One of Britain's most haunted houses is creaking open its doors to lift the lid on the ghostly goings-on which lurks within its walls.
Hoghton Tower, the magnificent 16th-century house near Preston, Lancashire, has earned the reputation of being Britain's third most haunted property – and now it is offering visitors a chance to experience it for themselves on selected dates in January and February.
Ghost hunters will ascend the one-mile driveway with a sense of foreboding before silent torchbearers take them on a tour through the darkened halls of the Tower.
Will you encounter spectres from the past as you are told about haunting happenings which have occurred across the centuries?
Venture through underground passages where footsteps from another time may echo alongside your own – and look out for the black dog who haunts the Well House.
Greet Angry Peter and stare into the painting where mysterious faces may reveal themselves, before finally grasping the opportunity to reflect on what you have seen and heard.
The tour is aimed at adults and is not suitable for anyone under the age of 16. At least one member of the party should be over the age of 21. Included in the £35 tour package is a two-course meal. For more information visit www.hoghtontower.co.uk
Today’s Tower might have been built in 1565 by Thomas Hoghton, but he was far from the first; previous structures here date all the way back to 1109.
The hilltop location, which made Hoghton Tower strategically crucial for centuries, now guarantees brilliant views to the Lakes, the Irish Sea and Wales, from the heart of the famous county which gives it so much of its identity.
Kings, queens, artists and authors have all been regular visitors here, adding their stories and a national perspective to what’s always been a unique, inspiring setting. If they’d kept a Guest Book, you’d find the signatures, among others, of William III & Queen Mary, George V & Queen Mary, as well as Dickens and Shakespeare (and Cillian Murphy!)
Hoghton Tower is the ancestral home of the de Hoghtons, who still own this Grade I listed building, offering a link not just to the earliest builders of the Tower, but to William the Conqueror and Lady Godiva too.