Haunted Places in Nottingham: Where to Go and What to See

Nottingham's haunted places at a glance

Four places carry most of the city's ghost lore: Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in the Castle Quarter, Nottingham Castle itself, the former Shire Hall on High Pavement now known as the Galleries of Justice, and the caves beneath the old town. The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk ties the first and last of these together by design, starting at the pub and ending underground.

The walk's route runs through the Castle Quarter, the oldest part of the city, which is why the Castle, the Trip and the cave systems all sit within a short stretch of each other. A local listing of Nottingham's haunted secrets sets out the well-known tales at the Trip, the Castle and a coffin said to bear scratch marks, and it is worth reading before you go so you can tell which building each story belongs to.

For the documented side of the same streets, the history of Nottingham explains how the Castle, the medieval town and the cave network fit together. Separating that from the ghost stories is the point: the places are real and old, and the hauntings are legends told about them.

The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk: route, start point and finish

The walk assembles at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the pub carved into the rock below the Castle, and finishes in the ancient caves below Ye Olde Salutation Inn. Both buildings are genuine old Nottingham addresses, which gives the tour an unusual shape: you begin in a pub and end underground rather than simply looping around streets.

The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk describes the route as running around the city's Castle Quarter before the cave finish, so expect narrow lanes, steep ground near the Castle rock and a cooler, damper ending. The company's own site also notes that cave access is beyond its control and can change, so the underground finale is the one part of the evening that may not go exactly as advertised.

Because the start and finish are different buildings a few minutes apart, plan your evening around walking back through the Castle Quarter rather than returning to the Trip. If you want the daytime version of the same ground, a Nottingham walking tour covers the old centre in daylight and makes the evening route easier to follow.

Ticket prices, dates, timings and the children's walk

The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk lists a standard ticket at ten pounds for ages twelve and over, with under-twelve free at a parent or guardian's discretion, and all tickets can be booked online. Guides accept contactless payment and cash, with correct change requested for cash. Treat the fare as the advertised price on the walk's own website rather than relying on an older figure.

Walks run every Saturday at 7.00pm from the first Saturday in January to the first Saturday in December, with extra Wednesday walks through July, August and September. Those Wednesday dates make summer the easiest time to fit a walk into a short break, while winter visits depend on the Saturday schedule. The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk lists these details directly, so check its booking page before you travel in case a date has moved.

Families with younger children should look at the Original Nottingham Ghost Walk's separate children's walk rather than the main evening tour, which is pitched at ages twelve and up. The distinction matters: the standard walk ends in caves and runs late, neither of which suits every small child. For a full picture of what else is running, our ghost tours in Nottingham round-up sits alongside this guide.

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem: the cursed objects legend

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be one of England's oldest inns, built into the sandstone beneath the Castle, and it is the starting point for the ghost walk. The legend attached to it concerns a collection of objects in the pub said to carry a curse, a tale repeated in local accounts of Nottingham's haunted rooms. It is a story told about the pub, not a documented event, and nobody is asking you to believe it.

Visiting the Trip is simple because it is a working pub: you can go in for a drink and see the rock-cut rooms without joining a tour. Arrive before the walk if you want a look round at your own pace, since the tour meets here and the pub fills up. The medieval Nottingham guide explains how these rock-cut buildings came about in the first place.

Nottingham Castle: the legend of the hanging bodies

Nottingham Castle sits on a sandstone outcrop above the city, and its history includes a siege, royal occupation and later rebuilding as a ducal mansion. The ghost story attached to it involves bodies said to have been hanged from the walls, a grim detail repeated in local retellings. Treat it as legend: the Castle's real history is dramatic enough without it, and the Castle is a daytime visit rather than a haunted-house attraction.

For the architecture that produced the Castle rock and the town below it, the Nottingham architecture guide is a useful companion. Pair the Castle with the Trip and the cave systems and you have most of the ghost walk's geography covered on foot in an afternoon. Entrance arrangements and opening days for the Castle change with the seasons, so confirm them on the Castle's own site before setting out.

The scratches on the coffin: which story is attached to it

One of the best-known Nottingham tales concerns a coffin said to have been found with scratch marks on the inside, the implication being that someone was buried alive. Local retellings include it among the city's haunted secrets alongside the Trip and the Castle. It is a classic Victorian-style horror motif rather than a verified local event, and it is told here as legend.

