Buxton Opera House is one of the finest surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the most celebrated theatre architect of his generation, and it opened its doors in 1903 as a showcase of Edwardian theatrical design. Like many working theatres, it has picked up its own backstage ghost story over the following century, in this case a stagehand described as Victorian in dress and manner, an odd detail given the building itself post-dates Victoria's reign, though theatre ghost stories are rarely troubled by strict chronology.
Reports from performers and staff describe sudden cold drafts felt in specific parts of the building, shadows that seem to move independently of anything that could be casting them, and props or equipment that appear to have been tampered with between uses. The most distinctive report is of a shadowy figure occasionally glimpsed moving in the wings during rehearsals and live performances, exactly the kind of half-seen, half-imagined presence that theatre ghost stories the world over tend to describe, generally taken by those who work there as a slightly uncanny but ultimately benign backstage presence rather than anything to be feared.
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