WELCOME to
HALLOWE'EN!
"Spooky" just doesn't begin to describe Stamford, (and Hoptroff & Lee), at the start of this season!
We thrive on it!
Hallowe'en means "All Hallows Evening" or the eve of All saints Day. Hallowe'en night is when evil spirits and ghosts are abroad. Why not visit our shop for some quirky vintage spooky purchases and some great ideas?
We may have just what you need!
Read on..
4 GREAT WORDS FOR HALLOWEEN!
BANISH!
Time to banish the dark and bring in the light! Since time began, ceremonies have been held to celebrate the return of the light. It's the same for us in the home. Evenings at this time of year are naturally darker and cooler, and it's good to have plenty of warm, bright light while still capturing the spirit of the season.
On our Autumn page we looked at how candlesticks and holders were truly on trend again this year. See our candlestick collection in store from tomorrow!
If you want lots of light generally, candle power is BRIGHT, just gather together some mismatched candlesticks or a large wrought iron church candle holder and see the room light up! If you are holding an event, or just enjoy seasonal candlelight, what better way to invoke a flickering , ghostly glow around the home?
SCARE!
There's nothing like a ghost walk to scare yourself and your friends. Take a stroll on the spooky side with our Stamford Halloween walk below. This is where you get to walk the ancient thoroughfares of the town at dusk or when the town is deep in a gloomy fog!
If you're holding a Halloween party why not locate a few vintage items to scare your guests, like skeletons and skulls, a few well-chosen table-top items, hanging witches or taxidermy!
HAUNT!
Discover the haunted house at
Hoptroff & Lee, Antiques in the Alley, from tomorrow! This was a former doll house which had become old and worn and needed a special facelift. Doll houses are creepy and you can make your own haunted one with a little imagination. See Pinterest for some inspiration! You can also decorate your own home as a haunted house and invite guests to a Hallowe'en event.....
Old postcards of Victorian and Edwardian portraits, such as veteran actors & spooky children, where you get a good close-up of the face, plus prints of Halloween in bygone days are always good for home decor. Cartes de visite are very popular as they are real photographs and give an insight into a mysterious past. Use pagan altars or a corner of your room to display the weird and wonderful, like skulls, moonfaces and taxidermy!
STARTLE!
Startle your friends with your Halloween hospitality by mixing some very special seasonal drinks and serving them in colourful cups and branded glasses! See our seasonal bar on the Autumn page! The Autumn bar is a great idea when getting friends and family together, so if you don't have in mind scaring everyone this is a warm and lively alternative!
Some Hallowe'en items in stock now at Hoptroff & Lee!
A STAMFORD
HALLOWEEN WALK!
Stamford once had many religious establishments and so it has its fair share of ghostly legends involving the appearance of grey ladies and monks, although many are passed down through word of mouth rather than the result of documented records. Some shop and home-owners have reported the presence of an entity in or around a building. Bull-running was part of the town's history for 600 years, being banned in 1839, and it is said that the sound of the bulls can be heard across the meadow on November 13th (bull running day), and in the former bull yards. There are ancient stories of town tunnels running beneath and between the buildings, and myths and legends associated with certain houses and inns. We can't do a full ghost walk but we can take you down some very spooky alleyways & lanes to get the flavour of
haunted Stamford!
Nags Head Passage
The walk is best done at twilight or on a foggy day with low light. Take in the history and absorb the atmosphere! Please take a torch and watch your footing in old alleyways and lanes.
We start our walk at the North Street car park, making our way down Nags Head passage, the site of a brewery and inn for many years. This main thoroughfare into town has a strange metallic echo when you walk alone at night. It is a partially-covered passage with red brick vaulted exit onto Broad Street. Many Stamford people remember the famous Lincolnshire Poacher inn at the lower end of this alleyway and its giant lit sign of a game poacher which hung over the lane during the 1960s and 1970s. The furtive features of the poacher lit up the passage!
