Ghosts of Gressenhall Workhouse

Fright Nights Norfolk and Suffolk will be ghost hunting at the notoriously haunted 'Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse' located in Dereham, Norfolk. It was first opened during the summer of 1777, with the intention of starting a ‘house of industry’ for the poor. Men were employed to cultivate the farm, and women would have spun worsted and hemp, under the watchful eyes of Master James W Moore and Matron Margaret Moore, James' wife.

The '‘house of industry' was later transformed into a workhouse, after changes occurred in the 'Poor Law Amendment Act' in 1834. A new classification system meant that men, women and children were separated. Work would include domestic chores for women such as laundry and kitchen duties, and extremely physical work for the men, such as breaking up stones to then be carted away, or pumping water.

Conditions were so unpleasant that paupers would have done everything they could to avoid living in the workhouse. Although on the plus side, healthcare and education were also on offer to inmates, so would have been beneficial to all. It was not unusual for people of a poor disposition to enter the workhouse purely for medical treatment in the infirmary! Gressenhall was in operation as a workhouse until 1948.

It then served as an old peoples’ home for a short period of time. Then in 1976, it became the museum as you see today, attracting up to 80,000 visitors per year!

• Initial briefing including information about Fright Nights, health and safety talk, and equipment talk
• Mediumship walk round – who haunts tonight?
• Psychic experiments including table tipping, glass divination and more..
• Ghost hunting vigils in the dark with our medium, and using ghost hunting equipment.
• Hot drinks and biscuits
• Your chance to ghost hunt in a haunted location at night!