Powis Castle is one of Wales’s great medieval-castles-turned-fancy-mansion-house – and it also has a rather impressive collection of ghosts.

For this Halloween special, I’m heading to Welshpool to explore the stories of the ghosts and strange happenings said to haunt Powis Castle, from a mysterious man in a gold-laced suit who appeared to a poor woman in 1780, to a lady in black, a ghostly piano that plays when the room is empty, and reports of invisible hands and other strange happenings.

There’s even a ghostly headless horseman said to patrol the gardens – a rather appropriate visitor for Halloween if you're a fan of Sleepy Hollow.

Along the way, we’ll look at the castle’s long and complicated history and the folklore surrounding its gardens.

Happy Halloween/ Nos Calan Gaeaf hapus – and keep an eye out for anything headless on horseback... 👻

Until next time, nos da!

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is a monthly podcast exploring Welsh ghost stories, folklore, strange history and forgotten accounts drawn from books, newspapers, archives and personal experiences.

Hosted by Mark Rees, a Welsh journalist and author of books including Ghosts of Wales and Paranormal Wales, each episode looks at the uncanny stories people recorded across Wales and beyond - from rural legends and Victorian sightings to odd reports that never quite settled into explanation.

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