A gentle phantom is the lady in a green Tudor costume. She drifts through the ancient building of the King's Manor, and seems to be carrying a bunch of roses. She may be the phantom of Anne Boleyn who stayed here during her brief and tragic marriage to Henry VIII. Exactly when or why this identification was made is unclear. Considering the large number of places Anne Boleyn is said to haunt, it might be thought more likely that the phantom in green is some other Tudor lady who has some reason to return with her gorgeous roses. But there is a twist to the tale.

In 1523 the teenage Anne Boleyn fell in love with Lord Henry Percy, later the 6th Earl of Northumberland, and they had a semi-secret romance. The relationship was broken up by Lord Henry's father as he had his eye on a rich heiress as his future daughter-in-law. Many years later when Henry VIII was casting about for reasons to get rid of Anne, Henry Percy refused to admit that he had been engaged to Anne or that anything improper had occurred. When Henry finally put Anne on trial for treason, Percy was conspicuous by his absence. Perhaps the lady in green with the red roses really is Anne, returning to York in search of the happier days of her youth.

Nobody is entirely certain who the ghost is, though some claim to have a good idea and his appearance is both sudden and dramatic. The spirit materialises in one spot only, on the staircase in the North Wing which leads to the Huntingdon Room. The eerie, silent grey phantom is often seen. Almost invariably the portrait of a Stuart dignitary is taken off the wall and found lying on the floor after the phantom appears. This is generally said to be the ghost of Henry Hastings who built the staircase. What relationship he has to the portrait is totally unknown.

The next ghostly manifestation at King's Manor, is related to the fighting of the Civil War. Here the groans and cries of wounded Roundheads can be heard in the main courtyard where they were brought for the rudimentary medical treatment then available to them. Considering the total lack of anaesthetic at the time, the men had plenty of reason to groan.

The King's Manor, like York as a whole, has a crowd of phantoms lurking in the shadows - some terrifying, some charming and some enigmatic - but all ready at any moment to cross the threshold into our world.