Are you brave enough to enter Newsham Park Hospital, Liverpool’s most infamous asylum-turned-paranormal hotspot?
Newsham Park Hospital is one of the most chilling haunted places in Liverpool. With a tragic history and countless ghost sightings, this former orphanage-turned-asylum is steeped in sorrow and the supernatural.
Here we explore the dark history of this foreboding building and the spine-tingling hauntings that continue to terrify visitors.
A Victorian Institution of Lost Souls
Built in 1874, the imposing red-brick structure began life as the Liverpool Seamen’s Orphan Institution. It was created to house the children of sailors who had perished at sea — a noble cause on paper, but a place steeped in sadness behind its walls.
Thousands of orphans passed through the building over the decades. Though strict discipline was common at the time, some say the children suffered far more than structure and schooling.
Whispers suggest emotional neglect, with some areas of the building reportedly used for harsh punishments.
In 1949, the orphanage closed. The building was later transformed into Newsham Park Hospital, a psychiatric facility that catered to mentally ill and geriatric patients.
The change did little to lighten the atmosphere. In fact, the sorrow only seemed to deepen.
By 1992, after the closure of the infamous Rainhill Asylum, many of its patients and staff were moved to Newsham. But it was not long before this facility too was deemed unfit, and it closed its doors in 1997.
Its records remain sealed for 100 years.
The Ghosts of Newsham Park Hospital
Since the closure, Newsham Park Hospital has become one of the most haunted locations in Liverpool. Paranormal investigators, thrill-seekers and sceptics alike have all walked its shadowy halls — and many have fled in terror.
Visitors frequently report eerie sensations: phantom footsteps following them, doors opening unaided, and cold drafts with no natural source.
Shadow figures have been seen darting through corridors, while disembodied voices whisper from empty rooms.
One of the most harrowing tales involves a nurse who worked the night shift. After repeated encounters with a malevolent spirit, she was found dead at the top of a staircase.
Her ghost is still said to patrol the halls, trapped in a never-ending loop of fear.
Perhaps the most infamous feature of the hospital is its “naughty cupboards” — a series of built-in lockers used during the orphanage years to punish misbehaving children.
Legend has it one boy was locked inside and forgotten, left to die in the darkness.
Today, his ghost is said to slam the cupboard doors and timidly peek out when people draw near.
Other reported phenomena include:
- Apparitions of children wandering the wards
- Tools disappearing and reappearing in different locations
- Sudden drops in temperature
- Mysterious bangs and dragging sounds
- Unexplained figures appearing in photographs
The hospital’s paranormal reputation is so powerful that multiple ghost-hunting companies now operate tours and overnight vigils within its decaying walls.
Visiting Newsham Park Hospital
Newsham Park Hospital is not open to the public for casual visits. However, several reputable companies, including Haunted Happenings and Haunted Rooms, offer guided ghost hunts for those brave enough to explore the building after dark.
While past plans to convert the site into a bar, restaurant or events venue have been floated, they have never come to fruition.
The building seems to resist change — as if the spirits within want to be left alone.
If you are planning a visit, dress warmly, bring a torch, and prepare for a night you will not forget.
Have you seen or experienced the ghosts of Newsham Park Hospital? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
