Clifton Hall, a grand Georgian mansion in Nottinghamshire, became the site of a terrifying real-life haunting that drove its wealthy owners to flee within eight months
In early 2007, millionaire businessman Anwar Rashid purchased the South Wing of Clifton Hall, a Grade I listed Georgian mansion in Nottinghamshire, for £3.6 million.
With 17 bedrooms, a cinema, a gym, and panoramic views over the River Trent, it seemed ideal for his growing family.
Instead, it became the backdrop for one of the UK’s most chilling paranormal episodes.
Lee Roberts, founder of Ashfield Paranormal Investigation Team (T.A.P.I.T.), featured the case in his Spooky Isles article about Haunted Nottinghamshire, lending it both gravitas and credibility: “An old School house and living quarters Clifton Hall… Their plan quickly turned to a nightmare.”
He described a case that touched the edge of horror: “There have been reports of a ghostly girl being pushed down some stairs and also more recently a guest on an event was assaulted by an invisible ghoul that punched him in the nose, followed by scratches on the arm of a second guest.”
Horror at Clifton Hall
From the very first night, the Rashid family experienced the haunting firsthand: loud knocks on the wall and a disembodied voice asking, “Is anyone there?” Rashid and his family searched the empty, locked house in vain. In the days that followed, activity escalated.
Nabila Rashid woke at 5am to see what looked like her eldest daughter watching TV — only to later find her upstairs in bed. A maid saw a grey figure sitting on her bed. Guests refused return visits. Finally, blood spots appeared on their infant son’s quilt.
“When we found blood spots on the baby’s quilt, that was the day my wife said she’d had enough. We didn’t even stay that night,” Rashid recalled.
Within eight months, the Rashids had fled. By 2008, the hall was repossessed — and the press coined it “the UK’s Amityville Horror.”
Why Is It Haunted?
Paranormal reports at Clifton Hall date back to its days as a girls’ grammar school in the 1970s, when students and staff reported ghostly footsteps, crying babies behind sealed rooms, and shadowy child-like shapes lurking in corridors.
Local legend suggests the origin: a maid who had a child by the lord of the manor, only to be rejected. In grief and despair, she allegedly jumped from a third-floor window with her baby. Their tragic deaths are thought to leave residual hauntings — a woman in white and a weeping infant eternally bound to the Hall.
When the Rashids moved in, however, activity intensified.
Investigations by Ashfield Paranormal
Rashid hired the Ashfield Paranormal Investigation Team, led by Lee Roberts, a former police officer with years of experience investigating haunted buildings. Roberts spent more than a year on site and reported some of the most intense paranormal phenomena he’d witnessed.
He shared chilling anecdotes from his team’s time at the Hall:
- Multiple independent witnesses reported seeing a ghostly girl pushed down the stairs.
- One guest claimed to have been punched in the nose by an invisible entity, with another waking up scratched the next day.
Despite the team’s expertise, the activity persisted. Two members fainted after each independently reported encountering a ghostly boy. Temperature fluctuations, strange atmospheric readings, faint voices, and inexplicable physical sensations were common. Roberts admitted: “Their plan quickly turned to a nightmare.”
After extensive baseline monitoring, the team still couldn’t locate a definitive source or cleanse the house. They concluded that something deeply unsettled remained within the Hall’s walls.
Security staff brought in after the Rashids left also refused night shifts. They witnessed chairs moving on their own, monks wandering in the grounds, and faint figures falling in the graveyard.
No new hauntings have emerged since a new family moved in around 2012. Some suggest the spirits finally found closure. Others believe they simply retreated after making their presence known.
Can You Visit Clifton Hall?
Clifton Hall remains a private residence and is not open to the public. No tours or interior access are permitted. But you can still catch glimpses from nearby public footpaths, particularly along Clifton Grove and riverside trails on the Trent.
Despite its inaccessibility, Clifton Hall stands as one of Britain’s most compelling modern hauntings — a nexus of historical tragedy, folklore, human terror, and inexplicable phenomena. Even from a distance, its presence is powerful.
And if you pause quietly by its walls, you might just sense a question drifting on the wind: “Is anyone there?”
Have you experienced anything unusual near Clifton Hall? Tell us your story in the comments section!
