WELCOME to
HALLOWE'EN!
"Spooky" just doesn't begin to describe
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..
Some Hallowe'en items in stock now at Hoptroff & Lee!
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A STAMFORD
HALLOWEEN VISIT!
At Hoptroff & Lee we like to make history come alive, and that includes a trip around this very old town. Let us, at this darkest time of the year, introduce you to some of our creepiest of alleyways & oldest of buildings to help you get a flavour of​
HAUNTED STAMFORD!
Stamford has many ancient buildings including extensive religious establishments both past and present, so it has a few ghostly legends. Moreover it is the evidence of the past all around the town that helps us to see the ghosts of a bygone age! Around the town, there is evidence of old inns and shops with former doors and windows in the walls, and tales of ancient tunnels beneath the streets. Religious buildings were prominent during medieval times with monasteries and friaries and even more churches than we have today. Many of these are now just sites where the building used to stand but the signs are still there! Many of Stamford's streets take their names from local hostelries or the nearest church! Also included are the names of important merchants in business at the time the street was being given its title.
Due to the age of some buildings, creaky floors and winding passages, staircases and cellars may heighten our imaginations. But local people have reported the presence of entities at the premises in which they live and work. One such encounter was at no. St. Paul's Street which was a cafe & upstairs accommodation during the 1970s. The owner reported the presence of a lady in a crinoline dress who he encountered on regular occasions throughout the the building, but particularly at night when he was aware of her sitting upon his bed! St. Paul's Street has many ghost stories, the former RAFA club being one of the most prolific sites of reported hauntings!
Let's tour parts of the old town.....
Nags Head Passage
Nags Head passage, the site of a brewery and inn for many years, indeed its original name was Lowes Passage after Lowes and Cobbold brewery. The Nags Head was the name of the inn on the corner, renamed "The Lincolnshire Poacher" in later 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 sign high above the lower end of the alleyway featuring a game poacher 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. Goldsmith's Lane on your right is a medieval thoroughfare linking Broad Street to High Street. It is narrow and dimly lit in winter. An inn stood on the corner of this passageway and you can just make out the original door and brewery name.
A true "Ghost sign".
Imagine the cries from the overhanging buildings of "Watchunder" when the slops were thrown out into the street! Once, Goldsmith's Lane would have been a foul, stinking place to inhabit, and locals would not walk along it after dark for fear of drunks, thieves and ​cut-throats.
Cheyne Lane
At the end of Goldsmith's Lane, walk to the right across High Street and left into Cheyne Lane (next to Fairfax and Favor). This is 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 &
Town Hall
At the end of Cheyne lane, walk ahead into
St. Mary's Place at the side of the church. Here, the tall buildings are all around, watch your footing on the cobbled ground!
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 you will be standing next to the Town Hall. Here, the curator tells stories of being touched on the head by an unknown entity and hearing footsteps on the floorboards when the building is empty.
Look across the road to the shops on St. Mary's Hill and you will see St. Mary's Passage, a narrow alleyway leading to the original wharf, grain stores and boat moorings on the river. Its decorative Norman entrance may once have been a postern gate in the town wall although some reports state that it was the entrance to a medieval establishment. There are cobbles (small setts) 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 you would be entering a dark religious establishment lit by
flickering candles?
3 lanes leading down to the river 1). St. John's Lane
Standing on St. Mary's Street among the shops, three lanes are visible leading down to the river. St. John's Lane is a quaint medieval thoroughfare taking its name from a neighbouring church. It has an original Victorian street lamp about halfway along but this only
partly lights the way.
The high walls in St. John's Lane obscure the long rear gardens of the shops high up on St. Mary's Street. On a dark day it can feel eerily enclosed. The roughly-cut setts underfoot at the top make the ground uneven, but safer in icy weather. The lane would have been used as a walkway or for passage of goods from St. Mary's Street to the wharf, and would not have been occupied at night by respectable people.
2). Cross Keys Lane & 3). Bugle Lane
Cross Keys Lane (right), unmarked, leads down from St. Mary's Street next to... and takes its name from a former Inn in close proximity. The lane inclines downwards and is partially covered at the top as shown in the main image. This is partly the extension of a neighbouring property. This lane terminates in a quaint little cottage on the right.
Bugle Lane (below) is another medieval thoroughfare from town to river, opening next to No.1 Kitchen. It is named after a former neighbouring inn. Bugle Lane has some interesting overhanging buildings towards the top supported by their original wooden struts.
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STAMFORD BULL RUNNING
Discover the haunting history of Stamford's annual bull running event, once a vibrant spectacle held on November 13th, St. Brice's Day. For nearly 600 years, the streets echoed with the thunder of charging bulls, cruelly baited, a tradition that met its end in 1839. Legend has it that at midnight on this fateful day, you can still hear the spirits of the bulls racing across the meadows close to Bath Row. Local author, Betty Clark, related chilling tales of hearing the ghosts of the bulls in the yard of her childhood home in
St. Leonard's Street, believed to be the site of one of the original bull yards (enclosures).
The Infirmary
Many old buildings have tales of hauntings maybe because they stand upon the sites of other ancient habitations. The Stamford & Rutland hospital, was built on a former Franciscan Friary. The Friary is said to be the resting place of famous figures, including the legendary Fair Maid of Kent. Its original gate, dating back to the 14th century, stands apart the main infirmary of 1828, while nearby St. Leonard's priory, now a ruin, may have been in existence since as early as 624. Staff have reported sightings of a ghostly grey monk wandering the grounds at night, inviting you to explore stories that linger in the shadows.
