For another way of looking at Newcastle 🙂

Newcastle Upon Tyne, or better known as ‘The Toon’, is world famous for its many bridges that span across the River Tyne connecting Newcastle to Gateshead, as well as its fascinating history and nightlife.

Yet, what many of us aren’t aware of its rich infinitely spine-chilling accounts of the paranormal. Poltergeists, apparitions and haunting have centred within the city. Whether you believe it or not the whole topic of ghosts is today widespread and gaining more attention and I would like for you to simply enjoy this thrilling ghost story as nothing more than that, a story. A story in which I guess we will never know is true or not.

Where better to start a ghost blog of Newcastle than at a theatre? Typically, theatres are seen as the foreground for most ghosts stories, a cliché that every auditorium has its own neighbouring apparition, yet this story I found the most intriguing. For context, there are a number of theatres in the city but one is more well known that the rest. The Theatre Royal on Grey Street was opened on 20th February 1837 and was designed by John and Benjamin Green, as many of there architectural designs are seen around Newcastle today, such as the construction of Grey’s Monument at the top of Grey Street.

It is believed that the theatre is haunted by the ghost of a suicidal woman known as the Grey Lady, although reports have differed to her demise and why she continues to haunt here. So, the story goes the lady was attending the Theatre on a cold Christmas night in the early 1850s when she was spurned by her lover, and threw herself to her death from the gallery; others say she was pushed by her partner… no one knows for sure.

Again, details are scarce but people have described seeing a woman moving around the seats then into the aisle. After calling out several times with no response, they have gone to see who was in the area and no one was there. Staff members claim they have heard screams when working late into the night yet no one knows where they have came from.

Many questions have arose for you to question yourself: ‘Is the story genuine, if so, why does the lady appear to haunt the grounds of the theatre?’ I have researched and researched yet barely found any details of this same woman who died at the theatre in the mid nineteenth century. Yet the legend seems to live on and I hope you keep this in mind the next time you visit the theatre.

Happy ghost hunting.