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Ghostly Guildhall

October 31, 2024
Author: St Mary's Guildhall - Hannah Hewlett

A Haunting at St Mary’s Guildhall

Roger Bailey is a Coventry Blue Badge tour guide who has lived in Coventry all his life. To celebrate Halloween St Marys Guildhall had a sit down with him to discuss all things spooky.

Roger has worked in the Guildhall as a tour guide in the past and has taken many groups through the building. He says he is quite sensitive and often feels ‘presences’, but the Guildhall has always felt to be a warm place to him.

 “I sometimes feel there are people there, that aren’t there, it’s not something you can write down or explain you just sense you’re not alone, and I’ve always been sensitive to it…

Roger has had many meals in the Great Hall and he remembers one moment in particular, when he was sat on the upper stage area during a dinner for the Alms House, Ford’s Hospital. He was a guest speaker at the event. During the event Roger felt as if someone else was behind him, and frequently looked around, but no one was there. He brushed it off at the time. 

It wasn’t until later, after he saw photos of the evening, that he realised something else might be going on. Three different people with different cameras in different locations, captured images of Roger with a presence behind him –  a shadow, and behind that shadow, a wave of light. Roger has shown these pictures to many people since and had comments such as ‘It’s just the angle’. ‘The light has bounced off the glass’, but he believes that because each image is from 3 different angles, locations, and heights, the light wouldn’t bounce off the glass in the exact same way in each picture.

Have a look at the images and see what you think.

When trying to explain this phenomenon, Roger finds it difficult to put into words. He does not know whether it was a presence within the Guildhall, a presence associated with himself, or even a guardian angel. The one thing he is sure of is though, there was a ‘presence’.

He is not the only one, others have ‘seen’ a monk and this has been a regular sighting throughout the Guildhall’s history. Is this the spirit Roger felt?

There have also been reports of odd experiences with doors, lights and sounds, all the way up to the present day. Whatever else is certain, the Guildhall has hidden depths yet to be revealed.

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St Mary’s Guildhall and the Tales of Tea restaurant occasionally close for private events. Please follow the 'LEARN MORE' tab to check our closure information webpage for upcoming closure dates.
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