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10
Jun
Builders spooked by paranormal activity at Ripon's Workhouse Museum
Builders carrying out renovations at Ripon’s Workhouse Museum have had a spooky experience they can’t quite explain.
The men are working on a £3.3 million scheme on the historic building, which has been part funded by a £2.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and Andy Dewhurst, project manager for Dobson Construction Ltd, believes the works may have caused some paranormal activity.
He said:
I was on site at 7.15 one morning before any fellow workers were due to arrive and while I was in the accommodation block I could hear the sound of footfall in the room above which, in Victorian times, would have been the area where the men’s dormitory was located.
When I went upstairs to check who else had arrived, there was nobody to be found.
Project manager Andy Dewhurst didn't use to believe in ghosts. Pic: Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon Blog for Ripon BID
He added that his deputy, Vic Dobson, had experienced the same thing while working alone – and was equally spooked.
Andy said:
I have never previously believed in ghosts… but Vic and I definitely felt that there was another presence in the building.
Vic added:
It was, without a doubt in my mind, footfall going across the floor at a time of day when I was the only builder on site.
Ripon's Workhouse Museum. Pic: Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon Blog for Ripon BID
It has been speculated that the eerie phenomena could have been caused by the awakened spirit of a former inmate, disturbed during the reconfiguration of the accommodation block.
The extensive Victorian Workhouse complex, which had its own mortuary for impoverished inmates who died there, already has four named ghosts: Nora, Bernhard, Robert and Stan.
Alexa Vernon, director of Ripon Museums, said:
All three of our heritage attractions help to tell the real-life stories of the unfortunate people – from children to the elderly – who fell on hard times and found themselves at the mercy of a severe Victorian regime. Sadly, some spent their final days on this earth as workhouse inmates.
In our new exhibit Inspiration for a fairer future, which will be unveiled this summer, we hope visitors will reflect on what life was like for these destitute people and show the same respect for them in death as should have been afforded to them in life.
With the final elements of the refurbishment nearing completion, the Workhouse Museum will close temporarily from Sunday (June 14) and reopen on Monday, July 20 in time for the school holidays.
The Prison & Police Museum – which has its own ghost stories – and the Courthouse Museum will remain open.
Ripon's Police and Prison Museum.
Ripon BID Manager, Lilla Bathurst, said:
The trio of tremendous museums provide a unique visitor experience… There is no other place of comparable size in the north of England that can offer such a rich tapestry of history and heritage.
Ripon's roots go back to at least the seventh century, and the city is high on the list of most haunted places in the UK.
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