FROM the headless Hobgoblin of Neasham to a mysterious phantom haunting the Covered Market, a newly published book shines a spotlight on the spooky happenings throughout Darlington’s history.

Middlesbrough author and historian Bob Woodhouse spent many months delving into the borough’s dark side to put together a collection of spooky tales for his Haunted Darlington book.

Mr Woodhouse is no stranger to the more frightening elements of the North-East, having previously written ‘Haunted’ books about both Stockton and Cleveland, but this is the first time he has turned his attentions to Darlington.

His recently published book explores the ghostly goings-on at landmark sites across the town including spine-tingling occurrences in Darlington Memorial Hospital’s cellar and the Tartan Lady stepping out of her lifesize portrait to terrify visitors at what is now the Blackwell Grange Hotel.

The book also chronicles the hair-raising events that have played out at some of the area’s pubs including mysterious happenings in a room at the Hall Garth Hotel – and the grisly discovery that a shamed nun had been buried alive between its walls.

Despite the compelling and seemingly inexplicable supernatural phenomena reported in his book, Mr Woodhouse admits he is somewhat sceptical about ghoulish things and is no ghost hunter himself.

He said: “I am a little bit sceptical to be honest, I like to look for explanations and reasons behind these things but there are a small proportion of things that you can’t explain; there is something out there, but I am not sure what it is.”

Mr Woodhouse was a history teacher before his retirement and spent four years teaching at Hummersknott School in Darlington from 1973.

He said his love of local history was the main attraction behind writing Haunted Darlington but he can understand why so many people are enthralled by the supernatural and paranormal.

He said: “I think people are attracted to the excitement of the supernatural.

“I think people like to be tantalised and intrigued and they do like to do investigations and try to get to the bottom of things.

“It is exciting to venture into the unknown and to maybe get a little scared.”

Mr Woodhouse cites one his favourite tales as being the ‘Peg Powler suds’ on the River Tees whereby a naturally occurring phenomenon of water frothing at the riverside was told to be the soap suds of a malevolent mermaid who washed her hair in the river.