Is this really a ghostly orb in Bolling Hall’s kitchen or just an illuminated fleck of dust?

Amateur photographer Chris Bristow, from West Bowling, would like to know.

The strange apparition was caught on one of his snaps taken on a haunted tour of the historic Bradford hall at Halloween.

“We didn’t see or feel anything strange at the time but when I got the pictures printed up, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Mr Bristow. “I’m a sceptic really but this got me thinking.” Bolling Hall has a creepy reputation as one of Britain’s most haunted sites, with tales of ghostly goings-on stretching back as far as the time of the English Civil War when a spirit appeared to the Earl of Newcastle and warned him against planning a massacre with the chilling words “Pity Poor Bradford”.

It is not the first time the Telegraph & Argus has been contacted by readers about manifestations showing up on their snaps.

Three years ago, Sharon Dickinson was convinced she had captured phantoms on her new digital camera in the hall’s Blue Room. The globes of light looked like gas flames and one looked as though it had a face peering out of it.

Bolling Hall has been visited by the top ghostbusting TV programme Most Haunted and medium Derek Acorah, who made contact with the spirits lurking within.

Glowing balls – or “light anomalies” – are a regular feature of the Most Haunted programme and cause great excitement with the team, including former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding, when they are caught on camera.

The museum itself said it was not unusual for visitors to report the appearance of light orbs on their pictures.

Orbs generally appear on digital pictures rather than on film cameras.

Some explain them away as light catching dust while others are adamant they are proof of paranormal existence.