About this Event
This Halloween, join historian and author Dr Kate Cherrell for a journey into the darker side of Victorian history where death was everywhere, mourning was an elaborate ritual and ghosts were very much part of everyday life.
From Victorian funerals and mourning customs to ghost stories, Spiritualism and attempts to communicate with the dead, Kate explores why the Victorians became so fascinated by what happened after death.
Why did people photograph their dead? Why did mourning become such an important part of Victorian life? And why were so many people convinced they could speak to the dead?
Expect strange stories, unsettling beliefs, Victorian funerals, ghosts and plenty of things that go bump in the night.
A suitably dark evening of history for Halloween.
Grab a drink, settle in, and prepare to uncover the fascinating and often frightening history behind our darkest Halloween traditions…
🎃 Why did Victorian people become obsessed with communicating with the dead?
🎃 What really happened inside Victorian séances — and what did people believe they were hearing, seeing and experiencing?
🎃 How did mediums, spirit photography, Ouija boards and ghost stories blur the line between entertainment, belief and deception?
🎃 And why did the Victorian fascination with death and the supernatural leave behind some of the most enduring ghost stories we still tell today?
General Admission doors open at 7:00PM, with Kate taking to the stage at 7:30PM.
Bring your curiosity, your questions, and perhaps a healthy scepticism about what goes bump in the night… you’ll need your walking legs too — the show takes place in our historic Top Floor function room.
Make a Night of It
Why not begin your evening with dinner downstairs before heading upstairs for a journey into the darker side of history?
We recommend booking for no later than 5:30PM so you don’t miss the main event.
Pre-Event Drinks Reception
Want to get even closer to the story?
Join Kate and the team for an exclusive pre-show gathering with drinks, nibbles, and the opportunity to hear fascinating insights before the main event begins.
🥂 Arrival from 6:30PM (drinks reception ticket holders only).✨ Includes a glass of fizz and canapés🎟️ Limited tickets available — and they won’t remain available for long
Come for the drinks. Stay for the darkness.
Leave with a whole new perspective on witchcraft, superstition and the fears that have haunted us for centuries.
And remember… not everything has a rational explanation.
Event venue & nearby stays
Henry Tudor Inn, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.