By Elizabeth Broughton

The ghostly secrets of Carlisle Castle will be revealed following an investigation by a major TV show.

Yvette Fielding and the Most Haunted team will be in Carlisle

Living TV’s Most Haunted, in which experts hunt for ghouls in some of the most haunted places in Britain, camped out overnight at the historic landmark in July – and the investigation has been hailed a resounding success.

The show, which is hosted by former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding, is being aired next month and will be the first time that details of the team’s paranormal findings have been revealed.

During their stay the team experienced mysterious footsteps in the gatehouse, some interesting phenomena in the Captain’s Tower and Keep and strange interest in one of the castle’s cherry trees.

And now, as Halloween approaches, the castle is preparing to send shivers down spines as part of a special programme of events.

In costumed guided tours, visitors will have the chance to experience the ghostly goings-on both under and above the city’s streets as they wander through the damp dungeons and hear tales of the castle’s secrets.

A ghostly woman reputedly stalks the corridors, and, in 1823, frightened a soldier so badly that he bayoneted the apparition, impaling the wall behind it. He is alleged to have fainted and died of shock the following day.

Three years earlier, a woman clothed in tartan was supposedly discovered bricked up on a staircase in the Captain’s Tower. She was holding a young child and wearing a costume which was said to date back to Elizabethan times.

This fits with the findings of the Most Haunted team and of the castle’s staff, who have reported seeing mysterious figures on the top floor of the tower.

In 1992, an apparition moving beneath an arch between the exhibition and gift shop area in the castle’s King’s Own Border Regiment museum was blamed for setting the alarms off three nights in a row.

Jon Hogan, events manager for English Heritage, said:“The Most Haunted endorsement proves that whether you’re a sceptic or not, there’s something very thrilling and chilling about walking around a draughty dungeon hearing tales of haunting, especially at this time of year.”

The Ghosts and Ghastly Stories guided tours run between Monday, October 26 and Friday, October 30 at 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm. Admission is £7 for adults, £6.30 concessions and £3.80 for children, with reduced prices for members of English Heritage. Booking is advisable on 01228 625600.

First published at 05:20, Friday, 18 September 2009
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk