GHOSTHUNTERS searching for a ghoulish encounter can brave dimly lit underground corridors at Oxford Castle.

Fans of ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night are invited to call in at the tourist attraction off New Road this month and next month during Ghost Fest.

The festival features a series of fright nights and other events in the run-up to Halloween and beyond.

Aspiring ghost hunters can explore the confines of the 1,000-year-old castle prison site on one of the professionally-led Ghost Hunt experiences held on selected nights.

And vigils will test the hunters’ nerves as they seek one of the spirits believed to dwell in the castle boundaries.

Tour guide Andy Middleton, whose character is prison warder Mr Barker, said: “Ghost Fest is always a thrilling time at Oxford Castle Unlocked and not just for the guests.

“I relish the opportunity to make my character a lot more spooky during the wide variety of events we have going on throughout the festival.”

Terror Tuesdays, held every Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm in October and November, will invite visitors to make their way down to the subterranean crypt.

Every Thursday there will be a spooky tour, with a tour guide accompanying guests and telling tales of recent ghostly encounters, as well as reminding guests of disturbing history from centuries past.

Visitors can also enjoy the venue’s Victorian Murder Mystery evenings, with performances on Friday, October 23, and Friday, November 27.

Children can come along to trick or treat evenings on Friday, October 30, Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, from 6pm, with families invited to dress in Halloween costumes and knock on cell doors of the former prison.

Oxford Castle Unlocked runs Ghost Fest at the castle, which dates from Saxon times and was for hundreds of years the city’s prison.

In 2009 a survey of 140 different spooky locations and 22,000 visitors across the country found that Queen Matilda, who was besieged in the castle in the 12th century, was the most seen ghost.

The first reported sighting of Matilda’s ghost was in the 1990s when the site was still a prison. Guards were said to have seen her appear as a white mist.

Oxford Castle Unlocked offers a 40-minute guided tour and recently welcomed its 50,000th group of visitors since the site became a tourist attraction in 2006.

Visitors can explore the Saxon St George’s Tower, the crypt, the preserved Victorian prison wing and the Mound, offering views of the city.

For more information, visit oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk/events/ghostfest