Bedford Hospital North Wing started life as the Bedford House of Industry in 1796. In 1835 it became the Bedford Union Workhouse then in 1929 the site was developed as St Peter’s Hospital. Before 1948 the hospital was managed by the local authority as a general hospital and tuberculosis isolation hospital. In 1948 it was taken over by the newly created National Health Service and was used for geriatric care and as a maternity hospital. In 2007 work began to redevelop the site, which involved the demolition of a lot of the original buildings, to create the Bedford Health Village providing a chest clinic and a drop-in dental service along with occupational therapy, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services.

Just before demolition was due to start the site was investigated by members of LPS. We had gone along to investigate the old Bedford Workhouse (now Shires House) but while we were there one team member, Andy, was taken on a tour of the old maternity unit whilst the rest of the team were setting up in Shires House. Andy had an interest in the maternity unit as he was born there. Below is Andy's experience in his own words.

Prior to the main investigation starting the security member and I investigated the 1950’s part of the complex at my request (this is a separate building to the one we investigated). I felt drawn to this particular area and this was not surprising in view of the family history I had with this site.

Upon entering the building both of us proceeded to the bottom of a stairwell near a corridor. We stopped talking and stood still and both of us could hear whispering voices coming from upstairs that sounded like two people having a conversation. Thinking it was unwelcome visitors of a non-paranormal kind we preceded up the stairwell and stopped on the top step.

We could both hear these two voices talking and I observed the security member had raised his crowbar ready in case of trouble. When we left the stairs and went into the corridor the voices stopped and there was no one there. The security member felt it must have been the wind as there were some doors banging shut in the corridor and, while I accept this is correct to some degree due to a lack of windows and locks on the doors, it does not explain the voices the pair of us clearly heard.

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See also - Bedfordshire - Bedford - Bedford Workhouse

To view reports about Bedford Hospital North Wing see: 10-12-2006

Bedford School

In 1903 Samuel Whitbread was the headmaster of Bedford School and now, at night, he is said to haunt the upper floor corridors of the main building that he commissioned. He has even been known to ask people for directions to get out of the building. One boy actually led him to the exit only to find that he had disappeared.

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Bedford Workhouse

Within the confines of what used to be the North Wing of Bedford Hospital stands a building which had started life as the Bedford House of Industry in 1796. In 1835 it became the Bedford Union Workhouse then in 1929 the site was developed as St Peter’s Hospital later becoming the Bedford General Hospital North Wing. In 2007 work began to redevelop the hospital site which included major alterations to the old workhouse building, known as Shires House.

For some time the building sat empty and in a generally poor state of repair and it was during this time that there were a number of odd occurrences. The building was protected by a security service and it was the lone security guard who experienced many of these occurrences. During the lone vigils there would be strange noises including the sound of footsteps when the building was empty. Security staff also experienced strange feelings in various areas including the top of the main stairs.

Just before demolition was due to start the site was investigated by members of LPS. During the investigation more than one team member heard a strange shuffling sound, like someone old or infirm. There was also a smell like a freshly extinguished match despite no one smoking in the building. One member had a bad reaction whilst walking through the attic area which was used as sewing rooms when the building was used as a workhouse. As he approached a door he found it hard to breathe, almost as if something was stuck in his throat. By the time he had reached the last attic room he was in a bad way with his chest hurting and a bad cough. Once back past the first door his chest felt better and he felt a great sense of relief.

One odd occurrence happened during a vigil when the radiators could be heard clicking as if the heating had just turned on. It wasn’t until later that the security guard informed the team that the heating was permanently off.

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See also - Bedfordshire - Bedford - Bedford Hospital North WIng

To view reports about Bedford Workhouse see: 10-12-2006

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The Bullnose Bat

The Bullnose Bat (now refurbished and called ‘The Square') in St Paul's Square, Bedford, was the site of a gruesome discovery five years ago. At that time the pub was undergoing a major refurbishment when thirty bodies were dug up. The assistant manager remembers seeing a bottle fly across the bar of its own volition and fall into a waste bin; the event was also witnessed by the barman. The same barman also reported a phantom cat, which kept appearing in his bedroom even though the door and window were closed. A previous manager's puppy would not go near an area by the exit door where customers have reported a cold spot.

