Hall i' th' Wood
WHERE: Bolton, England
Hall i' th' Wood, located in Bolton, is a rare surviving example of a Tudor wooden-framed house. The name is a literal spelling of the regional English, "Hall in the Wood"; the dialect features glottal stops resulting in truncated spelling and pronunciation.
In the 16th century, the house was originally built as a half-timbered hall owned by a wealthy family of merchants. In the 17th century, a grand stone addition was added to the original and this is the structure guests can tour today.
The house was home to Samuel Crompton, inventor of the Spinning Mule, a threading device revolutionary to the cotton and textile industry. Lord Leverhulme bought the hall in 1899 and donated it to the Corporation of Bolton in 1900.
This hall is not only the home of a legendary invention -- it's also home to legendary paranormal activity. The figure of a man has been seen pacing up and down one of the halls wood-paneled corridors. Witnesses describe a tall, Edwardian-clothed gentleman in a top hat. He is rumored to be Thomas Brownlow, another former owner of the hall.
Another apparition is Mary, the wife of Samuel Crompton. The sound of footsteps accompanies a womanly figure seen in the quarters once occupied by the Cromptons. Some have even reported seeing a fine white mist that follows Mary throughout the hall.
One of the hall's bedrooms is said to house the ghost of Betty Vicars, a weaver who lived there during the late 18th and early 19th century. Betty appears most frequently to children visiting the hall, and screams at them to leave her quarters immediately.
Visitors to the hall this year are welcome Wednesday through Sunday between April and November. The hall is open from noon until 5 p.m.
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