Transforming the eccentric charm of The Forbidden Corner into the nightmare fuel of Forgotten Corner takes months of twisted planning. We start brainstorming when the griffin pond is still frozen over winter, swapping our usual family-friendly follies for something distinctly more sinister. The labyrinth itself is already a maze of trick doors, underground chambers, and disorienting dead ends, which gives us a naturally unsettling canvas to work with. Our goal isn’t just to make you jump; it’s to make you question whether you ever really knew the way out.

Down in the workshop, our estate team has been a masterclass in macabre engineering. We’ve been wiring, testing, fabricating, checking animatronics, sticking, painting and making things out right creepy. Because our venue is a mix of outdoor and underground spaces, every prop has to withstand the brutal Yorkshire weather while remaining completely hidden until the moment you walk past. Our prop budget has already teetered on the “over budget”, but it will all look fantastically terrifying at the event, so worth every penny, shackle and tupence.

Costume preparation is also when the characters truly start to breathe. We don’t rely on off-the-rack Halloween masks. Instead, we distress heavy canvas, leather, and tattered lace, dragging fabrics through the mud (literally at times), shredding hems, and layering them with grimy wash to achieve that authentic, centuries-old decay. Our actors have been chomping at the bit to scare the pants off this year’s guests. Some will stalk, some will jump, some will make you laugh, and certainly some will chase…
“Harrrrooooold” – Mrs Harold

Speaking of the Harolds, Mrs Harold demanded that they step it up this year, “I wanna be a princess, with a tiara and a karaoke machine to sing to my sweet Harold”. Well, you better believe she always gets what she wants!

We are currently tweaking the lighting, adjusting the claustrophobic corridors to feel tighter and darker than ever before, and fine-tuning the atmospheric audio that will echo through the underground grotto. If you thought getting lost in the daylight was a challenge, wait until you face the grounds when the sun drops, and the forgotten residents finally wake up. We are dying to welcome you in, and we can’t wait to hear you scream.

16th, 17, 23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st October