During the day, Norwich’s Tombland district (derived from the term “wasteland” – not really referring to anything tomb-related) is a huge draw for tourists and locals alike, as it’s home to many historic buildings and is flanked between the majestic Cathedral and Elm Hill. The immediate area also has many great cafes and restaurants, including Tatlers and Erpingham House.

However, as Halloween approaches, it pays to explore a lesser-known side of Tombland, and perhaps the possibility that it’s not just the living who are frequent visitors to the cobbled streets…

Located at one end of Tombland are The Maids Head Hotel and Samson & Hercules House (formerly Ritzy’s, Central Park…newly refurbished into apartments). They both have ghost stories associated with them, and when you explore their heritage a bit more, it’s perhaps easy to understand why. Maids Head dates back to the 13th century, when it was called the ‘Murtle Fish’. The name is said to have changed after a visit by Queen Elizabeth I to Norwich in 1578. Rumors that she stayed at The Maids Head are contradicted by stories that it was full at the time, so she actually stayed. somewhere else nearby. Like most places visited by the Royal Party in 1578, the Black Death or Plague was destined to follow in its wake. It has been suggested that a member of the large group spread the plague as they traveled from place to place and Norwich was no exception (although historians later doubted this claim). From August 1578 to February 1579 almost 5,000 plague victims were recorded in the city. In all, almost half of the entire population of Norwich may have perished from the plague during this time. As the rats thrived in the narrow alleys, the grim cry of ‘take out your dead’ echoed throughout the city. As the number of bodies grew colossal, formal burials were abandoned in favor of mass graves or “plague pits”. Loads of bodies were taken to the Cathedral Enclosure, which became a large burial area. The cemeteries behind St. George’s Church are so tall that they were raised to accommodate the large number of bodies.

The church is alleged to have played an even more sinister role during this time, being the site where opportunistic looters of the dead and dying would take if they were caught. He says that, after being bound at the ankles and wrists, they would be thrown headfirst from St. George’s Church to the unforgiving ground below. Their bodies, dead or still alive, would join the plague victims in the wells.

One of Norwich’s largest plague pits was dug under the site of Samson and Hercules, which was for many years a nightclub by various names. Those who remember dancing the night away may not know that they were also dancing on the bodies of some 5,000 plague victims! This uniquely somber feature, coupled with the proximity to the Cathedral, may be the root cause of numerous stories of hauntings and disturbances in the building over the years. These include the appearance of a ‘Lady in Grey’ (perhaps the ghost of a young woman who apparently starved to death in the Augustine Steward House next door (now an antique shop) after it was boarded up during the plague?), spectral monks , shadowy figures and, when the building was used as a YWCA, recurring nightmares for residents of being buried alive in a huge pit filled with corpses…

Maids Head has also been the site of reported sightings of an old lady dressed in gray (the same ‘Grey Lady’ seen in Samson & Hercules perhaps?). Staff and guests who have seen her move through the hotel, often accompanied by the scent of lavender, speculate that she was once a waitress employed by the hotel. The ghost of an old man, believed to be a former mayor, has also been seen vigorously shaking his head in the courtyard.

Ghosts and spirits are often awakened when renovations are being carried out on an old building, disturbing your peaceful rest. Please note that both the old nightclub and the hotel have undergone repairs and renovations in the recent past.

Other ghostly occurrences that have been reported in the old Tombland district include the ghost of a strangled girl, soldiers, rebels, and the sound of hooves from Oliver Cromwell’s massacred cavalry on a cold January night. Perhaps it would take a brave soul to stay in Tombland late this Halloween…?

Other places to visit in Norwich.