The Feathers, Manchester

In 1869, the Feathers Hotel on London Road became the centre of Manchester’s most sensational haunting. For weeks, guests were disturbed by bells ringing violently throughout the night, despite efforts by bell-hangers and detectives to silence them. Witnesses reported a darkly dressed figure on the stairs, and the terrified cook resigned and fell ill. Crowds gathered nightly outside the hotel, and the landlord profited from the influx of curious visitors seeking “spirits” of both kinds.