on eve of his engagement to Annabella Milbanke, warning him not to go ahead with the engagement as it would end in disaster.
The poet did not take heed of the warning and sure enough the marriage was a failure and led to Lord Byron selling Newstead Abbey and moving abroad.

A white lady has been seen walking the grounds by a number of witnesses. The apparition is believed to be the mistress of a former owner who died in childbirth. Another ghostly figure has crossed the road in front of the hall before, with a car passing straight through her.
Laughter has been heard from the stables, which is said to be where a young serving girl hanged herself.
Phantom cigar smoke has been smelled in the library, where the sound of murmuring voices have been heard. People have claimed to be pushed hard by an invisible assailant in Byron’s bedroom, who was a regular visitor.

Elizabethan socialite Bess of Hardwick has links to the hall, which was built in 1100, and a woman, said to resemble her with red hair and black clothing, has been seen walking in the grounds.
Beneath the hall lie the remains of a Roman villa and Roman soldiers have been seen marching along the driveway.
The corridors and stairs of the great building are said to be walked by the ghosts of Victorian children and servants.
Phantoms of Victorian children and servants are also said to walk the corridors and stairs.

The Cistercian abbey turned country house has many spooky tales.
Numerous women who have stayed there have been awoken in the night by a clammy sensation, like cold skin against theirs.
It is referred to as the “clammy baby”, which is said to be the ghost of a dead child who tries to cuddle up to them in bed.
The spirit is thought to be that of a child who was murdered in the house.
Modern day visitors to the now ruined abbey have heard the sound of a child crying near a ditch close to the area known as Broad Ride – a housemaid is believed to have drowned herself and her child in the ditch following an unwanted pregnancy.

Once the love nest of King Charles II and his mistress, actress and orange seller Nell Gwynn, the grand lodge is now a hotel.
The mysterious scent of oranges has been reported when children have stayed in the family room.
Staff have reported ghostly apparitions walking around the corridors before disappearing into thin air.
People have also claimed to hear disembodied voices in the cellar where it is rumoured bodies have been buried.
One staff member had a particularly scary experience when the lights in the cellar went out and they heard a voice say ‘Can I help you, Sir?’