Built in 1790 as an early cotton mill on the River Mersey, Weir Mill is wrapped in grim industrial history — including reports of deadly incidents such as a fire that trapped workers (including child labourers), which fuels the site’s long-running “ghost children” lore. Modern accounts focus on phantom bangs/crashes, a building-wide humming that rises and stops abruptly, and a threatening presence popularly dubbed the “Shadow Man.” The location was also featured on Most Haunted (2017), with the episode summary referencing child spirits and a tall, wraith-like entity connected (in legend) to an alleged ritual.