The Ghost of Nana the Nook: Cheshire’s Haunted Legend of Castle Edge Road

The Landlady Who Never Left – Mellor’s Most Enduring Legend

In the quiet folds of Mellor, a village nestled between New Mills and Marple Bridge, a chilling legend stirs beneath the trees of Wimberry Wood. The road that leads past it, Castle Edge Road, is more than just a country lane -- it’s a path into one of Cheshire’s most unsettling ghost stories. This is the story of Nana the Nook, the spectral landlady who haunts the lanes, woods, and whispers of this historic edge of the Peak District.--

Who Was Nana the Nook?

Once a beloved figure in the Mellor community, Nana the Nook was the landlady of a now-vanished pub known locally as The Miners Arms, officially the Jordan Arms, located at Jordan Wall Nook. She inherited the inn from her late husband, William Butler, and became its heart and soul. Though she had no children of her own, she adored the village’s little ones and was known for her warm welcome, hearty meals, and endless stories.

But Mellor sits atop the scars of old coal mines -- and one of those scars would claim her.

Late one autumn, a hidden shaft from Mellor Colliery opened beneath the pub. The back of the building collapsed into the earth, swallowing part of the structure and Nana along with it. Her body was recovered, barely recognisable.

And yet, by the very next day, she was seen again.

Christmas Eve, 1963

The most infamous encounter took place on Christmas Eve 1963, when a man named Bill Warley boarded the last bus from New Mills. At Five Lane Ends, the driver stopped for a woman and a child, pale and weeping. Once seated, the woman shared a terrifying tale:

She had been working as a cleaner at Castle Edge Farm, her daughter by her side, admiring the grand Christmas decorations. As they walked home down the old rugged Castle Edge Road, her daughter suddenly asked:

"Mum... who's holding my other hand?"

The mother looked -- and saw an old woman walking beside them, smiling eerily. When she screamed, the old woman -- Nana -- pulled at the child’s arm, trying to drag her toward the woods, whispering:

“Come in, love... the lock-in’s just starting.”

The woman managed to pull her daughter free and fled to the bus.

What Is the Lock-In?

Locals say Nana the Nook still believes she’s running her pub -- and that her "lock-in" is a way of keeping people with her forever. What once meant a cheeky after-hours drink now holds a far darker meaning.

Her whispered phrase is always the same:

“Come in, love... the lock-in’s just starting.”

Some believe it’s an invitation. Others think it’s a curse.

The Dare: Whisper Into Wimberry Wood

Over the years, a chilling dare has developed. At night, especially under a full moon, people walk the road alone and stop where Castle Edge meets Wimberry Wood. There, they must say:

"One for the road, Nana."

If she welcomes you, she may whisper back, barely audible:

“Come in, love... the lock-in’s just starting.”

If she doesn’t -- the woods go deathly silent.

And if you’re unlucky, they say a hand might reach out from the trees.

Other Sightings

The Man from Rowarth

A man walking from Marple Bridge to Rowarth late one night met an elderly lady who offered him a drink at her pub. He followed her up Castle Edge Road until he remembered: there’s no pub up there. She stopped and gripped his hand:

“Come in, love... the lock-in’s just starting.”

He ran. He never took that route again.

The 2022 Sighting

In 2022, locals Roderick Thackray, Darren Haliday, and his son Jacob Haliday decided to test the legend. At midnight, they walked Castle Edge Road with Roderick’s dog, Reggie. It was quiet. Still. Nothing seemed unusual -- until halfway back.

Reggie began barking at the woods.

As a joke, Roderick called into the darkness:

"One for the road, Nana."

Moments later, they all heard it -- a woman’s voice, faint but clear, whispering from deep within the trees.

“It wasn’t the wind,” Roderick later said. “It was a woman. It was her.”

A Cursed Legacy

Some say the curse began when stones from the collapsed pub were reused to build a house on Shilow Road. Others believe Nana's spirit never left because she loved the people so much, especially the children.

But whether a curse or a calling, her presence is real to those who’ve seen her.

Visit Castle Edge Road (If You Dare)

Many ghost hunters and thrill-seekers now travel to Castle Edge Road. They stop where the tarmac turns quiet and the trees loom close. There, in the silence, they speak the words.

Will she answer you?

Only one way to find out.