Ghost Hunt at Peterborough Museum listings

History of Peterborough Museum

Although the main part of the building as we see it today dates back to 1816, the first recorded house on the site was built in the 16th century for the Orme family on land given to them by Henry VIII in 1538. The house, named 'Neville Place' is marked on a 1611 map of Peterborough and can be seen in a 1731 drawing of the city. It is thought that stonework from this original building probably survives in the museum cellars.

The 1816 building took the form of a grand Georgian house for Thomas Cooke, Peterborough magistrate, who lived there until his death in 1854. It was sold to the third Earl Fitzwilliam, who allowed the mansion to be used as the city's first hospital, the Peterborough Infirmary, from 1857 until 1928. A fire in 1884 led to alterations being made, with new wings added and an extension to the rear. However, upon completion of a new hospital as a memorial to Peterborians lost in the First World War, the building was no longer needed for that purpose. It was opened as a museum in 1931, with an art gallery added in 1939 and a major refurbishment carried out in 2011.

Many of the building's Georgian features can still be seen today, as can traces of its use as a hospital - the modern conservation room is actually the old operating theatre.

Update 2012: The old operating theatre has been restored to its former glory during the recent refurbishment and is now a faithful recreation of how it would have looked during its heyday. It is very much hoped that this will encourage more paranormal activity!

Ghosts of Peterborough Museum

Peterborough Museum is regarded as the most haunted building in the city, and as such has been a popular venue for ghost-hunters for many years. In April 2005, Living TV's 'Most Haunted' team carried out a filmed investigation and encountered a number of phenomena, including an episode in the cellars where a door apparently slammed by itself - causing everyone to flee the area!

Perhaps the most well known ghost at Peterborough Museum is that of a grey figure, seen on the stairs or along the first floor corridor. It is believed to be the spirit of Thomas Hunter, an Australian soldier who died from his wounds when the building was a hospital back in 1916. It is said that a nurse who had looked after him actually saw the ghost shortly after his unfortunate death and was thus able to identify it as being him!

Thomas was seen almost immediately when the building re-opened as a museum in 1931. Mr. Yarrow was the caretaker and lived there with his wife and two children. Having gone out for the afternoon with the children, Mr. Yarrow had left his wife to close up at the end of the day. After bolting the door and heading upstairs to their first-floor flat (located in what is now the geology department), Mrs. Yarrow heard footsteps on the staircase and came out to greet her family. However, instead of her husband and children, she saw a young man coming up towards her. Initially thinking she had inadvertently locked a visitor in, she was about to call out when she realised that there was something wrong. The footsteps were unnaturally loud and when she looked closer she realised that the man was actually floating up the stairs. He passed her on the landing without so much as a glance in her direction, walked through the double doors on the first floor (without opening them) before promptly vanishing into thin air. Mrs. Yarrow can be forgiven for leaving the building in rather a hurry!

The general consensus amongst museum staff and ghost hunters seems to be that the cellar area is a definite paranormal 'hot spot'. Slamming doors, strange noises and a threatening male presence have all been reported on many occasions. Objects are also often thrown in the general direction of anyone investigating this area and a hooded figure has shown itself to astonished groups several times.

Other ghosts of Peterborough Museum include a dark male figure seen and felt by the recreation period shop, a roman soldier in the archaeology area, a little girl who roams the geology area, a kitchen maid who fell to her death on the back stairs and a white lady who is seen on the upper floor. During the recent refurbishment, builders reported hearing strange noises and the having the unnerving sensation of being watched. There are other tales surrounding this intriguing location which you will hear on the night during a guided tour by one of the museum staff.

During the investigation you will have access to areas not open to the public, including the old operating theatre and the back stairs. Peterborough Museum is considered by many groups to be one of the places you are most likely to experience genuine paranormal activity in England, so bring your cameras and camcorders and you never know - you may capture something extraordinary!

Ghost Hunt at Peterborough Museum Includes:

~ Guided History/Ghost Tour of the Museum
~ Platform Readings from our Spiritualist Mediums
~ Late-Night Ghost Hunt & Paranormal Investigation
~ Opportunity to use Ghost-Hunting Equipment
~ Séance and Controlled 'Contact Experiments'
~ Refreshments Throughout

*The event will run from approx. 8pm - 2:30am*

Ticket Price: £55 per person

Use the link below to purchase places for the event or book over the phone by calling 0845 201 3994

A deposit option of £25 per person is available with balance payable 3 weeks before the event. Please call us on 0845 201 3994 if you would like to use this option.

10% Discount for Groups of 10 or More
(Contact us to Check Availability Before Booking)

Please Read Terms and Conditions Before Booking

PHONE US ON: 0845 201 3994
EMAIL: queries@eerie-evenings.com