The Haunted Wythenshawe Hall

Wythenshawe Hall is a 16th Century Tudor house in Wythenshawe, in Manchester, England. Altrincham is to the west, Stockport to the east, and Manchester City Centre is 5 miles away to the north.

There isn’t much publicity surrounding the ghosts at Wythenshawe Hall, but that doesn’t mean nothing is going on here. Reports have arisen of a White Lady, apparitions of monks, poltergeist activity and more.

Mary Webb (Lady in White)

A white lady is said to haunt the hall and has been seen by several different people. On one occasion in 1991, a visitor to the hall and her daughter witnessed the White Lady for themselves.

They had spent an hour looking around various rooms at pictures and décor when they decided to walk upstairs to view the bedrooms. As they reached the top of the stairs, they both heard what sounded like a woman sobbing.

As they investigated, they noticed something in the corner of their eye. They both turned to see a woman dressed in a long white dress walk down the corridor and into one of the bedrooms.

They presumed it was a tour guide or a reenactment of some kind. They both followed the woman into the room to find it empty.

They both thought there must be another door in the room somewhere leading out, but there was just one. The woman had disappeared into thin air!

Many believe the woman in white is the ghost of Mary Webb, a former servant to the hall back in the 1640s. Her fiance was one of the parliamentarians who besieged the hall. He died by a shot from Captain Adams, and in revenge, she shot and killed him.

It is reported that the remaining soldiers took over the hall and shot her dead. It is said that Mary can be heard sobbing and walking frantically from room to room, trying to flee the soldiers and her oncoming fate.

Poltergeist Activity

Staff have reported several strange sounds, including footsteps close to them, bangs, and occasional gunfire.

On one occasion, when two workers had just finished doing their rounds on the upper floors, they were heading downstairs when a large tapestry flew off the wall across the staircase and landed on top of them.

They both got up as fast they could and ran towards the library where the light was still on. They didn’t stay at Wythenshawe Hall much longer after that incident.

The Library

Strange dragging and shuffling sounds have been heard coming from the library. When the sounds are investigated, they seem to stop, and nothing ever seems out of place.

However, sometime in the 1980s, a warden discovered that the heavy bookcase doorway leading to the servant quarters was open, despite closing it earlier in the night.

Also, several odd photos have been taken in the library showing unexplained figures, orbs, and mists.

Monks

A typical report for old buildings such as these is that of a sighting of monks. One particular night, Kevin Boydd and his friend were using Wythenshawe as a cut through on their way home when they suddenly came upon several monks in front of them.

The monks seemed to be walking at a lower level as only their knees upwards could be seen. With Kevin and his friend stopped in their tracks, they both watched as the monks silently walked through the field and dissipated before their very eyes. They both ran to exit the park grounds as fast as possible in a panic.

To this date, Kevin refuses ever to take a shortcut through the park at night again.

Recent Reports

A former security guard came to us with this:

AROUND 1998/2000, WYTHENSHAWE HALL WAS BEING REFURBISHED, THIS WAS BEFORE THE FIRE…I WAS A SECURITY GUARD, AT ABOUT 2 30 AM I HEARD A VERY SAD CRYING……WENT BACK TWO WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE HALL PREVIOUS TO THIS.

The crying was very sad indeed. I was in the courtyard the first and second time,….. I scoured the area no one was around. It was very real.

I met up with council security guards in daylight and informed them, they replied, “we know, we don,t broadcast it as nobody would come to do the job.

This imposing timber-framed medieval home was built in 1540 by Robert Tatton of Chester. The original oak timbers can still be seen in some areas of the house, and the painted plaster that celebrates Robert Tatton and Dorothy Booth’s marriage in 1539 can still be seen. The hall is a reminder of 4 centuries of local history.

A century later, in winter of 1643/44, the hall was under attack by Oliver Cromwell’s forces headed by Captain Adams. Robert Tatton (grandson of Robert Tatton & Mary Booth) defended his home from the parliamentarians for three months with the help of over 50 neighbours, servants, and tenants. Only the arrival of two cannons from Manchester forced his surrender. The hall was confiscated by Cromwell’s men but was later returned to him following an excessive fine of £707.13s.4d.

It was home to the Tatton family for over 400 years until Robert Henry Grenville Tatton (the final male descendant) sold the hall to Ernest Simon in 1926. Ernest then donated the hall and its parkland to the Manchester Corporation for “the good of the public”.

It has been used as a museum since 1930 but has recently closed to the public due to the financial restrictions on Manchester City Council. The council have said they will review their position when their financial circumstances improve.

There is talk of the National Trust purchasing the hall, which is one proposition that would make sense, as this building is a crucial piece of history for both Manchester and England.

The Friends of Wythenshawe Hall was established in 2012, and they open the Hall monthly throughout the year.