Jacobean Mansion

The site of this Jacobean mansion was the family seat of the Wentworths from the 1400's onwards. The house is mentioned twice in the Guinness Book of Records; once as the largest house in England, and secondly as the house with the longest frontage. After the house became a college, students reported on many occasions feeling as though they were 'being watched', and several of the unluckier ones among them even felt the sensation of being 'prevented' from climbing the stairs by an invisible force!

Thomas Wentworth resided in the Hall at the time of King Charles I, acting as administrator to the royal family, until he was beheaded for political treachery. His ghost was believed to appear at 11.00 pm each night walking down the stairs from the oldest part of the mansion, where his living accommodation was once situated.

Another spectre at the Hall is an unknown female spirit, rumoured to be a member of the Rockingham family, who allegedly had an affair with a footman to the disgrace of her family. After her death she continued to appear at the end of Chapel Corridor, close to the old servants' quarters where she would once have walked by dead of night to engage in secret trysts with her lover.

Despite the history of the Hall, many people who have resided there have described its atmosphere as 'friendly' and Tived-in', and an all-night vigil by ghost-hunters in the 1970's turned up no new leads, despite the fact that Thomas Wentworth's ghost was expected to appear at its usual time of 11 o' clock!

Related Links for Haunted and College: Christ's College |