BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC LOCATION - AS SEEN ON MOST HAUNTED!

Smithills Hall is a magnificent Grade II listed manor house in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is one of the oldest houses in north-west England and historical records show that it was occupied by the Radcliffe family from 1335-1498. When the last member of the Radcliffe family died without a male heir the estate passed through marriage to the Barton family and remained the family seat until 1660. It was later owned by two other families until 1801 when it was purchased by Richard Ainsworth who had been attracted by the abundance of fresh water on the Smithills estate which was essential for his cotton bleaching business. Three generations of the Ainsworth family occupied the Hall until it was sold to the Bolton Corporation in 1938 and almost three decades later it was opened as a museum.

Although the Hall has been restored over the years with both Tudor and Victorian modifications it still retains much of its initial arrangement and many of its original medieval rooms have been beautifully preserved. At the entrance to the Withdrawing Room there is a mark on the stone floor which is said to be the footprint of George Marsh who was a zealous Protestant preacher during the reign of committed Catholic, Mary I. Marsh was arrested for his beliefs and questioned at Smithills Hall in 1554 before later being convicted of heresy and burned at the stake in Chester. Legend has it that as he was being led from the Hall Marsh defiantly stamped his foot leaving a lasting emblem of his unyielding faith.

The Hall is well-renowned for its abundance of ghost sightings and strange phenomenon;

• Visitors report seeing women dressed in Victorian clothing tending to the gardens
• The ghost of a young child with curly hair has been seen on regular occasions and was once witnessed by a party of visiting schoolchildren
• People claim to be have been touched by unseen hands
• Dramatic temperature changes, slamming doors and shuffling or heavy footsteps have all been experienced
• The figure of a tall, dark man has been described as floating across the floor
• Security guards admit to feelings of being followed when walking along the servants hall
• The apparition of a woman wearing medieval dress has been seen on the staircase many times
• Barrier ropes swing unaided in the library and Ainsworth rooms
• Kneeling figures have been witnessed praying in the Chapel
• The ghost of man fitting the description of George Marsh has been seen in the shop, Chapel and on the stairs