Haunted Historic UK Universities

Unsurprisingly, ghost stories tend to be from the UK's most historic colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. This stems from the simple fact that Oxford and Cambridge are far older than any other universities in the UK, and therefore have more scope for ghostly goings on. For example, Exeter College, Oxford has a large garden space which was cleared when the Black Death wiped out most of its students in 1348. It is this gruesome history that lends rise to most ghost stories. However, more modern Universities also have their fair share of ghost stories too. The gothic style architecture of most University buildings adds to their sense of menace, and therefore rumours of hauntings are bound to crop up.
Oxford, famous as the city of dreaming spires is also known for its ghosts, due to its winding cobbled streets that seem to be straight out of Victorian London. With regular ghost tours around the city, and most of the city being Colleges, it follows that most of the University must be haunted. Certainly the city seems to have a bloody history, from the famous town and gown riots to the burning of Thomas Cranmer and Nicholas Ridley. Although specific stories are hard to come by, students are often told of the story of ghosts who stalks the quads of colleges at night.
Aberdeen is also known for its ghosts, although this may owe more to the striking gothic buildings and long winter nights than an increase in paranormal activity. The story of the ghost of the White Dove pub is well known, and many believe that this ghost actually appears to students at the University. The granite architecture of Aberdeen serves to give it a dark, brooding presence, meaning that stories of ghosts have spread from generation to generation. Indeed, being Scotland, many of the ghosts are said to be those of Highland Warriors, and stories of ghostly pipers marching through the University are common.
However, the most common University for ghost sightings is definitely Cambridge. Although not as old as Oxford, there are many more stories from Cambridge as to ghostly manifestations. Partially, this may because Cambridge was historically an isolated city. Trains to Cambridge from London used to be infrequent, and as such, the city gained a reputation for being mysterious. The large quads of King's and Trinity College are home to some of the most well-known ghosts, although it is in the back streets of this famous city that many apparitions are said to take place.

Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article about haunted universities and trains to Cambridge has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.