Kenilworth Castle staff prepare for the fright of their lives!

Friday 26, Saturday 27 & Wednesday 31 Oct 2012

With many stories of ghosts and ghastly deeds over its 800 year history, you might expect that nothing would scare staff at Kenilworth Castle, but as they prepare for this year’s night-time Halloween tours, it has been revealed that the public is not admitted until the English Heritage team have felt the fear factor!

“We’ve been running night-time tours at Halloween for a few years now, and they are always fantastically popular, with many people coming back year after year to experience the terror – and it is precisely that which makes putting the tours together such a challenge,” comments Holly Woodward, property manager at Kenilworth Castle. “Although there are often common elements – disembodied voices, playing on the fear of the dark and usually a twist or two in the tale, we need to make sure that every visitor gets the full, terrifying experience – and the only way of testing this is to put ourselves through it. Only when the site team feel the terror do we know that we are ready to welcome the visitors!”

That said, with a colourful history like that of Kenilworth Castle to use as source material, the tour planners, Warwickshire-based ‘Take a Walk on the Dark Side’ don’t have too many challenges to unearth some of the more eerie tales to send shivers down the spine! Indeed, there are many documented sightings of ghosts and apparitions at Kenilworth Castle over the centuries, from a ghostly monk said to wander through the grounds, to the crib on the second floor of Leicester’s Gatehouse which a former manager discovered rocking from side to side hours after the site staff and visitors had already left.

“Most historic buildings can be quite creepy places at night, as the sound of contracting wood echoes around the stone buildings, but Kenilworth Castle has to be one of the spookiest I’ve worked in,” confides Holly. “Many of us have heard footsteps descending the stairway near our office when working late at night, and yet we know that the building is safely locked up and empty.”

The tours are not for the faint-hearted, and as they take place around the site – inside and out – in dark conditions, participants are recommended to wear warm, waterproof clothing and stout shoes. “After all, any horror movie fan knows that you can’t run away wearing heels,” adds Holly.

Kenilworth Castle’s Halloween Ghost Tours take place on Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Wednesday 31 October, with the 45 minute tours at 7.00pm, 8.00pm and 9.00pm. The tours are only suitable for over 16s. Prices are £20 per adult. English Heritage members receive discounted admission of £16 per person. Booking is essential as places are limited.

To book, or for further information, please call 0870 333 1183 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth. The latest news from Kenilworth Castle is also available on Facebook.

ENDS

For further media information, please contact:

Jay Commins

PRO - English Heritage (West Midlands)

Tel:         0113 251 5698

Mob:     07810 546567

Email:    jay@fim.org.uk