Hay-on-Wye Book Town Phantoms

Hay-on-Wye, internationally renowned as the “Town of Books” with over twenty bookshops and the famous annual literary festival, sits on the Welsh border beneath the Black Mountains. But beneath the literary charm and bibliophile paradise lies a darker history of border conflicts, castle sieges, and mysterious deaths. The town’s atmospheric bookshops, many housed in centuries-old buildings, and the ruins of Hay Castle create perfect conditions for paranormal activity, with numerous reports of literary ghosts, phantom readers, and medieval spirits.

The most famous hauntings center on Hay Castle, which has burned down multiple times throughout history. The ruined Norman keep and partially restored Jacobean mansion are said to be inhabited by several ghosts, including a “Grey Lady” seen walking the battlements and through the castle grounds. During the 1977 fire that devastated the castle, some witnesses claimed to see figures at windows in parts of the building where no one could have survived. The castle’s library, once home to thousands of rare books, is reportedly haunted by a scholar who died during one of the fires, still searching for lost manuscripts. Visitors to the castle during open days report sudden cold spots, the smell of smoke when none is present, and an overwhelming sense of tragedy.

The bookshops themselves are hotbeds of paranormal activity. Multiple shop owners and staff report books falling from shelves with no explanation, always the same titles or subjects, as if guided by invisible hands. Richard Booth’s Bookshop, one of the largest, has reports of a phantom customer—an elderly gentleman in tweed who browses the history section before vanishing. The sound of pages turning and footsteps have been heard in closed shops after hours. At The Murder and Mayhem bookshop (specializing in true crime), staff report an oppressive atmosphere and objects moving, possibly linked to the dark subject matter. Several buildings along Castle Street and High Town report Victorian-era ghosts, including a woman in a long dress seen in upper floor windows and a child’s laughter heard in empty rooms. The Old Black Lion pub, dating to the 17th century, has multiple spirits including a former landlord and Civil War soldiers who appear in period dress.

Local legend speaks of a “Phantom Librarian”—a figure seen in various bookshops who appears to be cataloging and organizing books, believed to be the ghost of someone who loved books so much they continue their work in death. During the Hay Festival, when thousands descend on the town, there are increased reports of unexplained phenomena—perhaps the concentration of creative energy and literary passion somehow amplifies the paranormal activity. Whether haunted by book-loving spirits, medieval nobles, or border conflict victims, Hay-on-Wye proves that a town dedicated to stories has plenty of ghostly tales of its own.