Most haunted UK city revealed as 'ghastly face' with 'staring eyes' spotted

Halloween is creeping in and whether you believe in ghosts or not, there's no denying it's an eerie time of year with the long winter nights drawing in - and some UK cities have been rated as 'most haunted' in new research. Traditionally, the Pagan or Gaelic time of Samhain (now known as Halloween to most) marked a 'thinning of the veil between the worlds' and it was considered a sacred time to contact or honour dead ancestors on the 'Other Side'.

Some people claim to have seen a ghost or perhaps had an odd paranormal experience - and this can happen to skeptics as well as believers. Whatever your views are on Halloween and eerie goings on there's no denying that anything unexplained baffles many of us - and it has done since time began. One UK city has been crowned the 'most haunted' and described as a 'hotbed for paranormal activity', but 19 other cities across the country have also had their spooky rating revealed.

The 'most haunted city' rating goes to West Yorkshire as new research from Tarot reading platform, Tarotoo, has revealed which cities are the 'spookiest' this autumn - and Bradford tops their 'haunted' chart.

Paper Hall in Bradford city centre was built in 1643, it could be the oldest building in the city and it's been saved from demolition in the past, it's also said to be haunted.

The Haunted Rooms blog explained: One of the most striking reports of paranormal activity to come out of Paper Hall tells of a pair of large staring eyes belonging to a very ghastly face often seen looking out of the windows, startling those passing by.

"Residents have also reported the sound of someone going up and down the staircase in the dead of night, but upon investigation, there is nobody around.

"The footfalls seem to have a very distinct pattern with a distinct tap which has led people to believe that the spirit in question is an old Admiral with a peg leg who was apparently murdered in the building some time ago."

Nearby City Hall in Bradford has also been highlighted, once housing prisoners in the basement's cells, to this day 'local legends speak of a prisoner named Charlie who once occupied those cells before being executed for his crimes'.

The unrested soul of Charlie is said to haunt the City Hall to this day, with staff reporting a fearful feeling in the basement as well as 'poltergeist activity' with 'sounds of a court in session' even being heard, despite the courtroom being closed for decades.

Next on the most haunted cities list was Leeds where the Kirkstall Abbey is said to be a 'paranormal hot spot' - and Lomography magazine reports that 'sightings of ghosts have become common' since 1539, when the place was first built.

Lomography magazine said: "Some believe that there is a mad monk who haunts the Abbey after his brother was killed by highway men on his way back from Fountains Abbey (another Abbey in Yorkshire) mad with guilt and despair, he began carving his brothers initials into the Abbey grounds that can apparently still be seen in the small bench nooks around the ruins even now and he continues to walk around the Abbey to this day."

When it comes to haunting, Leeds was closely followed by the city of Aberdeen, where one sighting at the Arts Centre has led to experts investigating.

The Paranormal Database reports that the centre 'is said to be haunted by a maid who still loiters around the old top floor flat and along corridors, while a floating face haunts the Green Room. The Aberdeen Ghost Hunters group investigated the site and recorded electrical interference and EVP."

Other cities topping the charts for 'ghostly occurrences' included Swansea, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Belfast and Cardiff.

Other 'most haunted cities' were Bristol, Derby, Norwich, Birmingham, Sheffield, London and Northampton along with Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Glasgow and Plymouth.