STORIES about the White Lady of Samlesbury Hall, the ghostly figure alleged to haunt the historic building, are among the material included in a new archive designed to record and preserve the "voices of history".

The Edge Hill Archive at Wigan Pier features essays and tape recordings made by final year undergraduate students taking a module called Folklore and the Oral Tradition in Edge Hill College of Higher Education's English department.

The archive is based in the learning centre at the award-winning tourist attraction, the Wigan Pier Experience, and is open to the public.

It was officially opened last Thursday, by the Mayor of Wigan, Coun John E Hilton.

Student Laura Burns, 20, chose the White Lady of Samlesbury Hall as the topic for her module project.

She said: "There is a lot of folklore about the White Lady and I wanted to find out how the story had changed over the years.

"I did a lot of research and recorded various people talking about the story.

"I've never seen the White Lady myself but a lot of people have and they have convinced me that she exists."

The module was designed and is taught by senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics Pamela Russell.

The archive is open by appointment only Monday to Thursday 3pm to 4.30pm and Friday 10am to 4pm. Admission is free. For further information and booking, contact 01942 702495.