Museum brought to life by ghoulish goings-on

There will be ghostly goings-on at Newark’s Millgate Museum this winter as tours take place recounting some of town’s spookiest stories.

A museum volunteer, Mr Bill Lay, takes on the role of a Victorian doctor to lead groups around the museum — that was built as an oil seed mill and warehouse in the 1800s.

During the tour Mr Lay tells ghost stories from the town and surrounding area.

One of the tales involves the former Magnus School buildings on Appletongate, which during the first world war were used by convalescing soldiers.

Mr Lay said: “In 1916 strange things started happening in the building including noises and doors opening and closing on their own.

“One soldier got a bit fed-up of this and took his bayonet and stuck it in the floor to keep the door closed. In the morning the door was open but the bayonet was still there, undamaged.

“Some of the soldiers claimed they saw a ghost that disappeared after they stabbed it with a bayonet which, of course, went right through it.”

Mr Lay said the haunting was attributed to a grisly incident alleged to have happened in the 1660s when the building was a school.

He said: “Apparently there was a Spanish boy at the school who was so objectionable that one of the other boys took it into his hands to chase him into one of the dark rooms at the very top of the school where he chopped his head off.”

Millgate Museum itself has its fair share of ghosts.

Staff and visitors have reported seeing a woman in black in a corridor by the printing room.

Mr Lay said: “When the building was a warehouse the foreman was checking the building before closing up.

“He was doing that by the area that is now the printing room when a woman fell and hit her head on one of the great metal pillars.

“She fell down a chute into the river to her death, so it is believed it may be her.”

People have also reported spooky occurrences in the downstairs toilets.

Mr Lay said the tours were suitable for those who believed in ghosts and those who were more sceptical.

“I think the tours are scary, thought-provoking and exciting. I think the museum is a lovely old building to wander round at night,” he said.

“It’s about story-telling, which is one of the oldest traditions.”

The next tour is on Wednesday, November 24.

The tour costs £1.50 for adults or £1 for children and can be booked at the museum on 01636 655730.

Mr Lay will lead a free ghost walk around Newark town-centre today.

It will start and end at Newark Library and participants will be given a map and activity sheet to follow.

After the walk a librarian will be available to answer questions on history and there will be a display of photographs in the library showing how important sites in the town used to look.

The walk is from 5pm to 6.30pm and can be booked on 01636 703966.