Nottingham Caves Phantom Monks
A vast network of over 800 man-made caves beneath Nottingham is haunted by phantom monks, mysterious chanting, and the spirits of those who lived and died underground.
Nottingham possesses one of England’s most extensive networks of man-made caves, with over 800 documented caverns carved from the soft sandstone beneath the city over the course of more than a thousand years. These caves served various purposes throughout history: medieval hideouts, storage cellars, air raid shelters, and even dwelling places for the poor. The most haunted sections are believed to be those connected to Nottingham’s medieval past, particularly caves associated with religious orders and those used as plague isolation chambers.
The most persistent reports involve phantom monks seen and heard in several cave complexes, particularly those with known connections to medieval monasteries and religious houses. Witnesses describe hearing Gregorian chanting echoing through empty passages, the sound of sandaled feet shuffling along cave floors, and glimpses of hooded figures carrying candles through the darkness. The Mortimer’s Hole cave system, which connects Nottingham Castle to Brewhouse Yard, is particularly active, with reports of ghostly processions moving through the tunnels and sudden drops in temperature that leave visitors feeling as though they’ve walked through an invisible cold barrier.
Tour guides and visitors have reported numerous other phenomena throughout the cave network: disembodied voices speaking in Old English or Latin, the sensation of being followed through empty passages, and apparitions of people from various historical periods appearing briefly before vanishing. Some caves reportedly show spectral re-enactments of past events, including scenes of people hiding from persecution or plague victims being isolated underground. The Peel Street caves, once used as slum dwellings, are said to be haunted by the spirits of Victorian poor who lived and died in the subterranean chambers. Paranormal investigation groups regularly explore the caves, with many reporting unusual electromagnetic readings, unexplained sounds on audio recordings, and compelling photographic anomalies in the deeper, less-visited sections of the network.