Annesley Old Church is an allegedly haunted, medieval ruin in Nottinghamshire. Although it’s reasonably close to the popular Newstead Abbey and is easily reached by car or public transport, it sees far fewer visitors and most are locals. Like many of Nottinghamshire’s attractions, it’s quiet and unspoilt.
The old church was built in 1356 by the Annesley family that gave the district its name. Since the new All Saints’ Church was built for the convenience of the mining community in Annesley village, the old church fell out of use until it was finally abandoned in 1942. Ashfield District Council bought the ruin for just £1 in 1973 and restored it to its current condition by 2012.
Surrounding the church are the remains of the privately-owned Annesley Hall and its lodge. In 1400s, the hall passed from the Annesley family to the Chaworth family, who finally sold it in 1972. It was ravaged by a fire in 1997 and again in 2015. Supposedly, one of the ghosts haunting the hall is Charles Musters, a member of the Chaworth Family who died of malaria while sailing with Charles Darwin. The most commonly-seen ghost, however, is the ‘White Lady,’ a mistress of a member of the family who died in childbirth. Many more have supposedly been seen and felt, including a young girl in the stables. When I last visited in March 2022, there was scaffolding up, so the hall might look quite different by now. I didn’t see any ghosts, by the way…
Note that Annesley Hall and Lodge aren’t open to the public and the views can be enjoyed from the churchyard anyway.
Quite a few headstones remain amongst the wildflowers in the churchyard. Many of the graves belong to past residents of the hall and lodge. Lord Byron used to frequent both the church and hall in his childhood and wrote ‘The Dream’ about meeting Mary Chaworth, a resident of Annesley Hall, on the nearby Diadem Hill. Bear in mind that this is a graveyard, so be as respectful as you would be in any other cemetery.
There are lovely views of the surrounding fields and forests from the churchyard as well.
How to get there
Address: Annesley Old Church, Nottingham NG15 0AS
- By car: Annesley Old Church is very close to the M1’s Junction 27 and only a 10-minute drive from Hucknall. Because it’s so close to the motorway, there can be a very long wait to get out, especially if you’re turning right!
- By bus from Nottingham, Hucknall or Mansfield: Take the Trent Barton 3C bus to Derby Road. It’s a 0.6 mile/1 km walk to Annesley Old Church from the bus stop. You can also take the 3A bus to All Saints Church and walk 1 mile/1.7 km to the old church. All the three buses depart from Victoria Bus Station in Nottingham city centre. For more info on bus routes, check the Trent Barton website.
- By bus from Ilkeston: Take the 33 bus to Lakeside Court. It’s then a 0.4 mile/650 m walk to Annesley Old Church.
- By train: From Nottingham, take the East Midlands Railway train for Mansfield Woodhouse or Worksop to Newstead. From Mansfield or Worksop, take the same train in the opposite direction (Nottingham) to Newstead. Make sure your train actually stops there – there are two every hour and one is the ‘fast train’ that skips a few stops including Newstead. It’s then a 2.2 mile/3.5 km walk to Annesley Old Church.
When you arrive, you’ll see a rather unassuming parking bay. The path up to the old church is beyond some black bollards where you’ll see a graffitied steel door. This is what the parking bay and door look like:
How long to spend at Annesley Old Church
Unless you’re hoping to see ghosts or plan to reflect on Byron’s poetry for a while, I wouldn’t plan to spend any longer than 15–30 minutes here. That said, why not spend some time exploring other things nearby?
Nearby attractions
It’d be a shame to miss some of the lovely scenery near the old church.
- Annesley Forest (1 mi): This is the forest you can see from the old church. There are several quiet, peaceful trails, including one that will take you from Newstead to where you’d get off the 3A bus to walk to the church – ideal if you’re walking from Newstead Station.
- Newstead & Annesley Country Park (2.5 mi): Old colliery pits have become lakes in a park that’s only a few minutes from the train station.
- Linby Village (3.2 mi): Linby is a picturesque rural village that won Nottingham’s ‘best kept village’ award in 2013.
- Church of St Mary Magdalene (3.5 mi): Byron’s burial place and a quaint little church in Hucknall.
- Newstead Abbey (6.4 mi): The most famous and well-frequented of local attractions, but still worth a visit. If you’re into history, the abbey is full of it, and if you’re into scenery, you’ll love the gardens. If you like both, you definitely don’t want to miss Newstead Abbey!
Facilities
There are no facilities here. Bring snacks and water with you and go to the toilet before you leave, especially if you’ll be spending a full day exploring the surrounding area.
When to visit
The only time I’d avoid visiting is on a very rainy day since there’s nowhere to shelter. However, some of the nearby scenery can look a bit bleak in winter, so bear that in mind.
If you’ve got any thoughts or questions, feel free to comment. This is a lovely, unspoilt area and I’d love to see more people experiencing it!
Atlas and a Camera 