Students get spooked

Hopwood Hall College students on the Rochdale ghost walk with, far left, tour guide Colin Meredith

A group of Hopwood Hall College students were well and truly spooked on a historical walk which retraces Rochdale’s ghostly past.

The tour, which was conducted by local actor Colin Meredith, recounted spine-tingling local tales of ghoulish activity around Rochdale town centre. These included the tale of the Baum Rabbit which has been spotted running through St Mary's church yard, the Boggart of Clegg Hall which dates back to the 13th Century and the haunting of Dawson Square by Anna the ghost who reputedly drove residents out of their homes with cries of 'please don't kill me'.

The students, all completing Foundation studies in Art and Design at the College, went on the ghost walk looking for inspiration on a current art project investigating myths and legends of Rochdale.

Katie Lennon, 18, from Milnrow, commented on the trip: “I know that these tales are urban myths but the detailed descriptions that Colin gave us really brought the stories to life. I was starting to believe some of them! It’s been great for my project and I’m looking forward to using some of the ghostly inspiration in my work.”

All of the students who went on the terrifying tour have applied to Art & Design courses at universities across the country and are currently busy creating and collating work to build their portfolios.

They have also recently visited the Touchstone gallery and the Pioneer museum and are completing a drawing project investigating the architecture and history of Rochdale Town Hall. Course leader, Jane Bennett, is looking forward to seeing the results of all these local trips and is currently trying to find an art gallery in the area to display the finished work.