A spooky end to the Revealing the Roch party

Colin Meredith - Ghost Walk

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

The people of Rochdale looked like they’d seen a ghost on Saturday night, as a ‘special edition’ Ghost Walk took place on the town centre streets as part of the Revealing the Roch celebrations.

Actor and ghost walker Colin Meredith took a group of 30 thrill seekers on a spooky wander around, where he shared “real tales” of murders and hauntings, including that of the ghost of Margaret Jones who was killed at the since demolished Half Moon Inn pub on the old Blackwater Street.

The ghost walk, which usually takes place on the first and third Thursday of every month, made a special appearance on Saturday night to join in with the day-long Revealing the Roch party.

The one-off free event was funded by the council to mark the special day, and attracted walkers from Rochdale and beyond.

Colin, who has been doing the walks for six years, says this one was extra special with the new river opening, because he was able to reveal its spooky past.

He said: “The deepest part of the river was a spot for misfortune in the deep past – there were some suicides and suspicious circumstances.”

He added: “There are some very interesting tales from around the town, you’ll just have to come and see what they are.”

In an online review for Colin’s walk, Carolyn and Howard wrote: “My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Colin Meredith’s ghost walk. We have both lived in Rochdale a long time but we learnt a lot about the towns ghosts, murders, history and information about the buildings we have walked past many times and never really noticed.

“We will be recommending this to our family and friends for something a bit different and good fun! It also starts and ends at one of Rochdale’s best pubs, The Baum.”

Another post read: “Don't worry about theatrics or ghosts jumping out at you and frights around every corner. This is way above that. Colin is very informative, and a clear speaker. There are tales of murder and misfortune - all historical, but Colin also has a lot of information on the town, explaining the history, finding pathways I never knew existed, and pointing out various features of buildings as we walked along. Enthralling, even on a cold, wet evening.”

The spooky walk starts outside The Baum pub on Toad Lane at 7.30pm, before taking some twists and turns through locations around the town centre.