Turton Tower

Turton Tower is a historic fortified manor house with origins in the 15th century, though it was substantially expanded during the Tudor and Stuart periods. The tower’s strategic location made it important during the turbulent years of the English Civil War, when Lancashire was bitterly divided between Royalist and Parliamentarian sympathies. The Orrell family, who owned Turton Tower for over 300 years, supported the Royalist cause, and the house is said to have sheltered Cavalier soldiers fleeing from Cromwell’s forces. It is these desperate men whose spirits are said to still haunt the ancient corridors.

The ghosts of Cavalier soldiers are regularly reported at Turton Tower, particularly in the older sections of the building and on the stone staircase. Witnesses describe seeing men in 17th-century military dress, sometimes appearing wounded or distressed, moving hurriedly through rooms as if fleeing pursuit. Some are seen looking out of windows toward the moors beyond, keeping watch for approaching enemies. The sounds of sword fights, shouting, and the clash of steel have been heard echoing through empty chambers, possibly residual hauntings from skirmishes that occurred in or near the tower. The scent of gunpowder and woodsmoke occasionally permeates certain rooms without any physical source.

The tower is also haunted by a woman in Tudor dress, seen primarily in the great chamber and near the tower’s oldest section. She appears solemn and watchful, sometimes standing by windows or moving silently through corridors. Her identity is unknown, though some believe she may be connected to the Orrell family. Staff and visitors report numerous other paranormal phenomena: doors that open and close on their own, objects moving, sudden temperature drops, and the sensation of being watched. Phantom footsteps echo through empty rooms, and some people report feeling an invisible presence brushing past them on the narrow staircases. The Victorian wing also experiences activity, with reports of children’s laughter and the sound of a piano playing when the instrument is unattended. Turton Tower’s ghosts seem to represent multiple eras of its long history, from Tudor nobility to Civil War soldiers, all bound to the building they once called home or refuge.