Ghost Stories for Halloween: Haunted Places
This spine-chilling Halloween event brings together ghost story expert Dr Emma Liggins with theatrical performer and writer Adam Z. Robinson. It promises spooky stories, haunted histories and the terror of the unknown.
The evening begins with an illustrated talk on the development of the ghost story in the nineteenth century. The popularity of Gothic fiction made haunted places fashionable for both readers and tourists, from labyrinthine castles and medieval churches to remote country houses. Discussing writers such as Ann Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, E. Nesbit and Margaret Oliphant, Emma will consider the ways in which women’s ghost stories addressed concerns about property ownership, past secrets, gender inequalities and superstitious servants. She’ll also look at some of the myths and legends of Raby Castle, from white ladies and lost children to Lady Vane’s tale of a housekeeper returning from the dead.
Then, join master of the macabre Adam Z. Robinson for a lamp-lit ghost story performance. In The Bonehouse, historian Archie Witt takes a research trip to investigate the fabled roundhouse lock-up in the village of Abbot’s Knock, a place marred by witch trials, a wicked 17th-century magistrate and an ancient evil that may haunt the place still. A thrilling tale sure to chill the blood.
Dr Emma Liggins is a Reader in English Literature in the School of English at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and Co-Director of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies. She has published widely on the short story, Victorian women’s writing and the supernatural. Publications include (with Andrew Maunder and Ruth Robbins), The British Short Story (Palgrave, 2010), The Haunted House in Women’s Ghost Stories, 1850-1945: Gender, Space and Modernity (Palgrave, 2020) and a chapter on ‘The Edwardian Supernatural’ in The Edinburgh Companion to Twentieth-Century Gothic (Edinburgh University Press, 2022). She is currently working on a monograph on Victorian and Edwardian Death Spaces: Gender and Memorialisation for Manchester University Press. e.liggins@mmu.ac.uk
Adam Z. Robinson is a writer, theatre-maker and prize-winning author of flash fiction. His theatre work includes: Upon the Stair (“Everyone needs to see this show” - ✭✭✭✭½ The Reviews Hub) and Smile Club (✭✭✭✭ The Guardian) co-written with Andrea Heaton. His plays The Book of Darkness & Light and Shivers toured nationally between 2016-2019. As well as his original plays, Adam has adapted classic works for the stage: Haunted (two national tours, 2023) and A Christmas Carol (national tours, 2019-21; residency London, 2022; residency Saint John, Canada, 2023) and Nightmares (national tour to 22 theatres, 2024). His latest show, Darkness & Light, is touring autumn 2025. He is the host of The Ghost Story Book Club podcast. www.adamzrobinson.com
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This spine-chilling Halloween event brings together ghost story expert Dr Emma Liggins with theatrical performer and writer Adam Z. Robinson. It promises spooky stories, haunted histories and the terror of the unknown.
The evening begins with an illustrated talk on the development of the ghost story in the nineteenth century. The popularity of Gothic fiction made haunted places fashionable for both readers and tourists, from labyrinthine castles and medieval churches to remote country houses. Discussing writers such as Ann Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, E. Nesbit and Margaret Oliphant, Emma will consider the ways in which women’s ghost stories addressed concerns about property ownership, past secrets, gender inequalities and superstitious servants. She’ll also look at some of the myths and legends of Raby Castle, from white ladies and lost children to Lady Vane’s tale of a housekeeper returning from the dead.
Then, join master of the macabre Adam Z. Robinson for a lamp-lit ghost story performance. In The Bonehouse, historian Archie Witt takes a research trip to investigate the fabled roundhouse lock-up in the village of Abbot’s Knock, a place marred by witch trials, a wicked 17th-century magistrate and an ancient evil that may haunt the place still. A thrilling tale sure to chill the blood.
Dr Emma Liggins is a Reader in English Literature in the School of English at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and Co-Director of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies. She has published widely on the short story, Victorian women’s writing and the supernatural. Publications include (with Andrew Maunder and Ruth Robbins), The British Short Story (Palgrave, 2010), The Haunted House in Women’s Ghost Stories, 1850-1945: Gender, Space and Modernity (Palgrave, 2020) and a chapter on ‘The Edwardian Supernatural’ in The Edinburgh Companion to Twentieth-Century Gothic (Edinburgh University Press, 2022). She is currently working on a monograph on Victorian and Edwardian Death Spaces: Gender and Memorialisation for Manchester University Press. e.liggins@mmu.ac.uk
Adam Z. Robinson is a writer, theatre-maker and prize-winning author of flash fiction. His theatre work includes: Upon the Stair (“Everyone needs to see this show” - ✭✭✭✭½ The Reviews Hub) and Smile Club (✭✭✭✭ The Guardian) co-written with Andrea Heaton. His plays The Book of Darkness & Light and Shivers toured nationally between 2016-2019. As well as his original plays, Adam has adapted classic works for the stage: Haunted (two national tours, 2023) and A Christmas Carol (national tours, 2019-21; residency London, 2022; residency Saint John, Canada, 2023) and Nightmares (national tour to 22 theatres, 2024). His latest show, Darkness & Light, is touring autumn 2025. He is the host of The Ghost Story Book Club podcast. www.adamzrobinson.com
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