This mysterious corner of the woodlands is home to Alton Manor, the former residence of the Alton Family – Henry Alton, the owner of Doom & Sons Funeral Directors, his wife Elizabeth Alton, and their daughter Emily Alton – who resided there up until the events of New Year’s Eve 1891…
Food & Drink
- Coach House Confectionary
Shops
- Attic of Antiquities
Facilities
- Toilets – found next to the Attic of Antiquities shop
Set deep within the ancient woodland of Alton Towers, arrival to the area is signified by signage reading ‘Alton Manor’. Guests are also sure to notice that the open gates into the clearing feature an array of ‘property for sale’ signs.
Alton Manor itself looms large over the area, and in front of the building can be found a crypt which a plaque identifies as being for Emily Alton. However, with the lack of a year of death signifying that it is an empty grave, this is the first hint that something is perhaps amiss at Alton Manor – dare you take a hair-raising journey through the spectacular twist and turns of the cursed Manor?
Those with nerves of steel may approach Gloomy Wood along the Haunted Hollow, a spooky shortcut from Mutiny Bay.
Within the spooky dell, a variety of sweet treats can be purchased from Coach House Confectionary. These include ice cream, milkshakes, cupcakes and a cookie ‘spookwich’. Note the Doom & Sons hearse, complete with a coffin, emerging from the coach house’s doors. A range of wares are also on sale within Attic of Antiquities, although some guests have reported strange happenings within this shop, such as dolls coming to life…
The Curse at Alton Manor
Discover the story of Emily Alton, the daughter of parents who preferred partying to parenting, until one night when they and their guests disappeared. With Emily unaccounted for, it’s said that she still haunts Alton Manor, looking for the one thing denied to her – play.
Haunted Hollow
Fearless families who dare to venture along this shortcut between Gloomy Wood and Mutiny Bay are likely to encounter some of the park’s ghoulish guests. Following the route of the old Park Railway, the Hollow is located in an area of ancient and wild woodland.
Gloomy Wood was created in 1992, on the path between Katanga Canyon and Forbidden Valley, then known as Thunder Valley. For many years there was only one attraction in this woodland area, The Haunted House, which later became Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back in 2003, followed by The Curse at Alton Manor in 2023.
Gloomy Wood is a very unspoilt area of the park with much room for expansion, and indeed in 2007 the area became home to one end of the Haunted Hollow, its second attraction.
Nitrogenie opened in the kiosk at the centre of the area for the 2015 season, operating until the end of the 2019 season. The unit has remained unused until reopening as Coach House Confectionary in 2023, alongside The Curse at Alton Manor.
Past Areas
This area’s theme has remained the same since its creation.