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Cavendish Street

Number 36 Cavendish Street was once occupied by a drayman and his family, and by something less corporeal. The house was a new one, built about twenty years ago by the local council, on top of the foundations of a much older building. The haunted area seemed to be the top of the stairs and the stairs themselves. On numerous occasions scratching noises were heard coming from the area. At one time the sound of someone running upstairs was heard, but it could not have been a family member. The children of the family are also reported to have seen faces at the top of the stairs.

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Cecil Higgins Art Gallery

The instances of paranormal happenings at the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in Bedford are almost beyond count. The most unusual place for a haunting must be the ladies' toilet. Jenny Clarke, the secretary to the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Museum, was washing her hands in the toilet when the door behind her suddenly slid shut. The door is a heavy one and difficult to close at the best of times and could, certainly, not have closed by itself. When you enter that particular room the air seems to grow distinctly colder.

The museum curator is always the last to leave and the first to arrive, so she was amazed to discover one morning that the ladder that she had used the night before had moved from where she had left it, so that it was now blocking the fire exit. A set of dummies which were closely packed in a display were now arranged in a straight line down the gallery.

Jenny was walking past the bottom of the stairs (a later addition to the house) when she noticed a man in a dark suit. She nodded to the man, by way of a greeting, and then continued on to the kitchen. On arrival she was rather surprised to discover that the only two men in the house at the time were already in the kitchen. Other instances involving the stairs include a member of staff who felt they were being watched as they walked up the stairs, a young boy who felt uncomfortable and turned red in the face, and another young visitor who felt a tingling sensation when he touched the banister rail.

Three members of the Luton Paranormal Society paid a visit to Cecil Higgins House. We had gone to take part in one of their regular evening ghost tours given by Jenny Clarke. The tour is well worth the money especially as one of the sensitive LPS members had an experience whilst there. We had come onto the middle landing of the main stairs in the mansion from a doorway when the sensitive member suddenly felt as if she was about to trip up and fall down the stairs. This was reported to Jenny and we were told that there is said to be a ghostly cat that lies in exactly the area where our member felt as if she was about to trip up.

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Bedford, Cecil Higgins Museum _____________________________________________________________________
The Greyfriars

Danny Ward had an unusual experience outside what used to be the Greyfriars public house in Bedford. Back in the 1970s he told reporters “I saw a monk with sandals on, wearing a habit with the hood up so that you could not see his face; there was a chain around his neck and a large cross, he seemed to be looking down at the cross and meditating”. The street was not empty at the time but the other people present did not seem to see the monk as they walked past him. Later Mr Ward remembered that a girl assistant who worked at Carousel Records and others had seen a phantom friar when they were working late.

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The King's Arms

In the King's Arms public house in St Mary's Street in Bedford there are two ghosts. In 1994 there was a sighting of the ghost in the cellar by an employee of the brewery. The ghost was described as a fairly old man wearing a short-sleeved white shirt. The ghost has a habit of throwing buckets around and has the ability to strip down the beer taps. After they have been cleaned and left to dry the ghost will take them apart, this according to the landlord “is no mean feat”.

The second ghost is that of a young man who has been heard walking about upstairs in the pub. Sometimes the pub dog will bark at nothing then the floorboards can be heard creaking. At one time some old nails were thrown at a customer but as there were only two people in the bar at the time they could not have done it, neither did the landlord or his wife. The nails were the type made by blacksmiths years ago.

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Magistrates Court

The Magistrates Court on St Paul's Square is haunted by a ghost that is also believed to haunt the Clerk's Offices in Mill Street. It is thought to be a former Clerk to the Court who died suddenly when on duty. The ghost is rarely seen but he does have a habit of slamming doors, moving around noisily upstairs and making other noises all around the building.

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Maitland Street

Number 6 Maitland Street in Bedford was occupied by a family with young children from the early 1960s till the middle of the 1980s. During that time the building was haunted by what was described as a large black dog. It was witnessed on more than one occasion by several people walking up and down a corridor and at any hour. One of he children had been in bed for a few minutes when a bag fell off the door, as he looked to see what the noise was he saw the silhouette of a small figure standing at the end of his bed. Being young he hid under the bedclothes and by the time he peeked out again the figure had gone. The household also experienced poltergeist activity when dishes in the kitchen started noisily rattling when there was no one in the kitchen.

One of the most notable events occurred one night when the children were in bed. The event consisted of a loud rumbling noise coming from an unoccupied room across the corridor from their room. The children’s mother and aunt were downstairs at the time; they heard the noise so they rushed upstairs to make sure the children were alright. After checking the children the women went towards the opposite room and found that the door was vibrating violently. After a few minutes the vibration stopped and they rushed into the room only to find it quiet and empty.

