The Ghost Room

The Ghost Room at Bolling Hall was the Hall's guest room, where, in June 1643, William Cavendish, the Earl of Newcastle, slept as his Royalist troops prepared to attack the town of Bradford. Bradford was a Parliamentarian stronghold. The town had earlier resisted an attack by the Royalists, and the troops were out for revenge. The owners of Bolling Hall, Richard and Francis Tempest allowed King Charles' forces to use the Hall as a base and about 2000 men were camped in the grounds. Legend has it that the Earl was visited by a ghostly woman in white as he slept, begging him to 'Pity poor Bradford'.  He changed his orders and in the end only a few Bradford men who offered armed resistance were killed.

The room is lavishly decorated, with a fine plasterwork ceiling full of references to the Tempest family, including a boar - the symbol of Bradford, and a red rose indicating their Lancastrian sympathies.  The Flemish portraits above the fireplace represent actors in a play.