Meet the Guides

Simon Entwistle

Well-known historian Simon provides daytime history & ghosts tours of the Hall. Plus special evening spooky tours – Please see our events for more information

Jason Karl

We are pleased to announce that TV Presenter and Creative Director Jason Karl, who is also the force behind our annual ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’ productions, will be presenting guided tours of the hall on selected dates from the end of June.

Jason has been associated with Samlesbury Hall for over 25 years and has attracted many television shows to the site including ‘Great British Ghosts’ and ‘Paranormal Captured’.  He is looking forward to telling guests all about the building he regards as his ‘second home’.

You can find out more about Jason at www.jasonkarl.tv

Simon Cross

Simon was born and spent his early years in the North West. After completing his degree in History at Edge Hill College, he joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1984 and worked in Cambridge until 2010.

On retirement Simon worked on 2 Heritage Lottery projects at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge running guided tours based on his own research, In 2019 Simon and family moved back to Lancashire. Simon has worked as a Tour Guide at Lancaster Castle since 2021.

Simon’s focus is very much on investigating the history of Samlesbury Hall and sharing stories of the buildings and the everyday lives of the people who lived and died there.

John Spencer Barnes

John is a broadcaster and historian from Lancaster. Over the last 30 years he has been News Editor at Rock FM and Red Rose Radio in Preston and presented a daily show on BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio Manchester. Since graduating with a degree in history he has been involved in re-enacting the Tudor, Stuart and Napoleonic periods. John has been a Lancashire Morris Man, a storyteller and is the Town Crier of Saint Anne's on the Sea.