Spectral sightings and creepy coachman revealed as stories of …

A spooky side of the city's history has been uncovered in the University of Leicester's archives.

More than 100 ghost sightings have been reported in Leicester, according to Leicester Museums, making it one of the UK's most haunted cities. And with a history of more than 200 years, it is no surprise that the UoL campus has a few ghost stories of its own.

The university's library archive holds a series of documents and images that have revealed stories of paranormal experiences at some of its notable campuses and sites across the city. Among them are a ghostly coachman and woman who were rumoured to have haunted Knighton Hall.

Knighton Hall, built in the 12th century, has long been home to the university's Principals and Vice-Chancellors including current Vice-Chancellor Nishan Canagarajah. A private letter, held by the university, suggests he might not be alone there.

A lady who previously lived in Knighton Hall wrote that people felt a presence on the top landing and experienced a feeling of being watched during the night in one of the bedrooms. The letter said: "It is rumoured to have a secret passageway to a nearby church and to be haunted by a ghostly coachman and Grey Lady."

Ghosts have also been rumoured to stalk the halls of two of the university's houses in Stoughton Drive in Oadby. Today, they are part of the student halls and the Botanic Garden.

A book entitled A Prospect of Oadby: The Story of its Northern Development From 1902 to 1992, by Helen Boynton, contains an account about two buildings, The Knoll and Meadowcroft. The University bought The Knoll in 1964 and is now part of the Botanic Garden. Meadowcourt was bought in 1955 and is now Digby Hall.

"There is reputed to be a ghost in The Knoll which haunts the first floor, particularly one of the rooms overlooking the pond in the garden," an excerpt from the book reads.

It adds: "The story goes that one of the ladies living in the house... looked out of the window and saw someone drowning in the pond, which is heart-shaped... the ghost appears towards the end of August. Lights go on and off, footsteps can be heard, and doors slam shut.

"There is also a ghost here [Meadowcourt, now Digby Hall] and a lady in a large bonnet has been seen several times in the kitchen frightening the cook who described a rush of cold air passing on one occasion."

Although UoL was established in 1921, its first building dates back much further. What is now known as the Fielding Johnson Building, close to the city centre, was originally used as an asylum for paupers with mentally and physically debilitating illnesses.

The childhood home of David and Richard Attenborough, College House, was also part of the original asylum buildings and used as the Superintendent's house from 1972. By 1908, all patients had been transferred to a new facility at Carlton Hayes, in Narborough.

The building then stood empty until the First World War, when it was occupied by 5^th Northern General Military Hospital.

Eleanor Bloomfield, Archives and Special Collections Advisor at the University, said: "The University archives contain thousands of documents relating to the founding and history of the institution. Special Collections contains several thousand rare books; many of these are Victorian, an age which had an intense fascination with death and ghosts.

"The collections have been built up over time from a variety of different sources and donors. They are important in order to preserve and shed light on the past."

References

1. ^{^} The haunted Leicestershire house that threatened to 'kill' TV's Yvette Fielding (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)