The Ghosts of Aston Hall
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A place I like to visit from time to time is Aston Hall, a beautiful Jacobean mansion set amidst the grimy factories and and victorian terraces of inner city Birmingham. Of course when it was built,nearly 400 years ago, Brum was little more than a collection of cottages and metal bashing workshops. The Hall would have been surrounded by green fields and lush countryside. It must have been quite a sight!
Back in those days the big man in these parts was Sir Thomas Holte. Rich and powerful, a close friend of King James. Holte began building Aston Hall in 1618 and it took over twenty years to complete. History does not paint a very flattering portrait of Sir Thomas. Cruel and violent, as a young man he embedded a hatchet into the skull of an incompetent cook. Sadly I cannot find any reports of a ghostly cook wandering around with an axe sticking out of his head. Now that would be a ghost worth seeing!
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Aston Hall is definitely haunted and the most often seen ghosts seem to have their origins in the early days when nasty old Sir Thomas was in charge. One of these ghosts seem to be of his daughter Mary. She was horrified at the prospect of being forced into a marriage with a man she detested. Mary and her true love, a young man of lower social status, went on the run. Unfortunately she didn't get far and Sir Thomas dragged her back to Aston Hall. In his eyes she was now spoilt goods, no 'respectable' (i.e rich) gentleman would want to marry her now. He locked her in an upper room and threw away the key. Poor Mary suffered sixteen years of loneliness and despair before succumbing to madness and death. Her ghost, a shimmering white figure, is known as the 'White Lady' and is said to glide around the upper floors. (It seems to be compulsory in stately homes and castles to have a 'White Lady'!)
The 'White Lady' has companion known as the 'Green Lady' who has been seen sitting on a chair in the Great Hall. This ghost is supposed that of a Mistress Walker, an elderly servant to Sir Thomas Holte. She is described as wearing a green, high collared dress and is said to be so lifelike that people think she is a member of staff in period costume. This kind of 'real' looking ghost makes me think of the 'recording' theory that some people apply to ghostly sightings. Somehow images from the past are replayed in the present.
One of the upper rooms is known as Dick's Garrett and is thought to contain the spirit of a servant boy. This young man, Dick, was accused of theft and locked in the room to await his master. Guilty or not he knew he would be in for horrific punishment. Unable to bear his harsh existence any longer he took his own life.
A strange phenomena has been witnessed by staff in the kitchen. A glowing white ball suddenly appears out of the wall and bounces around at high speed before disappearing. This part of the Hall is known to have been damaged by cannon fire during the Civil War.
Aston Hall was home to some very lucky and very rich people until 1858 when it was bought by the Birmingham Corporation and opened to the public. It was opened by Queen Victoria herself but the day ended in tragedy when a young circus acrobat fell to her death. Victoria witnessed this unfortunate event and was said to very distressed.
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Whenever I have been to Aston Hall I have sensed many spirits in residence there. I think some of them are stuck in a confusing limbo, unaware that they have passed on.
I would recommend a visit especially to one of the 'Candlelight' nights they have every couple of years. It really is a beautiful sight.
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Joanne Morris - Founder of the biggest paranormal investigation group in the Midlands
YET AGAIN another exciting blog to read Joanne. Very informative and truly a pleasure to read, and made me smile in numerous places. Keep up the good work x
I heard you were back writing for the Sunday Mercury. I have really missed the blogs. I see that I may need to catch up on a few. Nice to see you back Joanne. Now I can resume to feed my interest with local ghost stories. I went to Aston Hall many years ago and can say that certain rooms upon entering made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If you can find a quiet corner within the building, you can almost see and hear the voices from the past. Lovely place and I should make time to visit again. Thank you.
Great read - cheers Joanne
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i went to aston hall after seeing the photos on google and i must admit, it did seems really haunted on the outside. However when you are in, there is nothing so strange in the hall that you would immediately think it is haunted. yeah a freak noises here and there but really, i expected more than that.
i went to aston hall after seeing the photos on google and i must admit, it did seems really haunted on the outside. However when you are in, there is nothing so strange in the hall that you would immediately think it is haunted. yeah a freak noises here and there but really, i expected more than that.
i went to aston hall after seeing the photos on google and i must admit, it did seems really haunted on the outside. However when you are in, there is nothing so strange in the hall that you would immediately think it is haunted. yeah a freak noises here and there but really, i expected more than that.
This article is filled with errors....the cannonball damage is not in the kitchens its on the opposite side of the house (as the cannon fire was from the south) and Queen Victoria never witnessed the tightrope walkers death...so if the historical facts are incorrecrt it only makes me question the debatable ghost stories...
Completely untrue.Did you even visit Aston before you wrote this?
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I grew up in Aston and moved away when I was 18, I still love the view of the Aston Hall, everytime I look at the pictures or pass the Aston Hall I wish I was born back then, I went to Prine Albert School in Aston I still dream of this school, I too went to broadway school on Whitehead road and too still dream of this schoo too, I love the image of old buildings there is something about it, I just cannot figure out. If I ever won the lotto id pay to stay the nights at all three place.
There are a number of reports of spirits in Ashton Hall. The most common story is a white lady who was locked away in one of the hall’s towers while her lord husband fought abroad. When the husband returned to the Hall she was found starved to death.
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I am a descendant of Edmund Lawrence of Ashton Hall. I find that Ashton to be haunted is very interesting. I wonder if it's my descendants haunting the hall. You should try contacting Ghost Hunters TAPS paranormal Investigating team to come and look at Ashton Hall.
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I am a descendant of Edmund Lawrence of Ashton Hall. I find that Ashton to be haunted is very interesting. I wonder if it's my descendants haunting the hall. You should try contacting Ghost Hunters TAPS paranormal Investigating team to come and look at Ashton Hall.
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