Haunted Convicts Tunnel, Wombwell Woods, Barnsley, Uk

Wombwell and its Woods is known for it history and hauntings over the years.

There is prehistoric activity in the Wombwell area which is indicated by Mesolithic and Neolithic findspots. Some have even suggested that there is a possible ‘henge’ in Wombwell Wood. Iron Age and Romano-British field systems and settlements are visible in several parts of the Wombwell area as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Place-name evidence indicates early medieval activity in the area and the area was recorded as ‘Wanbella’ in the 1086 Domesday survey. Wombwell may derive its name from the Old English element ‘wamb’, meaning a hollow, and means the well in the hollow.

Wombwell Woods is believed by many to be a site for dark arts over the years, there has been many reports of ghostly manifestations. The most common sighting is of a male apparition which is suppose to look like ‘Guy Fawkes’. People have reported that this ghostly apparition has jumped out on them as they have walked through the woods and a couple reported that he jumped out at them as they drove past the woods, he covered his face with a cape as they drove straight through him.

Bright balls of light has been reported as well as many people reporting to have been attacked here by a unforeseen force which as made them feel so ill it has resulted in them passing out. Shadow figures is another common sighting in the area.

Recent history of this location to add is that in 2009 a broken-hearted husband murdered his wife before killing himself with an electric drill after she ended their marriage on Facebook. Electrical engineer Gary Grinhaff bludgeoned wife his Tracey to death after she changed her Facebook status to ‘splitting up with husband.’ He then drove to Wombwell woods where he tried to kill himself in a number of different ways before finally succeeding.

Convicts Tunnel has two attached stories to it.

One in the 1800’s the fields round the tunnel were camp sites for convicts being transported and this would have stop off point.

Another story tells how the tunnel was build by prisoners looked after by monks.

The actual history of the tunnel is quite vague from what I can find.

The hauntings

Local legend says a monk was killed on the building of the tunnel and is given the name the green monk, the green monk has been reported to be seen by more than one person.

It is also reported that if you visit at 12:00am and stand in the tunnel you may hear and feel the train that use to go through and have the sensation of it going through you.

Paranormal Investigator, Phil Sinsclair, visited here and states that while there

‘Something was definitely mocking me and playing around with my equipment not to mention claiming to be ‘EVIL’

A user on a Forum, who visits many times stated that its a ‘very scary place and you will more or less hear things’.

While I was here, my phone did seem to be draining very fastly and I did hear strange bangs when nobody was actually around.

I did a live here, which can be seen below.

After the live, I was contacted by medium, Steve Watmough, who believes the tunnel could be haunted by a terrier dog, a male of about 30 who had committed suicide here and a women who wanders who has long dark hair.

To back this up, a member of the Paranormal Hauntings group came forward to support Steve’s claims if this after this was published.

It certainly does had a eerie feeling to it and is certainly a location you will be seeing me investigate at night time.

Pictures below is arrows within the tunnel believed to be carved by the convicts…looking in forums people have reported these being here for a long time so also worth checking out while there….

Enter a caption
Above the Tunnel


5 thoughts on “Haunted Convicts Tunnel, Wombwell Woods, Barnsley, Uk

  1. No train ever went through convicts tunnel it was built in 1850 by the south yorkshire railway it is not a tunnel it is a bridge and the line went over the top not uderneath
    It was not built by convicts and no convicts were camped near by it gets its nick name
    From the fact that some of the masons marks on the stone look like convicts arrows
    The lane which runs underneath it was called crawshaw lane and simply went to fields
    It started near the sharp bend in the road near the farm but the road was realined to make more room for wombwell main pit stack at the same time covering the hamlet
    Of smithley , the reason you can hear trains is beacause the sheffield leeds line is about
    A hundred meters away in a cutting and the sound of trains reverbarates off the cutting walls making them easily heard, the line above was the great central line from barnsley to sheffield but was severed when the m1 motorway was built leaving it only serving a couple of collierys it closed in 1985, the line was the scene of a fatal accident in december 1911 when a coal train lost controll on the steep incline from rockingham south(near birdwell) and being unable to stop crashed into a locomotive at darfield main crossing the driver and fireman on the runaway train were killed but the pit loco crew jumped clear, the runaway train would have passed over convicts tunnel
    One thing to note for any ivestigators useing an emf meter is an hv electric cable runs under the tunnel as it was too high for the cable to go over the top , it re emerges from the ground
    To go up a pole to a transformer to supply power to the near by farm

    1. Hey mick thank you for the info the actually history of the location is really vague I looked through forums hence why I mentioned stories of the site, alot of people tend to think this if the site and if it is not the case I am unsure to why…maybe just hearsay? Id love to talk to if u find me on Facebook. Charlene lowe Kemp

      1. Hi Charlene I don’t do Facebook but my partner Sandra does I will get her to send you a friend request regards mick

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: