### The Terror of Mrs Ann Musters The most viscerally disturbing haunting at Colwick Hall belongs to Mrs Ann Musters, whose final months were overshadowed by the violence she witnessed during the Reform Bill Riots. On the night of October 10th, 1831, a mob of several hundred people descended upon Colwick Hall, intent on punishing Sir John Musters for his opposition to parliamentary reform. As flames consumed parts of the building and rioters ransacked the interior, Ann Musters fled into the grounds, concealing herself in the dense shrubbery while chaos raged around her. Her ghost, witnesses claim, is forever reliving that night of terror. Groundskeepers and guests walking the parkland at dusk have reported seeing a woman in period dress crouching behind trees, her face a mask of fear as she peers out as if watching for pursuers. When approached, she vanishes. Inside the Hall, her presence is most concentrated in the east wing, where staff have reported sudden cold spots, the rustle of skirts in empty corridors, and brief glimpses of a female figure disappearing around corners. One former employee reported feeling an overwhelming sense of panic while working alone in this area—an emotion they later described as 'not their own.' ### The White Lady of the Lake Mary Ann Chaworth-Musters, immortalised in Byron's poetry as his first true love, is believed to walk both the corridors of Colwick Hall and the grounds near the lake. Described as a woman in a flowing white gown, she moves with a quiet, melancholic grace that has led some witnesses to initially mistake her for a living guest before she fades from view. Her appearances near the lake are particularly evocative. One account describes a couple walking the grounds at twilight who observed a woman in white standing at the water's edge, gazing across the surface. Assuming she was another guest, they called out a greeting—but the figure turned and simply dissolved into the evening mist. The same apparition has been reported at the nearby church, leading some researchers to suggest Mary Ann's spirit is restless, wandering between the places that defined her unhappy existence. ### Voices from the Servants' Quarters Perhaps the most unsettling activity occurs in the former servants' quarters, where the veil between past and present seems particularly thin. Multiple guests have reported being woken in the night by the sound of children laughing—a high, playful sound that seems to come from empty rooms or sealed corridors. Others have heard footsteps pacing overhead in areas where no one could possibly be walking. One particularly dramatic account involves a guest who awoke to the sound of shouting and commotion, as if an argument were taking place in an adjacent room. Before they could investigate, they felt a sharp poking sensation against their arm—as if someone were urgently trying to rouse them from sleep. When they turned on the light, the room was empty, the shouting had ceased, and a profound silence had settled over the Hall. ### Lady Evelyn's Lakeside Vigil Among the spirits said to inhabit Colwick Hall is Lady Evelyn, described as a heartbroken Victorian-era resident who appears by the lake and occasionally in the halls. Witnesses describe her wearing a flowing white gown similar to Mary Ann's, leading some to speculate these may be the same spirit perceived differently by various observers. Lady Evelyn's presence is associated with feelings of profound sadness—those who encounter her often report an inexplicable sense of loss that lingers long after the sighting.