When you arrive as a fresher in Cambridge, it’s only a matter of time before you hear a ghost story or two about your college. It seems like every building here has its own tale of paranormal activity, and this is no surprise: in a city which has such a rich history, it’s only logical that some parts of our past are full of ghosts and ghouls. At first, we tend to pay these stories little notice; they’re just a bit of fun, something to keep the new arrivals entertained. But as the days get colder and the evenings get darker, it becomes harder to shake the feeling that there are actually ghosts all around us. Even if you’re a sceptic, it’s hard to deny that, when walking through the streets of Cambridge, we’re constantly reminded of those who did so before us.

Since, at the big age of 20, it’s no longer socially acceptable for me to go trick-or-treating, this year I decided I would book myself onto a ‘Creepy Cambridge’ ghost tour. I naturally have to feel suspicious of the whole concept of a walking tour – it’s the pretentious Cambridge student’s worst nightmare to risk being perceived as a tourist in their own city. However, a ghost tour felt like the perfect solution.

“Part of me was expecting to see a gaunt, pallid figure dressed as a skeleton or the grim reaper, wielding a scythe”

I approached Magdalene Bridge for the start of the tour, keeping an eye out for the guide. Part of me was expecting to see a gaunt, pallid figure dressed as a skeleton or the grim reaper, wielding a scythe as opposed to a tour guide flag. So, I have to admit I was a little disappointed when met with a friendly handshake from the very normal, very alive-looking tour guide wrapped up in a winter coat and scarf. As a lover of all things tacky when it comes to Halloween, I had perhaps got my wires crossed over what kind of ‘spooky’ my evening was going to be. It quickly became clear that if I was looking for cheap thrills, I would have been better off staying at home to watch a slasher.

Our tour guide started off with a lesson about Cambridge’s gory beginnings, which kicked off in the scariest place in England: Oxford. In 1209, a student fled Oxford upon realising that he had accidentally killed a woman. The murder, alongside growing resentment towards the University’s scholars, caused uproar among the townsfolk, and led to three of the murderer’s fellow students being hanged. Many terrified scholars decided to leave the city, and ended up settling in the town of Cambridge.

Off to a strong start, the Cantabridgians then embarked on a long history of violence and torture, from throwing alleged witches in the river Cam to having criminals hung, drawn, and quartered on Market Square. Our guide provided a perfect blend of shock value and intellectual stimulation, teaching us all about how the phrase ‘skeleton in your closet’ comes from Clare’s Dr Robert Greene, who insisted in his will that the College display his skeleton in their library alongside his personal collection of books. The College did comply with his wishes, but only for a short while until Dr Greene’s skeleton was put away in a closet, where he disappeared bone-by-bone at the hands of students wanting a souvenir to commemorate their time at Cambridge.

“The screams of these children can be heard ringing throughout the building”

My personal favourite stop on the tour was The Eagle (not only because we got to stop for a mid-tour pint). We were told a story about a ghost who haunts table four, knocking over the drinks of anyone who upsets him – a convenient tale for anyone who tends to get a bit clumsy after a couple of pints. I was more convinced, however, by the story of a window to the right above the pub garden, which is always open no matter the weather or time of day. Around three hundred years ago, there was a fire in the building from which three children were unable to escape. It’s rumoured that if the window is closed, the screams of these children can be heard ringing throughout the building, and guests at the pub have reported experiencing a feeling of suffocation. There is so much superstition surrounding this story that the open window rule is actually written into the pub’s lease!

Although I didn’t get to see any real ghosts, ‘Creepy Cambridge’ showed me a side to this historical town which I otherwise might never have discovered. My wish for an evening full of jumpscares was instead met with some spine-tingling stories that will definitely make me think twice before walking past certain buildings at night. So, next time you hear a bump in the night, watch out for the ghost of a dead don roaming the corridors, searching for his next victim (or try your best to convince yourself it’s just the pipes, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!).