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Mill Street

Mill Street is said to be one of the most haunted sites in Bedford. Mr T. B. Porter was brought up at number 38 Mill Street (later a Citizens Advice Bureau) and wrote about his experiences there to the ‘Bedford Record'. Many times as a child he had heard the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs when there was no one up there. One time his mother called both himself and his brother down for dinner thinking they were upstairs, having heard the sound of footsteps, but they never responded. She found out why a little while later when they both came in from outside. The sounds she had heard upstairs were not made by them. Both his mother and the servant had been convinced that they had come inside earlier.

One time Mr Porter's mother was alone in the house when she heard two distinct and heavy knocks on the oak back door. When she went to the door to find out who it was she discovered that there was no one there. Her husband returned shortly after and he searched the grounds but he could find no one. He told his wife that the gates to the road were securely bolted on the inside, so nobody could have gone that way.

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Newnham Avenue

In the middle of the twentieth century at the Priory Methodist Church in Newnham Avenue a witness saw a man who appeared as if he was creeping along the back of the church. The witness was suspicious as to what the man was doing, so he continued to watch him. To his surprise the man then walked through a wall, leaving a thin wisp of smoke behind him. The witness described the man as wearing a tweed jacket and trousers looking like something from the 1920s.

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RAFA Headquarters

The Bedford Branch Headquarters of the RAF Association in Ashburnham Road is said to be haunted, by a dark figure. Numerous people have seen the ghost, which seems to haunt an area lying between the toilets, which lie to the southeast of the building, and the snooker room, which lies at the front of the building in the southwest. The ghost had been haunting the building for a number of years, but stopped about three to four years ago. At that time the building was undergoing some restructuring work upstairs and it is almost as if this had ended the haunting, which is unusual as building work is quite often the start of a haunting.

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St Peter's Street

St Peter's Street in Bedford seems to be haunted by the ghost of a World War One soldier. Keith Paull and his wife were driving down St Peter's Street in 2001 and were waiting at a red light opposite to the Alphonse Sandwich bar. As they pulled away from the lights they were surprised to see the aforementioned soldier just a few yards ahead crossing the road from the pavement to their left. He managed to cross the road without once looking to either side then faded into thin air. When he was seen he was hatless and had short hair.

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Bedford, St Peter's Street _____________________________________________________________________
Sisters House

Sisters House is a former nunnery located on St Peters Street right next to St Luke's church. Now it is a listed building owned by the Pilgrims Housing Association and is used as accommodation for people with chronic mental health problems. Some years ago staff would occasionally stay overnight while the unit was being set up. On one particular evening in 1997 one of the staff was asleep in one of the rooms when he suddenly awoke to find a heavy weight on the bottom of the bed. When he switched on the light he saw the figure of a nun who slowly drifted down the room and passed through a wall. Other members of the staff said that things would go missing but when they mentally said “Oh! Stop being silly and give it back” the items would usually reappear.

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Bedford, Sisters House _____________________________________________________________________
Tavistock Street

A flat in Tavistock Street, number 121B, has been owned by Charles Wells brewery for a number of years, and used as accommodation by draymen. It seems that employees of the brewery have not been the only occupants, as the flat is haunted. Furniture has been known to move around and there has even been writing found on the windows of the flat. One drayman, who lived there twenty years ago, said that he would return home from work to find records playing on his record player, but there was no one there to have put them on. Numerous people, including friends of the aforementioned drayman, have stayed in the flat and reported strange feelings and happenings.

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Bedford, Tavistock Street _____________________________________________________________________
Union Street

In Union Street approximately one hundred metres from Bedford Prison a dark figure has been seen. This area contains a car park so is very popular with shoppers visiting the town centre but two hundred years ago it was the site of a gallows. Here in 1607 a highwayman known as ‘Black Tom' was hanged and now his ghost haunts the area. He was called Black Tom because of his swarthy skin and greasy coal black hair. His body was buried at the point where Tavistock Street, Union Street and Clapham Road meet and to ensure he didn't return a stake was driven through his heart. Soon after he was buried his ghost, accompanied by another unidentified ghost, began to haunt the area. In the 1840s both ghosts were seen several times and it got so bad that nervous people would not venture out at night. Occasionally drivers have seen a dark shape ‘lurking' in the corner of the car park as they collect their cars. One witness described the figure as that of “a drunk, with his head lolling about”.

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