Builders working on the multi-million-pound transformation of Ripon Workhouse Museum have reported hearing unexplained footsteps inside the historic building – leading to speculation that another spirit may have been disturbed.
The Victorian workhouse on Allhallowgate is currently undergoing a £3.3 million refurbishment, funded in part by a £2.5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
But alongside the construction work, two members of the renovation team have experienced something they struggle to explain.
Andy Dewhurst, project manager on site for Dobson Construction Ltd, says he heard what sounded like someone walking above him while he was alone in the building early one morning.
Speaking to Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog, Andy said:
“I was on site at 7.15 one morning before any fellow workers were due to arrive and while I was in the accommodation block I could hear the sound of foot fall in the room above which, in Victorian times, would have been the area where the men’s dormitory was located.
“When I went upstairs to check who else had arrived, there was nobody to be found.”
The experience was not an isolated one.
Andy revealed that his deputy, Vic Dobson, had previously reported hearing the same unexplained sounds while working alone in the building.
Andy added:
“Prior to this incident, the same thing happened to my deputy Vic Dobson while he was working here alone and he got spooked when, like me, he heard the same foot fall across the upper floor.”
The incidents have left both men questioning their scepticism about the paranormal.
Andy pointed out:
“I have never previously believed in ghosts, having worked on the renovation of numerous old buildings across the country, but Vic and I definitely felt that there was another presence in the building.”
Vic was equally convinced that what he heard could not be explained by the natural sounds often associated with old buildings.
He said:
“I’ve been involved in the refurbishment of a lot of old buildings, and this was not the sound that you sometimes get from settlement.
“It was, without a doubt in my mind, foot fall that I could hear going across the floor at a time of day when I was the only builder on site.”
With work continuing ahead of the museum's reopening this summer, visitors interested in the supernatural may soon be able to judge for themselves.
The Workhouse Museum already has a reputation for paranormal activity and is said to be home to four named ghosts – Nora, Bernhard, Robert and Stan.
The wider Victorian complex also includes a mortuary where inmates who died at the workhouse were prepared for burial.
A city with a haunted history
Ripon has long been regarded as one of Yorkshire's most haunted cities, with ghost stories attached to many of its historic buildings.
Alexa Vernon, Director of Ripon Museums, said the museums are primarily focused on preserving and sharing the real stories of those who lived, worked and died within their walls.
She said:
“All three of our heritage attractions help to tell the real-life stories of the unfortunate people – from children to the elderly – who fell on hard times and found themselves at the mercy of a severe Victorian regime in which destitution, crime and punishment went hand in hand.
“Sadly, some spent their final days on this earth as workhouse inmates and in our new exhibit titled Inspiration for a fairer future, which will be unveiled this summer, we hope that visitors of all ages, will take time to reflect on what life was like for these destitute people and show the same respect for them in death as should have been afforded to them in life.”
The Workhouse Museum will temporarily close from June 14 while the final stages of the refurbishment are completed. It is due to reopen on July 20 in time for the school summer holidays.
Meanwhile, Ripon's Prison & Police Museum and Courthouse Museum will remain open to visitors.
Lilla Bathurst, Manager of Ripon BID, said:
“The trio of tremendous museums provide a unique visitor experience and the fact that they enjoy the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, underlines their importance.
“There is no other place of comparable size in the north of England that can offer, through our magnificent medieval cathedral, Market Square with 18th century obelisk and museums of Victorian vintage, a location so rich in history and heritage.”
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