The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass
23 September 2026
Deep Dive
Is this the most haunted road in Britain? The Stocksbridge Bypass, located to the north of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, is associated with a shocking number of the most fascinating kind of ghost stories of all: corroborated ones. Multiple people, both in pairs and individually, have reported experiencing eerily similar paranormal apparitions and other happenings on the road, starting before it was even fully built. Whether you’re a believer or a sceptic, it’s impossible to deny that the tales are captivating. In today’s episode, Chyaz explores the most compelling of these stories, and looks into the theories surrounding them too…
My Paranormal Experiences episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6K36dkEyqyxznoBvdPCL8V?si=2463c793d8ec49a7
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Source Shout Outs:
Strange But True Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz58LKMufic
The Star Articles: https://www.thestar.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/why-a-sheffield-road-remains-one-of-the-uks-most-haunted-routes-3020290
Sheffield Tribune Article: https://www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/the-most-haunted-road-in-britain/
Dr David Clarke’s Website: https://drdavidclarke.co.uk/road-ghosts/
Spooky Isles Article: https://www.spookyisles.com/stocksbridge-bypass/
Yorkshire Live Article: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/drove-down-most-haunted-road-32780102
MysteriousTimes Article: https://mysterioustimes.co.uk/2024/02/08/stocksbridge-bypass-a-critical-review/
GhostWalkBrighton Article: https://ghostwalkbrighton.co.uk/ghosts-of-the-highway/
BBC Articles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2589489.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4443883.stm
Watch on YouTube
Themes
- Corroborated sightings
- Place and folklore
- Belief and scepticism
Questions Explored
Who were David Goldthorpe and Steven Brookes and what did they report on the Stocksbridge Bypass? + −
David Goldthorpe and Steven Brookes were security guards patrolling the Stocksbridge Bypass construction site in September 1987; they described a group of children running in a field and later a cloaked, headless figure on Pearoyd Bridge, and they reported the incidents to the police. Chyaz Samuel covers this in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.
Where and when did the reported hauntings on the Stocksbridge Bypass take place? + −
The sightings are linked to the Stocksbridge Bypass, a 6.2 mile section of the A616 north of Sheffield close to the Peak District, and many of the most detailed accounts date from the construction period in 1987 through the early 1990s, with the road opening on Friday 13 May 1988. Chyaz Samuel lays out the timeline in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.
Why is the Stocksbridge Bypass story considered especially strange? + −
What makes the case unusual is the number of corroborated reports from independent witnesses who describe similar details: cloaked faceless figures, a headless torso, the sound of children singing and a musty smell like old books, all clustered around the same bridge and fields. Chyaz Samuel goes into the detail in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.
What historical explanations does the episode examine for the apparitions? + −
Chyaz discusses local historian Trevor Lodge's suggestion that monastery farms once occupied the land and that a monk may have been buried on unconsecrated ground, and he also raises the possibility that mining child labour and accidents might explain reports of childlike singing. Chyaz Samuel explores these theories in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.
Why did the Stocksbridge Bypass gain wider public attention? + −
The stories reached a broader audience after local newspaper coverage in the late 1980s and a television feature on Strange But True, and researchers such as Dr David Clarke recorded interviews with witnesses and police who described unexplained phenomena at the site. Chyaz Samuel discusses its media coverage and aftermath in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.
What bigger theme does this episode explore about belief and evidence? + −
The episode asks how we weigh repeated eyewitness testimony against sceptical explanations and urban folklore, showing how corroboration, local history and media attention shape whether a place is labelled haunted. Chyaz Samuel frames the debate in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 102: The Haunted Stocksbridge Bypass.