Culture in Norwich: Norwich Ghost Walks
Culture in Norwich: Norwich Ghost Walks
Norwich is a city with plenty of tales to tell. And when night falls, these shadowed streets reveal dark secrets and scarily good stories that will transport you across hundreds of years of history.
So, who better to delve deeper into this haunted past than Norwich Ghost Walks?
Celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2027, Norwich Ghost Walks’ mysterious Guild of Shadows will guide you through the city’s oldest and most ghost-ridden streets. With Halloween looming ever closer, now’s the time to try them. But Norwich Ghost Walks aren’t just for spooky season!
Here, Creative Director Basil Marples tells us more…
Image: Norwich Ghost Walks
Join Gideon Van Ghoul and his Guild of Shadows on this Halloween. Credit: Norwich Ghost Walks
It’s spooky season- aka Norwich Ghost Walks’ season! How are you marking Halloween this year?
This Halloween we’ll be locking you all in the Cow Tower park for spooky stories, scares and silliness with the masterful Gideon Van Ghoul and his Guild of Shadows!
Some cryptic highlights include a woman who rose from her grave to birth a famously eccentric Norfolk bloodline, a haunted squash court and the most dangerous portion of dumplings ever served…
But Norwich Ghost Walks aren’t just for October, right?
You know what they say … A ghost is for eternity, not just for Halloween!
We run two different walks every week from April until December. Our Elm Hill walks are every Tuesday and our River walks are every Thursday. And all our events start from the outside the oldest pub in the region: the Adam and Eve Pub on Bishopgate. According to multiple reports, it has a ghost of its own!
Expect the unexpected around the cobbled corners of Elm Hill and the River Wensum. Credit: Norwich Ghost Walks
Who can join a Norwich Ghost Walk?
Almost anyone, dead or alive!
We loosely recommend our walks for ages 10+ because we discuss some fairly unpleasant historical events, but it’s entirely up to parents if they want to give their children nightmares!
If you need to discuss options for wheelchairs and accessibility, please get in contact ahead of time, particularly due to cobbled streets on the Elm Hill walk.
Tell us more about your Guild of Shadows.
The Guild of Shadows is a mysterious organisation of master storytellers and cutthroat thespians whose expertise crosses the divide between living history and the restless dead.
Gideon Van Ghoul himself has been resurrected multiple times to continue delivering his spine-chilling tales… And the Halloween shows bring the full ensemble together for maximum chaos and a lot of laughs!
We love looking out for your special walks throughout the year. Is there anything coming this Christmas?
While our Christmas show won’t be running this year- the ghosts are migrating south to get festive tans…. we hope to bring it back for 2027.
Last year was a delightful frosty pub crawl where we went against popular advice and mixed our spirits, finishing up with hot spiced rum and ghost stories around the open fires at The Lions’ Den!
Norwich Ghost Walks aren’t just for Halloween! Credit: Norwich Ghost Walks
Next year is your 30th anniversary- congratulations! Have you made any plans to celebrate?
Thank you! We’re pretty sure we’re the longest surviving show in East Anglia… No one’s contested it yet, so we keep saying it!
30 years is an exciting milestone and it coincides with the 1000-year anniversary of William the Conqueror, so we’re planning to relaunch our long-lost Castle Walk with some nasty Norman ghosties thrown in to the mix.
Look out for these popping up next summer and then a proper 30th birthday party for next Halloween!
Finally, what’s your favourite haunting tale of Norwich? Are there any locals and visitors may not expect?
My personal favourites are the very farcical murder stories like Martha Alden and the Burnham poisoners. They’re utterly tragic tales, but they involve so many bizarre plot twists that you can’t help but love to tell them!
We have an absolute scorcher for Halloween this year about a Norwich man who managed to murder someone he’d never even heard of, let alone met! And as for the ghosts… well… if I were to start picking favourites, I might find myself in all sorts of trouble.
Norwich Ghost Walks’ Halloween Specials are taking place from Cow Tower between 23 – 31 October (excludes 25 October), 7.30pm – 9.30pm, £18.
From April – December, you can experience hauntingly good weekly tours on their Elm Hill (Tuesdays) and River routes (Thursdays), £12. And keep a look out for specials throughout the year, too!
Book your tickets via their website or call 07831189985.
