Chains clatter, footsteps echo, and the groans of the condemned still linger. Old prisons and dungeons are among the most haunted sites in Britain and Ireland
This article is part of our Halloween 2025 series, Know Your Ghosts. If you’re planning to visit haunted sites this spooky season, this guide will help you recognise the spirits you might encounter.
For centuries, prisons, castles and gaols across the UK and Ireland confined traitors, rebels and criminals in horrific conditions.
Many were tortured, starved, or publicly executed, leaving behind grief and terror that seeped into the walls. Today, these same sites are magnets for ghost hunters and tourists alike.
Visitors report heavy atmospheres, phantom screams and apparitions of those who never left their cells.
Here are 10 notorious places where prisoner and dungeon spirits are still said to walk.
Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
Perhaps the most haunted fortress in England, the Tower has seen centuries of bloodshed.
The beheaded queens Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey are said to wander its precincts — Anne’s headless figure famously gliding through the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula.
Prisoners report groans and cold touches in the Salt Tower, while Yeoman Warders tell of spectral bears and the tortured screams of Guy Fawkes.
With so many confined, executed or murdered here, the Tower is less a fortress than a mausoleum of restless spirits.
Read more about the ghosts of the Tower of London.
Lancaster Castle, Castle Parade, Lancaster LA1 1YJ
This formidable castle doubled as a prison for centuries, notorious for the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612.
Held in foul conditions, the accused women left a deep psychic imprint; their whispers and sobs are still heard in the Well Tower.
Later prisoners endured public hangings outside the gates, their spirits said to drift around the courtyard.
Guides tell of sudden icy blasts and unseen hands brushing shoulders — grim reminders that Lancaster was once a place of terror and despair.
York Castle (Clifford’s Tower), Tower Street, York YO1 9SA
Clifford’s Tower, part of York Castle, is infamous for the 1190 massacre of the city’s Jewish community, who took refuge inside only to perish in flames.
Their cries are said to echo on the winds around the mound. Later, the castle served as a prison where rebels and debtors were confined.
Visitors have reported dark shadows moving across the stone walls and an overwhelming sense of sorrow.
The blood-soaked history ensures York Castle remains one of the most haunted sites in northern England.
Read more about the ghosts of Clifford’s Tower.
Bodmin Jail, Berrycoombe Road, Bodmin PL31 2NR
Built in 1779, Bodmin Jail housed smugglers, murderers and even children in appalling conditions.
More than 50 executions took place here, and the prison has been a magnet for ghost hunters ever since.
Cold spots, disembodied voices and full apparitions — including that of a small girl — are frequently reported.
The Execution Shed is especially active, with sensations of choking and panic overwhelming visitors.
Restored as a museum and hotel, Bodmin Jail continues to draw those curious about Cornwall’s darkest haunt.
Read more about the ghosts of Bodmin Gaol.
Kilmainham Gaol, Inchicore Road, Dublin D08 RK28
Once the largest unoccupied prison in Europe, Kilmainham’s cold stone corridors still echo with history.
It housed political prisoners, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, several of whom were executed by firing squad in the yard.
Visitors describe a crushing sense of grief, sudden drops in temperature, and spectral figures on the landings.
The chapel, where Joseph Plunkett married Grace Gifford hours before his death, remains a place of profound emotion — and, some say, ghostly presence.
Read about the ghosts of Kilmainham Gaol.
Wicklow Gaol, Kilmantin Hill, Wicklow Town, Co. Wicklow A67 FX72
Known as the “Gates of Hell”, Wicklow Gaol confined rebels, debtors and convicts bound for transportation.
Conditions were horrific, with disease and brutality rife.
Today it is a museum, but staff and tourists alike report moans, chains rattling and figures peering from barred windows.
Ghost tours tell of a spectral jailer who patrols the corridors, and of prisoners still begging for mercy.
Few leave without feeling the weight of the suffering endured here.
Read more about the ghosts of Wicklow Gaol.
Edinburgh Castle Dungeons, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG
Beneath Scotland’s most famous fortress lie cramped vaults that once held prisoners of war, from French sailors to American revolutionaries.
Scratched graffiti survives on the walls — names, ships, desperate prayers.
Many report feeling watched, touched or even shoved in the darkness.
Phantom drumming, attributed to a headless drummer boy, echoes through the castle.
The dungeons’ chill seems less from the stone than from the spirits of the condemned.
Read more about the ghosts of Edinburgh Castle.
Crumlin Road Gaol, Crumlin Road, Belfast BT14 6ST
Operating from 1846 until 1996, “The Crum” is one of Belfast’s most haunted landmarks. Political prisoners, murderers and suffragettes all passed through its cells.
Executions by hanging took place within its walls, and the condemned cell is a hotspot for ghostly encounters.
Staff tell of footsteps in empty wings, sudden drops in temperature and disembodied cries.
Paranormal groups have captured strange sounds and figures on camera, cementing Crumlin Road’s reputation as a prison that never really closed.
Read more about the ghosts of Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast.
Oxford Castle & Prison, 46 Oxford Castle, Oxford OX1 1AY
Dating back to 1071, Oxford Castle was a prison for nearly 900 years.
Its crypt and tower are steeped in legend, and visitors often feel sudden waves of nausea or panic.
The castle’s most famous spirit is Mary Blandy, hanged in 1752 for poisoning her father; she is said to still wander the grounds.
Dark shadows move along the cell corridors, and tourists frequently report hearing groans and rattling keys in the empty prison blocks.
Read more about the ghosts of Oxford Castle and Prison.
Shrewsbury Prison, The Dana, Shrewsbury SY1 2HP
Closed in 2013, Shrewsbury Prison is now open for tours and investigations — and has quickly earned a reputation for hauntings.
Built in 1793, it witnessed executions, floggings and brutal living conditions. Visitors describe apparitions of prisoners in uniform, unexplained bangs and footsteps in deserted wings.
The execution room is especially active, with sensations of dread and choking.
Paranormal groups rank Shrewsbury among the UK’s most reliably haunted prisons.
Read more about the ghosts of Shrewsbury Prison.
From medieval massacres to modern hangings, these sites hold centuries of torment.
Whether you believe in restless souls or echoes trapped in stone, prisons and dungeons across Britain and Ireland
Have you ever visited one of these haunted prisons? Share your experience in the comments or join the discussion on our Facebook group.
