Some of Lincoln’s most enduring ghost stories will be brought to life in an evening of story-telling, discussion and live theatrical performance set in a historic building famous in local folklore for its paranormal happenings.
The purportedly haunted White Hart Hotel in the city’s Bailgate will provide the setting for A Lincoln Ghost Story Evening – an event which will celebrate some of the historic city’s most popular ghostly tales and reflect on the public’s continuing fascination with the supernatural.
The event will takes place on Monday 27th November, between Halloween and Christmas, with audiences invited to explore the ghost story’s long association with the festive season. It is organised by the researchers specialising in Gothic literature from the University of Lincoln and will feature a guest talk by Dr Derek Johnston, a lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and author of ‘Haunted Seasons: Television Ghost Stories for Christmas and Horror for Halloween’.
The guide of the original Lincoln Ghost Walk will share her experiences of recounting ghostly tales in the historic streets of Lincoln. Recent graduates from the BA (Hons) Drama course at the University of Lincoln will then treat the audience to a special theatrical performance, conjuring up the White Hart’s spectral history and offering tarot card readings, before the evening concludes in the traditional fashion with reading of a classic ghost story.
The event is organised by Dr Scott Brewster, from the University of Lincoln’s School of English and Journalism. A specialist in Gothic literature, Dr Brewster has recently co-edited The Routledge Handbook to the Ghost Story – the first volume to examine the ghost story tradition in a truly international context.
He said: “I’m fascinated by the enduring popularity of the ghost story in literature, film, television or amongst online communities. Ghost walks and ghost hunts show the continuing power of the supernatural tale in contemporary culture. This event casts light on ghost stories, some of them local, and why they still matter to us in the twenty-first century.”
A Lincoln Ghost Story Evening will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 27th November. Tickets cost £5 (including complimentary drink and mince pie) and can be booked through the University of Lincoln’s online store at http://lncn.eu/whghost.