Wigan Album

In the early 1970s one of my work colleagues helped run the Scouts at The Queens Hall, and she and her fellow youth-workers used to take the scouts to "Scout Camp" at Bispham Hall, and she said the lads used to believe there was a ghost called "Nellie Bispham"!

I expect someone is going to tell me it was demolished a long time ago....why is it that attractive old houses bite the dust in Wigan...& not in other places ?

The hall was built in 1573 but has been extended since. It is constructed to an E-shaped plan in dressed stone with ashlar dressings in three storeys, with a frontage of five gabled bays. The 2nd and 4th bays project but the 1st and 5th bays project even further and are wider. Despite interior damage caused by fire, the hall remains one of the most complete examples of 16th century architecture in the historic county of Lancashire.[1] The surrounding park, at one time much larger than the 60-acre estate which exists today, had extensive woodlands which contain an 1815 monument to the Duke of Wellington and a smaller monument to either a horse or dog called Dash.

Bispham Hall was named after the Bispham family who acquired the estate by marriage in 1346 and held it until 1730. It then passed to the Leigh family of Whitley Hall, Wigan. In 1825 the property had descended to John Holt, who had inherited it in 1816 from his unmarried brother Robert.[2] In 1841 John Holt left the property to William Mills, a distant relative of Cheshire, on condition that the latter adopted the surname of Holt.[3] On William's death the estate passed to his son William Thomas, who died in 1857, leaving it to be divided between his six sisters, whereby it was sold in 1871 to coal-producer Meyrick Holmes Bankes of Winstanley Hall.[4]

The Bispham estate was acquired by the Boy Scout Association in 1948 as an activity centre. The hall itself was gutted by a fire in 1977 or 1978, but has been since restored by the Vivat Trust and is now privately owned. The Scout activity centre provides, in addition to indoor accommodation facilities, field camping areas for large groups and smaller woodland clearings for smaller groups. Varied outdoor facilities are organised, including climbing, orienteering, canoeing and team sports.

Local legend tells how the ghost of Nellie Bispham haunts the woods around Bispham Hall. Additionally, the ghost of Flo Demon is said to haunt the bunkhouse after her demise by an axe in 1993.

I'm certain they and the ghost too would have enjoyed themselves whilst there Irene, my sons went there when at the Cub Scouts at St Michael's, they always enjoyed going and remember them saying that spooky tales were always the most popular stories being told.
Don't remember that axe murder in 1993 though, winnie, I do remember that there was a murder of a young girl near to there, and around that time too, though it was on the footpath that ran at the side of Billinge Hospital and farmland, between Upholland Road and Winstanley Road, and they did get the man involved.

My old neighbour bought it a few years ago.

Thanks for all that history Winnie.
Here where I live we have an old hall, Felbrigg Hall going way back like Bispham Hall &Felbrigg was the same. When hand down to the next generation it was stipulated that the original family name had to be used. When the house was eventually handed to the NT the late owner requested that nothing be removed from the house & nothing new be brought in...he left the house to them lock stock & barrel....I volunteered there for 10 yrs...lovely old place.

As a retired police officer, and somebody who lived across the road from Bispham Hall for over thirty years (moved eight years ago) and had an interest in its history, I can assure you there was no axe murder there in 1993, or in any other year.
The name given to the victim - 'Flo Demon' - indicates it was dreamt up - most likely by an over-imaginative teenager.
A comprehensive history of the Bispham family of Billinge - 'Memoranda Concerning the Bispham Family', does not give detaills of any family member called Nellie, Helen, Ellen, or any similar name, even though the different generations are listed in detail.

My old neighbour, who bought Bispham Hall a few years ago, only gave £1 for it.

The picture looks really interesting thanks Ron.
Winnie, your account of its history is fascinating, I've never visited, does it still look like that and can you still visit?
Helen, I just Googled Felbrigg Hall, just beautiful! This is now on my 'to do list' when next in Cromer, which reminds me I have not renewed my N.T Card!

My hiouse, a farmhouse, was one of the properties sold after the death of Meyrick Bankes -- it was owned by the Bispham family until Bankes bought the estate in 1871. I have been reaesrching the history for a few years now. It's very sad to see the state of Winstanley Hall which was the home of the Bankes family--yet another blot on Wigan's record of protecting its long history.