The Black Gate and Newcastle Keep...haunted...

Newcastle Keep and The Black Gate:

Located on the River Tyne in Newcastle England, this site has had a fortification since ancient Roman times. Prehistoric tools have also been found at the site making this a place that has been occupied for approx, 2000 years. There was also a Christian Cemetery on the site starting about the 8^th century. In 1080, the son of William the Conqueror, Richard Curthouse, built a wooden keep with a mote on a raised earthwork on the site of the Roman fort to defend against the Scots (also known as motte and bailey construction). In 1172, Henry II built a stone keep on the same site.

About 1250, the Black Gate, with two towers and a passage between them,was added to the structure, it had a vaulted guard room, drawbridge and a portcullis (gate that can be raised or lowered). The gate is named after one of the tenants who lived there, Patrick Black. The Keep was beseiged by the Scottish for three months in 1644, until the English troops finally surrendered. Newcastle Keep was used as a prison from the 16^th to the 18^th century.

A whiff of flowers...

The Black Gate

Newcastle Keep Ghosts: (from http://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/castle-keep-newcastle)

There have been numerous ghostly stories told about Castle Keep which range from the sounds of ghostly footsteps on narrow corridors which appear to be empty once investigated to unexplained mists which several visitors have captured on their cameras. Hundreds of photographs have been published both online and in books which have sightings of dark shadows, orbs and mists. Visitors have felt cold spots appear and disappear without any reason and people have been touched by invisible hands.
The Queens Chamber is one of the center of haunting. Many people have reported hearing chanting in the chamber which could be heard echoing around the walls of the Keep. This chanting sound is said to be made by chanting monks. A lady has been seen many times in the chamber, especially in the chapel. Visitors have reported being attacked, scratched and shoved within the walls of Castle Keep.
The Keep’s most famous ghost is called the “Poppy Girl”. Legend has it that she is the ghost of a flower girl who was sent to prison because she owed some people money. While she was in prison, she was raped and beaten to death by the male prisoners. She is often seen on the stairs of the Keep. It is said that when she is nearby, a whiff of flowers is present in the air.