With Halloween fast approaching, we uncover 13 of the darkest urban legends and ghost stories from Leeds history. Which tale scares you the most?
1. The Blue Lady of Temple Newsam
The Blue Lady is said to be the ghost of 14-year-old Lady Mary Ingram, who was robbed of her precious pearls and entered a state of deliriousness, dying shortly after. She now haunts the halls, weeping and searching for her pearls. | YPN Photo: YPN
2. Skull and Stones Yard, behind Kirkgate
A brutal press gang, which enlisted soldiers, locked two men in the hayloft at the Crown & Fleece pub, but the men had disappeared by dawn. Their bodies were eventually found under hay where they had suffocated tried to keep warm. | YPN Photo: YPN
3. The Leeds Town Hall Ghost
Leeds Town Hall is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Blythe, who threw herself from the clock tower in 1876. Legend has it that the clock doesnt strike at midnight so the ghost doesnt wake up. | YPN Photo: YPN
4. Leeds Town Hall Lions
The lions outside Leeds Town Hall are the subject of another tale with different versions. One version is that if the bell ever struck 13, the lions would come to life and go on a killing spree around the city. | YPN Photo: YPN
5. The Tragedy of Phoebe Grey
Temple Newsam estate servant Phoebe Gray was accidentally suffocated to death by a drunken admirer who jumped out from a dark staircase trying to kiss her. The story goes that screams can be heard from the cellar as Phoebe's ghost haunts the house. | YPN Photo: YPN
6. Ghost of Middleton Railway
In 1821 young carpenter David Brook was walking home along the tracks when he was hit by a train. There have been many reports of a ghost wandering along the tracks, dressed in a thick coat and shielding his eyes from the rain. | YPN Photo: YPN