Chester: England's Most Haunted City

Bumps in the Night

Chester's big Bingo Hall in Brook Street is home to a sinister presence that manifests itself so often that the staff have nicknamed it ‘George’.

Originally the Old Gaumont Cinema, and then the Top Rank Bowling Alley, the large, atmospheric building has been haunted since at least the Second World War. The spine-chilling experiences began when staff were on nighttime fire watch during enemy air raids. A loud thud, followed by two smaller thuds was heard on the projection box roof. At first witnesses thought it was a German pilot parachuting onto the roof; yet a thorough search revealed nothing. Only when the sounds recurred during further air raids did they become concerned.

After the war, machinery in the bowling alley often switched itself on when no one was around. Ghostly footsteps climbed the stairs when the building was empty. And a pet corgi belonging to one of the staff panicked and backed out of a storeroom, growling and with all its fur standing on end. For the rest of its life, it refused to return to the room.