Home to the most haunted site in the UK, the city of Birmingham is full of spooky places and unearthly sightings.
Whether you’re an avid ghost hunter looking to tick another creepy encounter off your list, or you are yet to experience the supernatural world, Birmingham has its fair share of eerie activity. From the jailhouse that held members of the Peaky Blinders gang to former theatre managers lurking in corridors, here are seven of the most haunted places in Birmingham:
1. Aston Hall
Named the most haunted site in the UK by a team of leading paranormal researchers, it’s no surprise that this Jacobean mansion is number one on the list. The Grade I listed building was constructed between 1618 and 1635 and is steeped in history. Built for businessman Sir Thomas Holte, the house has several spirits connected to him, a man who was known to be cruel and powerful.
One of the recurrent ghost sightings is a former servant who hung himself after Holte accused him of stealing. A grey female ghost is also regularly spotted, believed to be Holte’s daughter, who was supposedly locked in a cell at the property for 16 years after she tried to marry a man below her class. Visitors have also reported seeing a former housekeeper sitting in a green chair. Now a community museum, the house holds open days and exhibitions, visit if you dare.
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2. Birmingham Town Hall
Built in 1833, this Victorian building is where Charles Dickens gave his first reading of A Christmas Carol. The Grade I listed building is said to be haunted by an old Victorian man, many believe to be Dickens himself, who can be seen smoking at the back of the seating area. The other regular spirits sighted are a pair of construction workers who died while building the roof. Banging metal sounds can apparently still be heard as they haunt the site of their death today.
3. Alexandra Theatre
Known locally as ‘The Alex’, many ghosts reportedly inhabit the venue. Among them, a former theatre manager named Leon Salberg, who was found dead in his office in 1937, can still be heard and seen today. Other ghostly sightings include a former cleaner dressed in grey, a former stage manager who can often be heard jangling his keys and other theatre staff that worked in the venue.
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4.New Street Station
Built over a Jewish cemetery in 1848, many people believe this disturbed the spirits of the dead at New Street Station. The station’s platform 4 is the hotspot for sightings, and an unfortunate site of four suicides, as ghosts have been spotted waiting patiently here late at night. The two most famous sightings are Walter Hartles, a former train driver who shot himself on the platform, and a Victorian man named Claude who is also said to have died after poisoning himself.
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5.Warstone Lane Cemetery
Situated in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, this cemetery is known for its supernatural activity. Among the many ethereal sightings, a grey ghostly woman in traditional clothing has been seen passing through solid objects such as walls and gravestones. Thought to be a former factory worker in the Jewellery Quarter, the sightings of this woman have often been accompanied by a distinctive smell of potassium cyanide, commonly used in the plating of jewellery.
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6. Birmingham Council House
Built in 1875, the first stone was laid by the former mayor of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain. And his spirit still reportedly haunts the building today. His ghost has been seen walking the corridors and sometimes standing behind his old desk. In addition to this, the building is said to have been built on an old monastery, so there have also been sightings of a ghostly monk haunting the building.
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7. Steelhouse Lane Police Station
Built to hold 50 of the city’s most hardened criminals, the former police station has a dark history. The oldest parts of the building date back to 1892 and once held the infamous serial killer, Fred West and many members of the Peaky Blinders gang. Former inmates are said to haunt the corridors and the tunnel to the courthouse. Dark shadows, footsteps and strange voices have also been reported throughout the building.
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