At the end of the passage, walk across Broad street bearing left. Here, a shadowy figure has been seen crossing the street at certain times of the day. Now enter Goldsmith's Lane. An old inn stood at the corner of this medieval thoroughfare that links Broad Street with High Street. Goldsmith's is a narrow passageway, dimly lit in winter. Imagine the cries from the overhanging buildings of "Watchunder" when the slops were thrown out into the street! This would have once been a foul, stinking place to inhabit, and locals would not walk along it after dark for fear of thieves and ​cut-throats.
Cheyne Lane
At the end of the lane, walk across High Street bearing right, and turn left after the church into
Cheyne Lane, another medieval passageway, linking High Street with St. Mary's Street. The alley curves slightly and is narrower and darker at each end. This is due to closely built and overhanging buildings which make it eerie after dusk. There are 8 visible former windows and doors leading out into the lane, their ghostly outlines can just be seen in the walls. Imagine eyes looking out at you every step of the way! At least one shop owner in this lane has reported the feeling of being continually watched!
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St. Mary's Place & Passage
At the end of the lane, walk ahead into cobbled
St. Mary's Place at the side of the church. Here the tall buildings are all around. In the 18th century, it was reported by the local newspaper of th​e time that
St. Mary's Place had a haunted house, even the local clergy were afraid to spend time in the building. There were reported noises at night and shadowy figures passing before the windows. The apparent occurrences were enough to frighten away its resident who never returned
to his home!
Follow St. Mary's Place to its lower end and look across the road to the shops on St. Mary's Hill. Here you will see
St. Mary's Passage, a narrow alleyway leading to the original wharf, grain & boat stores, and the river. Its decorative Norman entrance may once have been a postern gate in the town wall. There are cobbles along the first few feet inside the passage, and the high walls of the buildings, including former shops, make it dull and dank. Imagine entering this area of darkness at night, a magnet for pickpockets and murderers! Or maybe it was the entrance to a dark religious establishment lit by candles?
St. John's Lane
Follow St. Mary's Passage through to the end and turn right. Walk along the original wharf to the almost hidden entrance to St. John's Lane on your right, next to the "Cobbled Yard". Take a few minutes to gaze across the meadows to imagine the sound of the haunted bulls on bull running day! St. John's Lane is a quaint medieval thoroughfare and is unmarked at the lower end; it takes its name from the neighbouring church. It has an original Victorian street lamp about halfway along but this only partly lights the way.
Walking up towards the town, the high walls obscure the long rear gardens of the shops high up on St. Mary's Street. On a foggy day it can feel scarily enclosed. The roughly-cut setts underfoot at the top make it uneven, but safer in icy weather. The lane would have been used as a walkway or for passage of goods from the wharf to the street, and would not have been inhabited at night by respectable people.
Cross Keys Lane & Bugle Lane
At the top of the lane turn left, and just before the old timber-framed shop, another narrow lane leads back down to the river. This is Cross Keys Lane, again unmarked, but taking its name from a former Inn in close proximity. The lane inclines downwards with ridged concrete footing and is enclosed at the top as shown in the image, which is partly the neighbouring shop built across the lane, and partly
supporting brick arch.
This lane terminates in a little cottage to its right, walk around the side of this and locate Bugle Lane on the right. This lane on our walk is hidden away, and should not be confused with Olde Barn Passage. See the video for directions. Bugle Lane (inset) is another medieval thoroughfare from town to river and has some interesting overhanging buildings towards the top supported by wooden struts.
Wellington Lane
Back on St. Mary's Street, walk up past ASK Italian and the church and turn right into High Street. Wellington Lane on your left has a rather unusual entrance, being part of a shop front. It takes its name from a former inn that stood to its right. The lane is partially covered and very narrow to start, then widens out with high walls giving it a low light level. In winter it is cold and dank with dripping water. There is evidence of timber frames in the brickwork in the narrower part of the lane, and former doors in the walls further along. At night you would shutter your windows and certainly not venture out into the lane with its poor lighting and threat of menace! See a Georgian shuttered window at the lane top!
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Leaving Wellington Lane, you will find yourself on Broad Street and just a few hundred feet from Nag's Head Passage again.
We hope you enjoyed our Halloween Walk!
STAMFORD GHOST STORIES
that exist today
Other than those mentioned above, here are a few of the ghost stories that Stamford people talk about today