Stories of this kind are worth hearing on a guided walk because a good storyteller sets them in a specific building and period. If you want the factual scaffolding, the city's museums cover the documented side of local life and death; several are free, and our free museums in Nottingham guide lists which cost nothing to enter.

The Galleries of Justice and the City of Caves: ghost hunt territory

The former Shire Hall on High Pavement, known as the Galleries of Justice, is an independent museum housed in a historic court and prison building, and it is marketed to ghost-hunting audiences alongside the City of Caves. A ghost hunt event combines the two sites for an evening of paranormal investigation rather than a guided story walk. That format suits people who want to sit in dark rooms with equipment, not families wanting an entertaining hour.

The City of Caves is the other half of that pairing: the sandstone caves beneath the streets, which are the same underground world the ghost walk finishes in. Event dates, prices and what the evening involves come from whoever is running the hunt rather than from the museum's normal opening hours, so it is best to check the event listing when you book. Our Galleries of Justice page sits within the wider Nottingham Attractions collection if you want the daytime version.

Telling legend from fact: what to expect on a ghost tour

A good ghost walk is theatre built on real streets: the guide tells stories, the buildings are genuine, and nobody claims to have proved anything. Go expecting an entertaining evening with local history attached and you will enjoy it; go expecting evidence and you will not. The distinction between a scheduled story walk and a ghost hunt is the main choice to make before booking.

Wear shoes you can walk in and a layer you can add, because the Castle Quarter is uneven underfoot and the cave finish is cooler than the street. If cave access changes on the night, the tour still runs on the streets, so the evening is not wasted. Nottingham's art galleries and museums make a good wet-weather alternative if you decide against an outdoor tour.

Which ghost experience suits families, couples and sceptics

Families with children under twelve should take the Original Nottingham Ghost Walk's dedicated children's walk, which is designed for younger audiences; the main Saturday walk is aimed at twelve and up and ends underground. Couples wanting atmosphere will get more from the Saturday walk than from a ghost hunt, which is a longer, darker and more equipment-heavy night. Sceptics should treat the walk as social history with a spooky frame and book accordingly.

Anyone weighing up a ghost hunt should note that it is an investigation event run at the Galleries of Justice and City of Caves rather than a straightforward tour, so the pace and format differ sharply. Pick the ghost walk for a scheduled, bookable evening and the hunt for a themed night out. Couples who want a calmer evening can add afternoon tea in Nottingham earlier in the day and keep the ghost walk as the nightcap.

Practical tips: booking, walking, caves and weather

Book the ghost walk online before a weekend visit, since Saturday is the only regular night outside the summer Wednesdays. Bring cash or a contactless card for the guide, and have the right change if paying in cash. Meeting point and finishing point are different, so agree where to regroup if your group splits.

Allow a couple of hours for the evening including the walk between the start and finish, and eat before you go rather than after, since the tour starts at 7.00pm. Warm layers matter more than an umbrella in the caves, and flat shoes are the sensible choice on the Castle Quarter's slopes. If you are staying overnight, the Lace Market is a central base within walking distance of the route.

If you enjoy this kind of storytelling, other cities do it too: our haunted places in Liverpool guide follows the same principle of naming the building and labelling the tale. Liverpool's Britannia Adelphi Hotel and Smithdown Road stories sit in the same legends-about-real-places frame. Keep Nottingham's stories in the same frame, enjoy them for what they are, and let the old streets do the rest.

Plan Your Visit

The simplest way to meet Nottingham's ghosts is the Original Nottingham Ghost Walk: book online, meet at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem before 7.00pm on a Saturday, and expect to finish in the caves below Ye Olde Salutation Inn. The standard ticket is listed at ten pounds for ages twelve and over, and summer adds Wednesday dates. The walk's disclaimer notes that details are subject to change, including cave access, so check the schedule and cave access when you book.

Build the rest of the day around the real places behind the stories: the Castle on its rock, the Trip below it, the Shire Hall on High Pavement and the caves under the streets. Nottingham's museums fill in the documented history, and the free ones cost nothing to enter. That combination gives you an honest version of a haunted city break.