Exploring the ghostly legend of the White Lady in Colwick, Nottinghamshire
- Martyn Hayes
- Nov 2, 2025
- 4 min read
Want to get your heart racing with things that go bump in the night? Why not take a spooky trip to the village of Colwick, just east of Nottingham. There, you'll find the crumbling ruins of Saint John's Church.
This old religious site sits right next to the gorgeous Colwick Hall, a Georgian country house in Palladian style that's now a hotel and event venue. The mansion is absolutely stunning and definitely worth checking out.
The church, though just a shadow of its former self, sets the scene for local legends about a ghost that supposedly haunts the area. Growing up in Nottingham, I heard these wild stories all the time. But when you dig into the real history, it’s way more fascinating than any Halloween tale.
So, gather 'round this virtual campfire and discover the difference between the local myths and the actual historic events.
Setting the scene - Photo gallery of Saint Johns Church ruins, Colwick, Nottinghamshire
Here are some pictures I snapped while visiting back in 2021. These should give you an idea of what the church and surrounding areas look like.
Video - Saint John's ghostly Church Ruins in Colwick, Nottinghamshire
Check out the video above to see what the church ruins look like.
Proximity of Colwick Hall and the ruins of Saint John's Church
You can totally see that the grand old house and the church ruins are right next to each other. This helps explain how both spots are tied together into the local ghost story.
Legend vs history of Colwick's ghostly "white lady"
The ghostly legend
If you're from Nottingham, you've probably heard different versions of the ghost myths about the creepy old abandoned church in Colwick. When I was a kid, I heard a spooky tale about the "white lady." Legend has it that she lived in the stately home next door and fell ill. She went to the church to pray, but somehow the place "caught fire," and she was too weak to escape the flames.
She now supposedly wanders around the church, the mansion, and the nearby woods and lakes. People report the white lady hiding behind trees, poking people, weeping, and looking for something mysterious in the graveyard.
It all makes for a thrilling and eerie adventure in the east of Nottingham. But, as with many things, the truth is often darker than the fiction...
The real history
The history goes back to 1831. Nottingham was a big deal back then, thriving as a hub for the lace industry in the British Empire. But like much of England, the city had its fair share of poverty, with a huge divide between the rich and the poor.
On 10 October 1831, riots kicked off after the House of Lords shot down the Parliamentary Reform Bill. About 500 rioters turned their anger towards the wealthy folks of Nottingham. They set their sights on places like Nottingham Castle and Lowe's Silk Mill in Beeston.
Unfortunately, Colwick Hall wasn't spared by the furious crowd. It belonged to Nottingham magistrate John Musters, who was away at the time. His wife, Mary Ann Musters, wasn't so lucky. The mob broke in, trashed the place, raided the wine cellar, and eventually set the building on fire.
Mary managed to escape with her daughter, Sophia, and hid under the bushes in the pouring rain. Already in poor health, she sadly never bounced back from the ordeal and passed away on 6 February 1832, about four months later, at Wiverton Hall.
Parallels between fact and fiction
You can probably tell that the spooky fable and the real historical events have some similarities. Both involve a woman who gets sick, hides in the bushes, and possible crying. There's also a fire, but it happened to the grand house, not the church.
But honestly, the real story is way scarier than the ghost story that followed. In the end, it's the living who are more dangerous than the dead.
But what about the church?
Despite folktales, the church wasn't actually part of the events that went down on that night in 1831 (at least, I couldn't dig up any records about it).
This little church shut its doors almost 100 years later in 1936 because it was falling apart. It started going downhill in the early 1900s and couldn't stay up despite all the repairs.
Now, it's a grade II listed building, and the church is pretty much just a shell of what it used to be. There's no roof, and nature is taking over with plants growing all over the bricks.
But hey, those spooky, roofless ruins make it the perfect backdrop for a ghost story. So, it's no wonder it became part of the local legends.
Conclusion - Ghost stories vs real history
Ghost stories tend to be surface level. They're fun and all, but real-life events are often way more interesting. Take the reform riots, for example—they give us tons of insight into our history, our democracy, and who we are as a society.
I know I might sound like a buzzkill, but I still think haunting yarns give us a peek into the past. They're a cool way to learn about everyday folks from back in the day and connect us with what really mattered to them, both the good and the bad.
If you're ever in Nottingham, you should definitely check out Saint John's Church ruins, Colwick Hall, and the surrounding areas. It's a beautiful spot in the East Midlands and totally worth a visit.
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