As it's Halloween, we've been taking a look back at some of the spookiest spots in Leeds, and finding out how we can try our hands at ghost hunting, and turns out there's plenty of options to choose from.
Leeds is a city home to many historic buildings with haunted pasts - but there's perhaps no building more spooky than this.
The Armley building is thought to be the most haunted of them all.
The Armley building currently houses the popular Leeds Industrial Museum - which welcomes thousands of visitors throughout the year who come to awe at its incredible industrial collections from years gone by, but the museum building is actually part of the wider Armley Mills.
Armley Mills was once regarded as the world's largest woollen mill where hundreds of men, women, and children worked.
It's believed the spirits of those workers still remain in the building until this very day.
Armley Mills was once regarded as the world's largest woollen mill / Credit: Geograph | Wikimedia Commons
This is why it's said that paying a visit to Armley Mills after the sun's gone down is one of the spookiest things to do in Leeds, and probably the whole of Yorkshire, to be honest.
The earliest record of Armley Mills is as far back as the 16th century.
In 1788 ,the building was bought by a cloths merchant who expanded the premises, but unfortunately, the mills were destroyed by a fire in the early 1800s shortly after it was sold on, and it had to be rebuilt to the building it is today.
Due to its haunted reputation, there are ghost hunts held in the building throughout the year - but only for those that are brave enough.
Paying a visit to Armley Mills after the sun's gone down is one of the spookiest things to do in Leeds / Credit: Geograph (Ashley Dace)
Paranormal activities have been reported by those who have previously ventured into the mills after dark.
It's been claimed that scary shadows have been seen, footsteps have been heard when no one is there, and objects have been moved from one location to another.
It's even been said that many young children who used to work in the mill hundreds of years ago, are still present in spirit, and have been known to tug on people's clothing or chuck items around in way to gain attention.
People have also claimed to have encountered a little boy crying and a woman in a Victorian dress.
Fancy a tour of Armley Mills for yourself then? There are regular ghost hunts are run by local events company Haunted Happenings, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image - Wikimedia Commons
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
The Hoot -
20th August 2021 
