The White Lady

The Legend

As twilight descends upon the grounds of Colwick Hall, visitors have reported glimpsing something that stops them in their tracks—a pale figure in white, gliding silently between the ancient trees. She moves with an otherworldly grace, her form luminescent against the gathering darkness, before fading into nothingness. This is the White Lady of Colwick Hall, and her story is one of the most poignant ghost tales in all of Nottinghamshire.

The History

The spectral woman is believed to be Mary Ann Chaworth-Musters (1788-1832), whose life reads like a tragic romantic novel. Before she became mistress of Colwick Hall, the young Mary Ann captured the heart of a teenage Lord Byron, who fell desperately in love with her during his youth. Byron’s passion was intense but unrequited—Mary Ann instead married John Musters, a wealthy local squire, in 1805.

The marriage proved unhappy. John Musters was reportedly unfaithful and neglectful, leaving Mary Ann to endure years of loneliness within the walls of Colwick Hall. Byron never forgot her, later writing that she was “the morning star of Annesley”—the woman against whom all others would be measured.

Tragedy struck in October 1831 when the Reform Bill riots swept through Nottingham. An angry mob descended upon Colwick Hall, ransacking and setting fire to the building. Mary Ann, already in failing health, witnessed the destruction of her home. The shock proved too much for her fragile constitution, and she died the following year in 1832, her spirit seemingly unable to find peace.

The Hauntings

The White Lady has been encountered not only in the grounds of Colwick Hall but also at the nearby St John the Baptist Church, suggesting her restless spirit wanders the entire estate she once called home. Witnesses describe her as a translucent figure dressed in flowing white garments, her features indistinct but unmistakably feminine.

The apparition appears most frequently at dusk, that liminal hour between day and night when the veil between worlds seems thinnest. She has been seen walking the pathways through the grounds, sometimes pausing as if searching for something—or someone—lost to her long ago. Some believe she searches eternally for the happiness that eluded her in life, whilst others suggest she remains bound to the place where she suffered such trauma and heartbreak.

Witness Accounts

Staff members at Colwick Hall Hotel have reported feeling sudden drops in temperature when walking the grounds after dark, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of sadness. Guests staying at the hotel have described seeing a white figure from their windows, moving through the gardens below, only to find no one there when they investigated.

Local residents have reported encounters with the White Lady for generations, with sightings documented in local newspapers and community records. The consistency of these accounts—always a woman in white, always in the grounds or near the church—lends credibility to the legend.

Investigation and Evidence

The haunting of Colwick Hall has attracted attention from paranormal researchers and has been featured by Spooky Isles in their documentation of the hotel’s supernatural activity. The ghost is included in Gedling borough’s official roster of local spirits, cementing her place in the region’s paranormal heritage.

The historical evidence supporting Mary Ann’s tragic life is well-documented through parish records, Lord Byron’s own writings, and accounts of the 1831 riots preserved by local historians. While no definitive proof of the paranormal exists, the correlation between Mary Ann’s documented suffering and the persistent sightings of a mournful woman in white creates a compelling case for those who believe.

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This ghost story is part of the haunted history of Colwick Hall Hotel. Book a stay to experience the paranormal atmosphere for yourself.