Wycoller Hall, Colne

The roofless ruins of Wycoller Hall, near Colne, are said to be haunted by the tragic Lady in Black, also known as Black Bess. Her apparition is linked to a violent legend in which a jealous Cunliffe of the Stuart period murdered his wife after discovering her infidelity. On stormy nights, a phantom rider is heard galloping through the village, crossing the old packhorse bridge and re-enacting the dreadful scene within the hall. The murdered woman’s ghost is said to wander the ruins silently, fading away when approached. Locals say she cursed the Cunliffe line to extinction before she died.