THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Wardley Hall is famous for its so-called Screaming Skull, traditionally identified as the relic of Catholic martyr St Ambrose Barlow and said to bring disturbances when removed.
Wardley Hall is a historic moated manor in Worsley and the official residence of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford. A human skull preserved in a niche beside the main staircase has long been traditionally identified as that of St Ambrose Barlow, a Benedictine priest who was executed in 1641. The skull became the center of one of Lancashire's best-known supernatural traditions. According to the Screaming Skull legend, attempts to remove or mistreat it have resulted in unexplained screams, disturbances and violent storms. One story says the skull was thrown into the hall's moat, after which a severe storm struck and peace returned only after the moat was drained and the skull restored to the house. Historic England records the skull within the Grade I listed building, while the Diocese of Salford acknowledges the centuries-old tradition surrounding its identity.