Oxford is a city seeping with history and glorious architecture. As a place with a vast medieval history, there are plenty of stories of spine-chilling ghoulish sightings.

We suggest five of the best scary locations that you can visit during your autumn Oxford city break.

Oxford Playhouse

Theatres are often known for housing mysterious spirits. The Oxford Playhouse was previously an old nunnery and is said to be home to ghosts and souls from all over Oxford. In particular there is speculation that a woman with a white veil covering her face stalks the stairwells in the playhouse.

If you fancy sitting in this creepy building filled with history, there’s plenty of great shows to enjoy. Take a look and see if there’s any you fancy seeing during your trip, and maybe you can encounter a spirit while you’re at it.

Oxford Ghost Tour

Oxford is a beautiful city with some eerie secrets. Explore some of the city’s most famous ghosts and haunted locations with the Oxford Ghost Tour.

This two hour tour will uncover all of the spooky sites that Oxford has to offer, as well as the hidden nooks and crannies that tell unusual tales. The late night walking tour in misty Autumn weather adds to the hair-raising atmosphere, and sets the mood for a night of hauntingly good fun.

St. John’s College

The University of Oxford is famous for ghostly sightings, which is unsurprising when you consider the age and history of the building. St. John’s College makes up part of the university and dates back to 1555!

The college is home to a unique ghost that has been spotted by both students and professors. The ghost is believed to be William Laud who was a close friend of Charles I and later became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was beheaded in 1645 after being on trial for treason and spending time locked in the Tower of London.

He is said to now haunt St. John’s College, and can be seen holding a candlestick and kicking his severed head along with him.

Banbury Road

It is not often that you hear about haunted streets, however there are quite a few in British ghost tales. One of these haunted streets is Banbury Road in Oxford. It is believed that the ghost of a man named Napier stalks the street. Napier committed some terrible crimes during his lifetime and was sentenced to death for these offences. However, as his crimes were so bad it was decided that a more gruesome punishment was needed, and so authorities mutilated his body and scattered hundreds of body pieces all over the city.

It is believed that the ghost of Napier haunts Oxford searching for his remains, some of which he thinks are on Banbury Road. Why not venture down to the street yourself and see if you get that unsettling feeling?

Oxford Castle & Prison

Castles in Britain have a long and often dark history surrounding them. Due to their age, it is common for ghost stories to emerge and scary sights to be reported. The castle was used to put people to death in medieval times, which has caused people to believe that their ghosts still haunt the castle to this day.

The castle experienced paranormal activity in the 1970s that was so bad it caused a priest to perform an exorcism, to rid the building of demons. Although the bad energy was banished from Oxford Castle, there has still been sightings of ghosts and spooky untraceable footstep sounds have been heard.

We hope we’ve given you some inspiration for ways to spend the spooky season. There’s lots of ghoulish ways to spend your visit.

Book now for a frighteningly great Oxford city break this Halloween.