New ghost talk explores the 'most haunted house in Cheshire'

Authors Steve Cliffe and David Kelsall and their new book

A new talk based on the successful book The Strange Haunting of Marple Hall by local historian, Steve Cliffe and author/illustrator, Dave Kelsall will take place on Thursday April, 20 in Disley Community Centre at 7.30pm.

During the English Civil War High Peak and Stockport were hotbeds of revolutionaries and one of the nerve centres was the spooky old Marple Hall.

“We’ve always been interested in digging up old stories and hit on the idea of collecting the weirder ones together, with Dave supplying the illustrations and me doing the writing,” says Steve.

The very haunted Marple hall before it was knocked down.

Both he and Dave, a retired teacher, know the local area well. Steve lived for 13 years at Marple Ridge near Wybersley Hall, another house where Christopher and his brother Richard both lived, not far from Disley.

But it was Marple Hall which had supernatural legends, with at least five separate ghosts, making it the most haunted house in Cheshire says Steve.

The story of notorious Judge Bradshawe, who sentenced King Charles I to execution, hung over the old house like a black shadow for generations., with his mysteriously carved bed in an upper chamber.

Ultimately abandoned the hall became a ruin, with vandals stripping remnants including a ‘haunted’ painting.

Hollywood playwright Christopher Isherwood suggested whoever took the painting of ‘Moll of Brabyns’ which hung on the main staircase, may well have found they got more than they bargained for, says Steve.

Dave and Steve said since the book came out several readers got in touch to share their own experiences of ghostly goings on there.

Steve said: “It’s odd that so many people have witnessed things around that spot. It certainly has an atmosphere.”

Marple Hall was demolished in 1959 and all that remains is a datestone in a low wall.The Strange Haunting of Marple Hall is available from High Street Books, New Mills,, High Peak Bookstore, Brierlow Bar, Buxton, Waterstones, or direct from [email protected]

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