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In Good Spirits
publication date: Aug 26, 2010
ALL OLD HOUSES should have a ghost and Britain's fine historic accommodations certainly have a few ghostly tales to tell.
Whether you like a hint of mystery and romance in your travels around Britain or are
a fan of ghost stories, we have the place for you. Report by Andrea Spain.
GUESTS AT THE magnificent Ruthin Castle Hotel (3-star) in north Wales should perhaps leave chats with the night porters till a sunny Sunday morning. The rambling 19th-century castle, built amid the ruins of a medieval castle, has a night life all of its own. The original castle was built by King Edward I in the late 13th-century and is now an evocative ruin, while the Victorian castle is now a hotel. Staff tell tales of the medieval ghosts haunting its corridors, including the Grey Lady who murdered her husband’s lover and was executed and buried outside the castle walls near the medieval dungeons. Bertie’s dining room – named after the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who caroused there frequently as a friend of the family – still offers splendid dining amid evocative portraits and photographs. But keep one eye open for the Grey Lady flitting along the battlements. Locals also tell tales of ghosts haunting the nearby gaol and Nantclwyd y Dre timbered townhouse.
For me, every old building should have a ghost. Most of them will certainly offer enough tales of intrigue to inspire those fascinated by the supernatural, making this country rich pickings for ghost hunters while giving an extra thrill to those who like a bit of atmosphere with their historic accommodation. Take the Bolton Abbey estate in Yorkshire, home of the luxurious Devonshire Arms Hotel (4-star). A stroll away in a beautiful setting overlooking the River Wharfe, you’ll find the ruins of a 12th-century priory. The land at Bolton was granted to the Augustinian Canons in 1154 by Lady Alice de Rumilly of Skipton Castle, and the story goes that she gave the canons the land as an expression of her grief for her son, the Boy of Egremont, who drowned in the Strid on the river. Happily, it would appear to be just a story as the boy’s signature appears on the priory’s deeds.
After the Dissolution of the Monastries by Henry VIII, however, the priory nave was allowed to continue as a parish church but the other priory buildings were abandoned and left to the elements. One canon can’t have been pleased to move away – a monk-like ghost is said to pass sadly through the ruins. For spirits I can guarantee are real, though, head to the Cocktail Bar at the Devonshire Arms for a drink before dinner in the fabulous Michelin-starred Burlington Restaurant.
Picturesque religious ruins are the perfect inspiration for many ghostly tales around the country. In the New Forest, The Montagu Arms (3-star) also with a Michelin-star restaurant, sits by Palace House, the home of the Montagu family, which was formerly the gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey. Many apparitions, including monks, have been seen in the area, along with the smell of incense. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes and a well-known spiritualist, apparently believed he had succeeded in contacting one of these spirits through a seance.
Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire also boasts a number of ghost stories. One man claimed he attended mass with the monks within the abbey itself – hundreds of years after it was ruined. And the sounds of a Gregorian choir have been heard echoing up the valley on quiet afternoons. The abbey is set in a beautiful, remote valley in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and is one of the most complete, and atmospheric, of our abbey ruins, so why not stay there at the cosy Refectory Cottage, which nestles in the abbey ruins, and is now one of English Heritage’s collection of 5-star self-catering holiday homes?
West of Harrogate is Ripley Castle, home of the Ingilby family for 700 years. Next door is The Boar’s Head (3-star), run by the Ingilbys, so comfortable that guests apparently often prefer to stay there when visiting the castle! Or perhaps they’d rather leave the castle at night in the hands of former resident, Lady Alicia Marjoribanks. She married Sir Henry Day Ingilby in 1862 and they lost both their children, Mary and Henry, at an early age to meningitis.
Tour guides in the castle have apparently seen a lady with a very sad expression, in 1870s dress, walking across the hallway. You can see portraits of Lady Alicia and the two children when you tour the castle today. Another historic hotel, The Castle at Taunton in Somerset (4-star), has a history dating back 1,000 years. Guests have reported seeing a tall figure in a long, black cloak, carrying a violin. People have sensed his presence and heard faint music before he appears in the oldest 12th-century part of the castle. He’s believed to be the fiddler who provided the entertainment for the Duke of Monmouth’s officers the night before they took on (and lost to) James II’s men in the fateful Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. Perhaps the fiddler escaped unscathed and felt forever guilty?
A lady’s maid is thought to haunt Macdonald Berystede Hotel and Spa (4-star) in Berkshire. The original house, home of the Standish family, was destroyed by fire in 1886 and Mrs Standish’s maid, Eliza Kleininger, died in the fire. Apparently charred bones were found at the foot of the servant’s staircase: Eliza is supposed to have rushed back into the burning building to save jewels she had been saving for her retirement and a ghostly figure has since been seen there.
Another maid is said to haunt the main staircase of Ettington Park, in Warwickshire. This Victorian mansion, now a luxury hotel, was designed in spectacular neo-Gothic style with towers and turrets. One glance and you can see just why it was chosen by director Robert Wise as the setting for his iconic 1960s film, The Haunting. It was formerly the home of the Shirleys, one of Warwickshire’s oldest families and has its own menu of mysterious happenings, without the film world’s interpretations. Mary, the aforementioned servant, died after a fall following an argument with the Squire. She has also been seen in the Oak Room Restaurant, while a Grey Lady, possibly a former governess, is said to haunt the Tower Suite and the corridor by the Long Gallery. Even the terrifying thought of being sent back to school isn’t enough to prevent me enjoying Britain’s fine historic accommodations and I hope you’ll join me. FURTHER INFORMATION
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