Behind the elegance of Winstanley House in Leicester lies a chilling history of ghostly sightings, tragic tales and unexplained events.
Winstanley House is an elegant mansion standing quietly in Braunstone Park, Leicester.
By day, it hosts wedding guests and diners in elegant Georgian rooms.
But when the sun goes down and the lights dim, the house reveals another face.
For decades – perhaps centuries – people have spoken of pale figures in the corridors, whispers behind closed doors, and movements in empty rooms. Winstanley House may wear a polished exterior, but something older and colder lives behind the plasterwork.
History of Winstanley House, Leicester
Built in 1775 for Clement Winstanley, the house was once the heart of a grand estate.
The Winstanleys ruled their land with quiet authority, their lineage stretching deep into Leicestershire’s past. But even in its early years, misfortune clung to the family.
In 1862, James Beaumont Winstanley vanished during a trip to Ireland. His body surfaced weeks later in a river, too far from where he was last seen. No one ever explained how he got there. His death marked the beginning of the end for the Winstanleys in Braunstone.
The house passed to the council in 1925. By 1932, it was a school, and its long halls filled with the noise of children. But many of those children grew up remembering shadows in the stairwells and cold patches in classrooms. One former pupil swore they heard crying from the attic every afternoon, though no one ever found the source.
After decades of decay, the building was restored and reopened in 2018 as Winstanley House—a high-end hotel and event space. It is clean, modern and filled with light. But guests still speak of the dark.
Hauntings of Winstanley House
The hauntings here are not confined to a single tale. They come from builders, staff, guests, and even emergency responders—people with no reason to invent what they saw.
One of the most frequently seen spirits is a young woman in a white robe. She’s believed to be May Winstanley, who died of tuberculosis at just eighteen. At the time of her death, she had entered a convent, and novice nuns wore white. Many have seen her standing at the end of hallways or drifting through doorways, her face veiled, her form fading if approached. Some guests have reported waking at night to find her watching from the foot of their bed.
Another apparition, a woman in a pink ballgown, appears near the bedrooms. She often stares through windows as though waiting for someone. A few visitors have mentioned catching the faint scent of rosewater before seeing her.
In the attic, a little girl has been seen darting behind furniture or peeking from behind beams. Staff cleaning those upper rooms have heard soft laughter, followed by sudden silence. One caretaker quit after a door slammed shut behind them, though it had been wedged open moments earlier.
Guests have described being pushed or tugged by invisible hands, usually in the corridor leading to the old service wing. Several have spotted a man in gamekeeper’s dress, moving through the back garden as though on patrol, only to vanish when followed.
Some of the strangest accounts concern a horse-drawn carriage seen travelling across the grounds. It moves silently, and witnesses say the driver looks straight ahead, his face blank and unnatural. These sightings often occur in the early hours, just before dawn.
The building has also shown signs of poltergeist-like activity. Lights switch on in locked rooms. Doors close on their own. During the years when the building stood empty, alarms were triggered several times. Police responded expecting vandals, but never found anyone inside.
One local legend suggests the hauntings may go back to the very beginning. During the hall’s construction, a stonemason and a labourer died in unexplained accidents. Their names are lost, but many believe their spirits remained behind, still tied to the place they helped build.
Visiting Winstanley House
Winstanley House, Hinckley Road, Leicester, LE3 1HX, is open to the public and offers rooms, dining, and weddings. It doesn’t advertise its ghosts. But the staff know the stories. Some will speak freely about the things they’ve seen. Others won’t say a word after dark.
Guests can stay overnight in rooms close to the attic or the old servants’ quarters. Those who do often leave with strange stories—doors that close on their own, taps that run cold water warm, and dreams filled with voices they don’t recognise.
Winstanley House does not shout its secrets. It murmurs them. Beneath its polished wood and painted walls lie stories of grief, of spirits who never left, and of something that still moves behind the scenes. The house is beautiful. But beauty does not keep the dead away. Some places are built to last. Others refuse to let go.
Have you experienced anything unusual at Winstanley House? Share your story in the comments below.
