A mysterious voice beneath Nottingham Castle and an unexpected encounter in a pub cave are among the stories Simon Unsworth shares from more than three decades of The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk.
The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk began in 1992, founded by local psychic Jenny Bright and her husband, Dr David Cross. After attending walks elsewhere, particularly in York, they felt Nottingham had the stories to support one of its own.
Jenny already knew Simon and his enthusiasm for storytelling and entertaining. When she asked whether he would lead the walk, he happily agreed.
After Jenny and David retired, Simon took over with his friend and business partner, Bryan Hall. Today, the walk has six guides who share a love of local history and storytelling.
Why Nottingham is so spooky
Ask Simon what makes Nottingham fertile ground for ghosts and he points to its long, turbulent past. His account moves from its early settlement and medieval castle to the Civil War, lace manufacturing and the hardship of the old Narrow Marsh slums.
These are layers of history that visitors can still explore. The castle, old pubs and former industrial buildings give the stories physical settings. Below them lies Nottingham’s extensive network of caves.
For Simon, centuries of turbulent change help explain Nottingham’s wealth of ghosts and legends.
The mysterious voice at Mortimer’s Hole
Simon’s favourite story concerns Mortimer’s Hole, the tunnel winding down from Nottingham Castle towards the foot of Castle Rock, where the River Leen once ran.
“It’s very much a centrepiece of our walk,” he says.
The haunting he describes involves a voice screaming a message in Norman French. In the story told on the walk, the spirit is widely believed to be Queen Isabella, and the words connect the haunting with the troubled royal history surrounding Edward II and Edward III.
Simon says the message was translated only in more modern times. He finds its language particularly intriguing: why would someone inventing a ghost story choose an obscure dialect associated with the medieval Anglo-Norman monarchy?
He describes the story as extremely gory, and one he particularly enjoys telling.
What did the twins see in the Salutation caves?
Simon recalls an unusual experience many years ago, while finishing a walk in the caves beneath Ye Olde Salutation Inn. It was a quiet night, and he could observe his audience closely.
While he was speaking, one woman widened her eyes and stared into a corner. She discreetly nudged her twin sister and indicated that she should look too. Her sister’s eyes also widened in shock.
Afterwards, both women approached him to describe what they had seen. According to Simon, their account matched a ghost whose story he had not included that evening.
Sightings and unusual experiences on the walk are rare, he says, but they are not unknown. What struck him here was that the sisters described a little-known ghost whose story he had not told.
Research behind the stories
The performance rests on research. Simon estimates that about a year’s work went into preparing the walk before it began. When he took over, the stories were researched again, with the internet opening up sources that had been much harder to reach in 1992.
“Since then, research is an ongoing discipline,” he says.
The guides could draw on hundreds of Nottingham ghost stories, but Simon says they select those with the strongest supporting accounts and historical grounding, as well as those that work well when told aloud.
He also sees a distinction between the city’s ghost lore and the wider county’s folklore. In his view, industrialisation and migration helped older rural traditions slip from everyday memory. A separate storytelling event explores Nottinghamshire’s county legends, giving those tales room beyond the city walk.
The hidden history of the Lace Market
For Simon, the Lace Market deserves particular attention. Its surviving buildings and underground spaces offer a way into several periods of Nottingham’s past.
“Personally, I find the Lace Market area to be the most mysterious and enchanting,” he says.
He points to Saxon remains, caves, medieval graveyards and old industrial buildings, with hidden history often directly underfoot.
The team also offers a Lace Market Ghost Walk. Simon says that, at the time of our interview, it is available for private parties.
A Derbyshire storyteller with a taste for mermaids
Simon’s interest in folklore extends across the county border. Born in Derbyshire, he traces his fascination with myths and legends to hearing Viking tales as a young boy.
He noticed that many books in his folklore collection seemed to leave Derbyshire out. He began gathering local tales for his Derbyshire Folklore website, a project he calls “a labour of love”.
One discovery particularly delighted him: three mermaid stories in the Peak District. For a county so far from the sea, these legends are an unexpected find.
Experience Nottingham’s ghosts for yourself
After so many years, the audience still matters. Simon says the guides share a love of local history and enjoy seeing how people respond to their stories. What keeps them telling those tales is, in his words, “the simple passion for weaving an enthralling tale”.
For anyone keen to explore further, Simon recommends the Nottingham Hidden History website as a source of stories and lore from the city and wider county.
Find out more about The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk in our Events Guide.
