Birmingham Ghosts
and Hauntings UK
There are also cases where very little survives. A report may appear once in a newspaper and never be mentioned again, or a story may have been repeated for years without any obvious starting point. Those gaps are part of the history too and are left open rather than filled with assumptions.
The purpose of this website is to preserve as much of that material as possible and to give Birmingham’s ghost stories the historical attention they deserve.
Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings UK was founded in 2006 by Joanne Donaldson, formerly Joanne Morris. The work developed through years of investigating reported hauntings, speaking with witnesses and researching the history behind locations and stories across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Over the years, a wide range of material was collected, including witness accounts, investigation notes, photographs, newspaper reports and historical research. Many of the locations are familiar names in Birmingham’s haunted history. Other reports are far less well known and have received little attention outside the original source or the people directly involved.
Between 2007 and 2010, Joanne wrote the weekly Haunted column for the Sunday Mercury. It covered local hauntings, investigations and experiences submitted by readers. The column also brought new witnesses forward and led to further accounts being recorded.
Ghost Stories Archive
Ghosts of Aston Hall
CASE FILE #1897 | BIRMINGHAM
Aston Hall has been associated with ghost stories for generations, from the figure said to haunt its upper rooms to the strange history of Dick’s Garret. Behind the familiar legends lies a much older trail of reports, newspaper accounts and stories that have changed considerably with time.
Old Joe's Ghost and His Fellow Spectres
CASE FILE #1924 | CITY CENTRE
Joseph Chamberlain remains one of the most recognisable figures in Birmingham’s history, his name still attached to the university clock tower known as Old Joe. But Chamberlain also appears in the city’s ghost lore, with reports of his figure being seen around Birmingham Council House, close to the Mayor’s office.
A Christmas Carol
CASE FILE #2013 | CITY CENTRE
Birmingham has an important place in the history of one of the world’s best-known ghost stories. In December 1853, Charles Dickens chose Birmingham Town Hall for his first public reading of A Christmas Carol, beginning a part of his career that would become closely associated with the story of Scrooge and his Christmas ghosts.
Archival Methodology
Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings UK explores reported hauntings through historical research, newspaper archives, local records and the stories connected to the places where these accounts began. Each case is approached with care, separating historical fact, reported experiences and local folklore while preserving Birmingham's rich supernatural heritage.
