As the scariest day of the year - Halloween - draws near, lovers of all things paranormal are likely to ditch the dress-up parties and attempt to uncover the spooky ghouls that are believed to be trapped inside some of Liverpool’s abandoned buildings or stuck in the grounds of local graveyards.
- I went to Liverpool’s abandoned asylum and got chased by a madman with a chainsaw | I take you inside haunted and abandoned Newsham Park Hospital
Whether you’re a believer or not, we have put together this guide to the most haunted locations around Liverpool and Merseyside, according to paranormal investigators. Many have had dozens of reported ghost sightings or are the subject of local folklore.
From the legend of the Bold Street ‘time slip’ to a haunted pyramid crypt and an abandoned orphanage and asylum, here are the spookiest places to explore around Merseyside this Halloween.
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1. Newsham Park Hospital, Tuebrook, Liverpool
Running as a hospital from 1954, the closure of Rainhill Lunatic Asylum in 1992 saw the Newsham Park site become an asylum before being shut down in 1997. Throughout the Halloween season, the site is home to four scare mazes but it is spooky in its own right, with narrow passages leading into shadowy basements, and staircases descending into darkness, and numerous reports of paranormal sightings. | Emma Dukes
2. Bold Street, Liverpool
One of Liverpool's most famous spooky tales is the legend of the Bold Street time slip. Many people have reported experiencing time shifts while walking along the street, and found themselves back in the Victorian era. Those who have made the claims have described the buildings, clothing and people they saw, and said they were suddenly back in present day with no explanation. While these claims cannot be confirmed, there are dozens of reports by different people. | Public Domain
3. Church of St Oswald, Old Swan, Liverpool
Mass graves of more than 3,000 unknown people were believed to have been found adjacent to the churchyard in 1973. As work began to prepare the plot for the building new schools, the bodies were discovered, with reports saying a total of 3,561 unmarked coffins were found. The bodies were subsequently cremated and rumours circulated about why they were there, with stories stretching as far as suggesting they were vampires. The puzzle around the discovery remains unsolved and many locals believe the site to be haunted by ghosts. | Rodhullandemu/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia
4. Penny Lane, Mossley Hill, Liverpool
Penny Lane was immortalised by the Beatles but is known among locals as one of the city's most haunted streets. According to local stories, it has been the location of poltergeist activity, with the malicious spirit taking over number 44 back in Victorian times. Since then, many people have reported spooky sightings, such as seeing a blonde girl standing in the window. | Rept0n1x/CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons