by Derek Acorah
After the trial, Jan was reluctant to go back to hell and the vicar decided that he should be kept busy in the area instead. He was set to emptying Dozmary Pool with a leaking limpet shell while the dogs of hell watched over him, waiting to drag him back to hell if he stopped working. After a while he couldn’t stand it any longer and escaped, only to be set other impossible tasks. He ended up at Porthcurno Cove, sweeping the sand to the Mill Bay every day only to see the tide turn and sweep it all back again. It is said that he is still there and his screams of frustration can be heard on the howling wind.
Dozmary Pool lies two miles from Jamaica Inn, off a minor road from the A30.
Dunster Castle
Dunster Castle, near Minehead, stands on a wooded hill with views over Exmoor and the Bristol Channel. It has subtropical terraced and woodland gardens and is home to the national collection of strawberry trees and England’s oldest lemon tree.
There has been a castle here since Norman times and in 1617 a manor house was added to the site. It was redesigned by Anthony Salvin in the nineteenth century. The castle has had a relatively peaceful history, though it was besieged by Parliamentarian troops for six months during the Civil War.
Many supernatural events have taken place in and around the castle. The shop, which was originally part of the seventeenth-century stable block, is haunted by a man dressed in green. Stock falls over inexplicably there, doors open and close, and unopened boxes of stock have been ruined by a sticky brown gunge which somehow gets inside them.
The former servants’ hall also has an eerie reputation. An alarm engineer working there recently claimed to feel a strange presence and flatly refused to stay there by himself, even though it was only a five-minute job. On another occasion a night watchman was having a short break in the servants’ hall when he heard footsteps coming from the room above. Thinking someone had broken in, he went up to the room with his dog, Pardoe, only to find that no one was there. As for Pardoe, he raised his hackles and would not enter the room at all.
One of the strangest things ever to be seen at the house appeared in the modern ‘blue kitchen’, which was formerly the butler’s pantry and silver-cleaning rooms. A young lad on work experience was left on his own to mop the floor there but fled after seeing a naked foot materialize out of thin air! Apparently it was almost transparent but looked as though it was covered in a white powder.
The most haunted room in the house, however, is the Leather Gallery, so called because of the leather hangings which depict the story of Antony and Cleopatra. Male voices have been heard there at night on several occasions, together with footsteps and banging doors. Workmen in the area have felt so uneasy and sick that they have left the job part way through. A cleaner was polishing the floorboards there one morning with an electric polishing machine when the room turned very cold and she saw the shadowy figure of a man in old-fashioned military uniform standing in the doorway to the corridor. She was frightened, but the figure was cutting off her escape route, so she decided that the noise from the polishing machine would scare off any ghost and carried on working! Within about 30 seconds the temperature of the room had returned to normal and the figure had disappeared. A medium who once visited the house said that the ghost was a Royalist soldier called Richard who had apparently died in the castle grounds from a puncture wound above his right eye.
A tall distinguished looking gentleman in grey has also been seen leaving the Leather Gallery and walking into the King Charles room and a lady in grey has been seen on the oak staircase.
Dunster Castle, Mill Lane, Dunster, Minehead, Somerset TA24 6SL; Tel: (01643) 821314 (general), (01643) 823004 (info line), (01643) 821626 (shop), Fax: (01643) 823000; E-mail: dunstercastle@nationaltrust.; Website; www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Open daily apart from 25 and 26 December. Evening ghost tours are available. Pre-booking is recommended.
The Farringford Hotel
Farringford House is an eighteenth-century house set in 33 acres of parkland near Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, with views towards the Solent and Afton Downs. Now a hotel, it was the home of Victorian Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92), for nearly 40 years.
Lord Tennyson’s poetry was widely praised, but his life was plagued by financial instability and he was engaged for 14 years before he was finally able to marry Emily Sellwood in 1850. He moved to the Isle of Wight from Twickenham in 1853.
Emily Tennyson loved Farringford so much that she has never left. She has been seen walking on the lawn and is said to haunt the hotel bedroom that was the former nursery, looking after children who stay at the hotel. The sound of a rocking cradle has been heard there on several occasions.
As for the poet himself, he has been seen smoking a pipe in a chair in the library, where he wrote many of his most famous works, as well as walking on Tennyson Down, the nearby hill named after him. In order to get to the downs he had a special bridge built from his back garden, because the front lawns of his house were often filled with sightseers hoping for a glimpse of him. It is still there today.
The ghost of a horse-drawn carriage has also been seen in the grounds and on the road outside Farringford.
The Farringford Hotel, Bedbury Lane, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight PO40 9PE; Tel: (01983) 752500; Website: www.farringford.co.uk
The George Hotel
The George Hotel in the heart of Crawley is a former coaching inn which dates back to 1615. Though it retains its traditional features, it is now a modern hotel with facilities for conferences, seminars, weddings and other functions. It offers traditional food in the 1615 restaurant and a selection of bar meals in the George bar, which is a favourite haunt of both locals and guests.
An ancient gallows sign stands on the high street outside the hotel door, but as far as is known the hotel is not haunted by a convicted criminal, but by a night watchman. At one time the hotel was being plagued by a thief and staff laid a trap to catch him by leaving out poisoned wine for him to drink. However, the night watchman drank it and died as a result. After that the hotel had no more trouble with articles going missing, but no one seems to know whether that was because the night watchman was the thief or because the real thief had been frightened off!
Apparently the night watchman did sleep in the broom cupboard when he was supposed to have been on duty, and now the cupboard doors often open by themselves, even when they have been locked. Doors to the bedrooms in the old wing have been known to do the same thing. Perhaps from time to time the night watchman is still doing his rounds.
The George Hotel, High Street, Crawley, Nr Gatwick, West Sussex RH10 1BS; Tel: (01293) 524215; Website: www.corushotels.com/thegeorge.There is parking for up to 80 cars.
Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle, on West Hill in the town centre, is an eleventh-century earthwork motte and bailey fortress founded by William the Conqueror. Today only the thirteenth-century remains of the East Gatehouse, the curtain wall and the Collegiate Church of St Mary-in-the-Castle are still standing. The rest of the castle was destroyed, along with Hastings harbour, in storms during the thirteenth century. After the destruction of the harbour, Hastings lost its military importance and was reduced to a fishing village. The remains of the castle fell into decay and for centuries the site was used for farming, but during Victorian times it became a tourist attraction and during World War II was used in the training of commandos.
There are many legends about the castle. The most famous ghost is that of Thomas à Becket, who is said to haunt the ruins whenever he is not haunting Canterbury cathedral. He may have once been Dean of the church.
Near the entrance to the ‘Whispering Dungeons’, so called because prisoners could be overheard by guards standing several yards away, a nun in a brown habit has been seen digging. She has also been seen near the outer wall at the eastern end of the castle and has even been caught on camera by visitors.
The area to the east of the castle was known as the Ladies’ Parlour and when tournaments were
held there a distinguished lady was always present. Rumour has it that a lady in a shimmering white gown can still be seen there on moonlit nights. The sound of ghostly music, perhaps from the tournaments, has also been heard at the castle. In November 2000 a large crowd watching a firework display on the seafront was surprised to hear the sound of trumpets ringing out from the empty castle. It is also said that on certain days when the castle is viewed from the sea it is reflected in all its original glory.
A sad story connected with the castle is that of a middle-aged Victorian woman who had an illegitimate child with a local fisherman who then deserted her. Her ghost can be seen from time to time in the castle ruins, dressed in brown and holding a baby in her arms. After a few moments she suddenly walks to the cliff edge and throws herself off.
Hastings Castle, Castle Hill Road, West Hill, Hastings, East Sussex. Open daily. Parking is by the side of the road.
While you are visiting the castle you can experience ‘The 1066 Story’, a 16-minute sound and light presentation on the history of the castle and the Battle of Hastings.
The Hill House
The Hill House is a friendly bed and breakfast in Ross-on-Wye. Set on a hillside with spectacular views over the Wye Valley, the Black Mountains and the Forest of Dean, it is surrounded by over four acres of private woodland. The Wye Valley Walk and Herefordshire Trail are nearby and supper, a sauna, a bar, open fires, locally sourced organic food and the services of a qualified massage therapist are all available to guests.
The rooms are very individual – the Dryad Suite has a seven-foot four-poster bed and a wood-burning stove, for example – and are haunted by an old gentleman in a frock coat and tricorn hat and a beautiful lady dressed in white. Many guests have written about their experiences with the ghosts in the special visitors’ ghost book.
The Hill House, Howle Hill, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 5ST; Tel: (01989) 562033; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.thehowlinghillhouse.com. Bikes are available for hire.
The Holt Hotel
The Holt Hotel in Oxfordshire is a beautifully refurbished coaching inn dating back to 1475. Its 82 en-suite rooms range from singles to four-poster bedrooms with jacuzzi.
The Holt has always been a popular hotel, but the clientèle has not always been the most salubrious. In the seventeenth century the highwayman Claude Duval often frequented the inn and was once so impolite as to murder the landlord and his wife.
Duval was the head of a notorious gang of highwaymen. He had been born in Normandy and come to Britain as a footman to the Duke of Richmond after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Prosperity had increased following the Civil War and so had travel. The poor state of the roads, however, restricted coaches to a crawl and they were tempting targets for highwaymen. Duval quickly became wealthy and also gained a reputation for politeness to his victims, especially the ladies. He is said to have danced with a lady passenger in front of her husband and to have returned a silver feeding bottle to a mother when her baby began to cry. When he was finally arrested in January 1670 in London and sentenced to be hanged, many distinguished ladies begged for him to be pardoned. However, the sentence was duly carried out. Now it is said that Duval’s ghost has returned to his former base at the Holt Hotel.
The Holt Hotel, Oxford Road, Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire OX25 5QQ; Tel: (01869) 340259; Fax: (01869) 340865; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.holthotel-oxford.co.uk
The New Inn
The New Inn in Pembridge, Herefordshire, is actually one of the oldest in the area. The beautiful fourteenth-century timber-framed building was originally a farmhouse. It stood next to the village’s open market and this was probably what led to it becoming an inn, as the farmer would have brewed ale for the merchants. By the seventeenth century it had become a public house and for many years was known as ‘the inn without a name’ and (paradoxically) ‘Cooke’s Public House’. For a while the local court was held there and according to tradition the 1461 treaty by which Edward IV ascended the throne was ratified there. It was also used as a prison for a time.
Two ghosts apparently haunt the New Inn. One is a young girl who gazes out of the window and is said to be waiting for her lover to return from battle. She only appears to women. By an intriguing coincidence, the other ghost is a red-coated soldier who is sometimes seen carrying a sword and sometimes beating a drum.
The New Inn, Market Square, Pembridge, Nr Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 9DZ; Tel: (01636) 388427. A wide range of food is served in the restaurant.
Newquay
Cornwall – a county of mysticism and legend! A wealth of ghosts haunt the crags and moors, whilst the sleepy fishing villages along the coast are home to many a haunting tale of smugglers past.
I spent many summers of my youth in Newquay indulging my passion for surfboarding, a second love after football. Newquay has always been close to my heart, although my one abiding memory is not such a good one, and there is certainly nothing paranormal about it. I was surfing off the beach one day when I fell off my surfboard. Then I committed the cardinal error of turning around to see where it had gone. It found me! And I lost my two front teeth!
More scary still are the ghostly goings on at Trerice Manor, a sixteenth-century manor house near Newquay. When the north wing was restored in the 1980s, workmen reported smelling a whiff of perfume and hearing a swishing sound along the floorboards as if made by crinoline. Since then a Grey Lady has sometimes been seen gliding along the gallery before disappearing down the stone staircase. Could this be related to the suicide of a young servant girl who had been seduced by a former owner, the Lord of Arundell, known as the ‘wicked lord’?
Trerice Manor, Kestle Mill, Nr Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4PG; Tel: (01637) 875404; Fax: (01637) 879300; Website: [email protected]. Open March–October daily except Saturday. Also features flowering gardens, apple orchard, shop, tearoom, plant sales and museum of the history of the lawnmower.
Nunney
The pretty village of Nunney, near Frome in Somerset, is dominated by the ruins of Nunney Castle, which was built in 1373 in the French style and is surrounded by a small moat popular with local anglers.
During the Civil War the castle was besieged by Parliamentarians and severely damaged by cannon fire. Inside the castle one of the Royalist women was accused of being a witch because she had been having an affair with the Parliamentarian village priest. When the Parliamentarians seized the castle, she was thrown into the village stream in the traditional test for witchcraft. When she floated, she was deemed guilty and was put to death by the castle walls. Her spirit is said to wander the village to this day.
The other ghost commonly seen in Nunney is far more modern. He is a man in his thirties who can be found on the A361 between Nunney and Frome dressed in a sports jacket and flannel trousers and hitching a lift to Critchill. Several drivers have stopped to pick him up only to find that he has vanished into thin air – sometimes after getting into the car! It’s been suggested that the ghost was acting to avenge his own death, which happened when he was knocked off his bike by a careless driver and could be heard cursing all motorists before he died.
Nunney Castle, Nunney, Nr Frome, Somerset; Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk.Open daily.
DEREK’S TIP
If your group is planning to split up in order to conduct lone vigils, do make sure that everybody is equipped with some form of communication, i.e. walkie-talkie or mobile phone, and do make sure that as many people as possible carry a camera of sorts.
Okehampton Castle
Okehampton Castle, the largest in Devon, is a stone motte and bailey fortress near the northern edge of Dartmoor. Founded by Baldwin de Brionne, Sheriff of Devon, in the eleventh century, it was abandoned in 1539 after its then owner, the Marquis of Exeter, was found guilty of conspiracy and executed by Henry VIII. Now it is a ruin.
Legend has it that the castle is haunted by the ghost of Lady Howard, who rides in a carriage made f
rom the bones of the four husbands she murdered. It is driven between Okehampton Park and her old home in Tavistock by a headless coachman and always accompanied by the barking skeletal dog, although some versions of the story say that it is Lady Howard herself who turns into the dog.
As punishment for her sins, each night Lady Howard has to pick a single blade of grass from the castle grounds and return it safely to Tavistock. Once every blade has been taken, the world will come to an end.
The real Lady Howard (1596–1671) did have four husbands who all died before her, but she is unlikely to have murdered them. She was a member of the family that owned Okehampton Castle.
Skeletal carriages aside, strange events have been reported at the castle. A visitor has photographed a strange ill-defined shape at a window at the top of the keep and there have been sightings of a mysterious large dog in the grounds.
Okehampton Castle, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1JB; Tel: (01837) 52844; Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk.Open daily April–September.