Halloween is just around the corner and there’s no better place to be than in Norwich. Whatever your age, there’s plenty to do. We recently spoke to the mysterious Man in Black, who tours the historic streets of Norwich three times a week, sharing the spooky stories of the supernatural goings-on. Although not much is known about the Man in Black, whose knowledge of the ghosts of Norwich, is second to none, we do know that he took over Norwich Ghost Walks from Ghostly Dave Chisnell in 2008, who himself started the business in 1998. The Man in Black currently hosts the various walks with the help of his resident ghosts.
Of course, Norwich is the perfect place for such a unique business as its ancient buildings, winding cobbled streets, and hidden corners are the perfect setting for revealing the wealth of supernatural and historical stories.
When asked on the origins of his knowledge, the Man in Black told us that his start point was the book ‘Haunted Norwich’ about Norwich’s spooky past, written by his ex-colleague Ghostly Dave. He then used the vast number of books about the city’s history and unusual events, and of course, the internet.
The Man in Black hosts walks every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with each day comes a new walk. On Monday is the Lanes Walk, Tuesday is the Elm Hill Walk, and Thursday is the Castle walk. The Castle walk features one of the Man in Blacks favourite local tales of the Cannibal Girl of Tombland Alley, who was mistakenly locked in her house (now Augustine Steward House) with her deceased family during the Bubonic Plague of 1578. To avoid starvation, the young girl attempted to eat her family! However, it didn’t end well for her and now she haunts the streets of Tombland.
Halloween is of course one of the busiest times of the year for the Man in Black. As he hosts Halloween specials from Friday 27th October to Tuesday 31st October. This year’s specials will be held at the Cow Tower in Norwich, and will include 15 of the scariest stories drawn from the tales previously told over the last ten years; plus the famous ‘graveyard of no return’. They will run from 7.15pm every night with additional 9.30pm performances on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday. Tickets are priced at £8 per night and can be bought in advance from The Adam and Eve pub on Bishopgate. Equally, they can be purchased on the Norwich Ghost Walks website. Last year’s Halloween specials were very popular, with around 1000 people enjoying the events. So you really don’t want to miss out on this spooky event!
Our final question for the Man in Black revealed that the most haunted place in Norwich is The Maids Head hotel which is believed to be haunted by a number of terrifying ghosts, including a former mayor of the city, and a former maid whose presence can be detected by the strong smell of lavender.
You can find more information on the Norwich Ghost Walks, on their website.
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