12 Most Haunted Places in York

A visit to York Dungeon will take you through 2,000 years of York's dark history with a comedic twist. This attraction features funny historical characters that can take the whole family through different eras of history that let you see, hear and smell York's historic horrors.

From the Viking invasion to Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot to Dick Turpin's time as an infamous highwayman, the live shows here are sure to delight. The special effects work and commitment of the talented actors have won this attraction awards in the past, so you won't find shows like this anywhere else in town.

As the name suggests, Ye Olde Starre Inne is said to be the oldest pub in York. While it certainly holds the title of the venue that has been licensed the longest (since 1644!), there’s some dispute over which pub is in the oldest building. The grade II-listed Olde Starre Inn on Stonegate also claims of being York’s most haunted pub, with a couple of black cats being among the resident spooks.

In terms of its credentials as a pub, Ye Olde Starr Inn is fairly conventional. Expect typical British pub grub and a good selection of beers. Being in a busy part of town and with its various claims to fame, the pub is naturally particularly popular with tourists, though it has its share of local regulars (other than the ghosts), too.

The Treasurer’s House is a Grade I listed building and, as the name suggests, was once the house of York Minster’s first treasurer. The house and its beautiful garden were later bought and renovated by a wealthy industrialist but now belong to the National Trust. The luxurious interiors are well worth checking out.

The house was originally built over a Roman road – Roman-era column bases were even unearthed during renovations, one of which can be seen in the cellar. You may also find some famous ghosts down there. In 1953, a plumber working on the house saw a carthorse emerge through a brick wall, followed by a slightly shabby column of Roman reserve legionaries.

York Minster is one of the most important religious buildings in England – the seat of the Archbishop of York. Among the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, it retains its title as the tallest building in the city (at 236 ft) thanks to an obscure but still faithfully honored local law. While there have been churches on the site for a long time before, the current building dates to AD 627.

Of course, with so much history comes a lot of ghosts. Among the most popular stories comes from the 1920s, when a couple of tourists were approached by a sailor. He whispered to one of the women and then departed. It turned out that she had made a pact with her brother, stating that the sibling that died first would come back to confirm the existence of an afterlife. Her brother had been killed at sea but returned to honor the pact.

The Golden Fleece is one of the many pubs in York claiming the title of being the most haunted. The pub’s most famous spook is that of Lady Alice Peckitt, wife of a former Lord Mayor of York, who used to live next door. Other resident spirits include that of a Canadian airman who fell to his death from an upstairs window, as well as One-Eyed Jack, who sits in the bar with a pistol in his 16^th-century red coat.

As pubs go, it’s quite a pleasant one. It’s in a convenient location with 4 cozy bedrooms upstairs. Do you dare spend the night? If not, maybe just enjoy the extensive selection of wines and local ales, as well as a varied menu of snacks and meals.

The Yorkshire Museum and the beautiful gardens surrounding it is a historical highlight of the city. Through an extensive selection of artifacts, the museum tells the story of the region right back to the Jurassic era. The museum also incorporates the historical structures around the main museum, including an observatory, the ruins of an 11^th-century abbey and the York Art Gallery.

Being a historical structure, the museum naturally has its share of ghosts. The most famous is a man in Georgian clothes, who is reportedly very interested in a particular book from the museum’s library. He repeatedly pulls it off the shelf, always on Sunday evenings.

The Snickleway Inn is one of the many pubs in York claiming to be the most haunted in the city and, indeed, the country. It’s one of few that includes a malevolent spirit in their claim, with an undefined presence of “great and utter evil” in the cellar – perhaps a result of having been used as a Royalist magazine during the English Civil War. Gentler apparitions include that of an elderly man seen walking through the back wall.

Fortunately, the cellar also contains something more pleasant – a healthy supply of English ales. The clientele is mostly old locals (other than the aforementioned ghost, of course), but the occasional niche music nights liven up the atmosphere a bit.

The York Mansion House is the home of the Lord Mayors of the city during their time in office – basically, York’s own 10 Downing Street or White House. The grand building itself dates back to 1725 but some of the artifacts you can see inside are even older. For example, the house contains one of the largest civic silver collections in England, including a chamber pot dating from 1669.

The Mansion House turns into a haunted house during October as it hosts a family-friendly ghost tour in the run-up to Halloween. While exploring the historical rooms and seemingly endless curiosities, you might encounter some spooky sounds and creepy goings-on yourself.

Barley Hall is something of a hidden gem in York, being found down the very narrow Coffee Yard alley off Stonegate. In fact, it used to be hidden behind a modern façade, until its ancient skeleton was revealed during extensive renovations. Originally dating from about 1360, the hall has had a series of prominent owners throughout its history but is now a living museum of medieval life.

If you visit around Christmas, you might be treated to tales of ghosts and ghouls. Among them are a white-faced woman with a manic laugh and the lost boy of York – a child of aged 10 or 11 who is regularly glimpsed from the corner of visitors’ eyes.

The York Theater Royal is a grand old building near the Minster, but it has a modern interior providing a comfortable and enjoyable evening. Built in 1744, the theater is a Grade II-listed building that has been refurbished several times through its long history. You can expect to see dramas, comedies, musicals and performances by stand-up comics and conversations with celebrities.

You may also see a ghost or 2 at the York Theater Royal. The room behind the front mezzanine is said to be haunted by the Gray Lady – a lovestruck young nun who fell for a nobleman. When her blasphemous romance was discovered, the story goes, the nun was bricked up in a windowless room. She seems not to hold a grudge because sightings of the Gray Lady are considered a good omen in the theater.

The Henry VII Experience at Micklegate Bar, as well as the corresponding Richard III Experience at Monk Bar, together tell the story of the Wars of the Roses. The family-friendly museums are an excellent introduction to medieval York and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.

The bars themselves – extravagant gateways through York’s striking city walls – are fascinating attractions, though Micklegate Bar has a somewhat gruesome past. Once one of the main entrances to the city, it was where the heads of traitors were displayed after their former owners had been hanged, drawn and quartered.

From the outside, 35 Stonegate is a perfectly nondescript building – just another shop along a popular street of them. However, its unremarkable exterior conceals what is said to be the most haunted house in York and possibly the entire UK. While the property has previously been featured on various ghost-related TV shows and used to take full advantage of its reputation, it has since been renovated for use as an ordinary shop.

It’s said that a house has stood on the site for over 1,000 years (though the current building was constructed in 1482) and that it now contains at least 14 different ghosts. Among them is a balding monk, an elegant Georgian lady, and a black-clad prankster known as Tom.