Halloween might not be until the end of the month but there’s no reason you shouldn’t get into the spooky spirit already.
English Heritage is hosting new ghost tours around five historic monasteries, predominantly in Yorkshire. The tours have been curated by Michael Carter, a historian at the charity, together with Dale Townshend, a professor of gothic literature at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Said to be academically rigorous but entertaining, the tours should help you to actually wrap your head around the purpose of the monasteries. That doesn’t mean they’ll be any less gruesome, though: one of the stories includes an evil local priest buried at Byland, who is said to have gouged the eyes out of a woman. Yikes.
The first tours took place at Roche Abbey this weekend. Upcoming tours will take place at Furness Abbey on October 8 and 9, at 10am and noon; Byland Abbey on November 5 and 6, at 11am and noon; Lanercost Priory on November 12 and 19, at 11am; Rievaulx Abbey on November 26 and 27, at 11am and noon.
Tours are free and no booking is required, although entrance fees to the sites apply. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Find out more here.
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