Aston Hall

Aston Hall is a magnificent red-brick Jacobean mansion built between 1618 and 1635 for Sir Thomas Holte, a wealthy and reportedly tyrannical baronet. The house witnessed dramatic events during the English Civil War, including a siege in 1643 that left cannonball damage still visible today. But it is the family’s dark domestic history that has given Aston Hall its haunted reputation, centered on the legend of a daughter imprisoned in the attic and the ghost of Dick Aston, whose connection to the house remains mysterious.

The most tragic ghost is that of a young woman believed to be one of Sir Thomas Holte’s daughters. According to legend, she refused an arranged marriage, and her father imprisoned her in the attic as punishment, where she remained for years until her death. Her spirit, known as the “Green Lady” or “White Lady,” is seen throughout the house but particularly on the attic stairs and in the long gallery. Witnesses describe her as appearing distressed, sometimes weeping, with visible bruising on her face. The sound of a woman sobbing has been heard coming from empty rooms, and some visitors report feeling overwhelming sadness in the attic area. Scratching sounds, as if someone is trying to escape, are occasionally heard from behind locked doors.

The ghost known as “Dick Aston” is equally famous but more enigmatic. This male spirit is seen primarily in the halls and on the grand staircase, appearing as a solid figure in 17th-century dress before vanishing. His identity is uncertain—possibly a servant, family member, or visitor who met an untimely end at the hall. Staff and visitors have reported numerous other phenomena: phantom footsteps echoing through empty corridors, doors opening and closing on their own, objects moving, and the sensation of being watched. The billiard room and servant areas are particularly active. During Civil War anniversaries, some witnesses claim to hear sounds of battle, shouting, and musket fire. Aston Hall’s combination of tragic family history and wartime violence has created one of Birmingham’s most genuinely haunted historic buildings.