Haunted Britain and Ireland

by Derek Acorah

  Another ghost at Carew is that of Sir Roland Rhys, who lived in the castle in the seventeenth century and, according to legend, was eventually killed by his pet ape. The north-west tower is said to be haunted by the ghosts of both Sir Roland and his pet. It would seem that even though one of the castle’s more eccentric owners met his untimely and gruesome end at the hands or, more rightly, teeth of the ape, in death master and beloved pet have been reconciled. However, if you wander up to the tower, be warned that it may not be just a nip in the air that you feel!

  Carew Castle, Carew, Tenby, Pembrokeshire SA70 8SL; Tel: (01646) 651782; E-mail: enquiries@carewcastle.com; Website: www.carewcastle.com.

  Open daily from Easter to the end of October.

  The castle is signposted off the A477 Pembroke to St Clears road. There are two car parks and a picnic site.

  DEREK’S TIP

  When researching a location, attempt to establish the local dialect or language of a particular spirit reputed to haunt the building. Calling out using that dialect or language may encourage a response from the spirit person or people.

  Ewloe Castle

  Ewloe Castle was built by the Welsh prince Llwelyn ap Gruffudd in 1257 in a wooded hollow to defend Wales against the invading English. It is a traditional Welsh castle with a ‘D’-shaped tower. The English seized it in 1277, but the nearby Flint Castle proved of greater military importance and Ewloe Castle was eventually abandoned.

  Now the atmospheric ruins stand in Wepre Park, a 160-acre country park between Connah’s Quay and Ewloe. The ghost of a nun has been seen walking over the waterfall there. She is said to have been killed by a bomb during the Second World War.

  Many strange phenomena have taken place at the castle. Unexplained lights have been seen and the sound of marching men has been heard – possibly former soldiers from the many border wars. One rather bizarre phenomenon is the ghostly singing which echoes around the battlements during thunderstorms.

  From as early as 1934 a wide variety of encounters with apparitions have been reported at Ewloe Castle. When not frequented by restless spirits, the beautiful ruins are an oasis of calm and – ghosts or no ghosts – a completely magical place to visit.

  Ewloe Castle, Ewloe, Deeside, Wrexham; Tel:029 2082 6185; Fax:029 2082 6375.

  Ewloe Castle is in a remote location. Please visit only in good weather conditions and between 9.30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

  DEREK’S TIP

  Remember that spirits do not always appear at night. They are just as likely to be in visitation during daylight hours. It is, however, far more atmospheric to conduct an investigation during the hours of darkness.

  The Grand Theatre, Swansea

  The Grand Theatre, Swansea, was designed by the architect William Hope of Newcastle and opened by the famous opera singer Dame Adelina Patti in 1897. Since then it has offered a wide range of entertainment. The theatre was extensively refurbished and updated in the 1980s and the Arts Wing, which hosts exhibitions, conferences and smaller-scale performances, was opened in 1999.

  The theatre’s ghost is the White Lady, a floating figure who sometimes makes her presence known by the smell of violets. No one knows for sure who she is, but there are several possibilities. Some think she is the ghost of a young actress called Jenny who took part in a show at Swansea just before leaving for America – aboard the Titanic. Others think she could be Dame Adelina Patti returning to the theatre she loved, while a third possibility is that she is the ghost of a former wardrobe mistress who drowned whilst travelling to Ireland.

  The Grand Theatre, Singleton Street, Swansea SA1 3QJ; Tel: (01792) 475715 (box office). Conference facilities for 20–1,000 people are available at the theatre.

  Gwydir Castle

  Gwydir Castle, one of the finest Tudor houses in Wales, is situated in the Conwy Valley in the foothills of Snowdonia. It has a Grade I listed 10-acre garden. It was the home of the Wynn family. Katherine Tudor, Mother of Wales and cousin of Elizabeth I, lived here, and later on King Charles I was a guest. One of the main features of the castle is the panelled dining room, dating back to the 1640s, which was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in 1921 and transported to the United States. Hearst never even unpacked it, however, and it was inherited by New York’s Metropolitan Museum, which also simply left it in storage. The current owners organized its return to the castle.

  The castle is famous for its peacocks and also known for its many ghosts. The most widely reported is that of a young woman said to haunt the north wing and the panelled corridor between the Hall of Meredith and the Great Chamber. In the nineteenth century the room behind the corridor was called the Ghost Room and a woman in white or grey was often seen there and in the adjoining passageway. In recent times she has not been seen, but people have claimed to feel her presence. Some have suddenly felt cold and been touched on the shoulder. The most notable feature of the woman’s presence, however, is the smell of putrefaction! Apparently Sir John Wynn (either the first or fifth baronet) seduced a serving maid and when he tired of her, he murdered her and had her body walled up in one of the chimney breasts. The smell of the decomposing body lingered for months.

  Sir John himself has been seen on a number of occasions on the spiral staircase leading from the Solar Hall to the Great Chamber.

  Other paranormal phenomena at the castle include the sound of children crying when there are no children there and the ghost of a dog roaming the building. The bones of a dog were unearthed in the cellar in 1995.

  Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst, North Wales LL26 0PN; Tel: (01492) 641687; Fax: (01492) 641687; Email: info@gwydircastle.co.uk; Website: www.gwydircastle.co.uk.Open daily March–October.

  Laugharne

  Laugharne (pronounced ‘Larn’) is a pretty town in Carmarthenshire, ‘the Garden of Wales’, with views over the Taf Estuary. It was the home of Wales’ most famous poet, Dylan Thomas. He and his wife Caitlin are buried in the churchyard. The Boat House where he wrote Under Milk Wood is now a heritage site dedicated to his life and work.

  The town is dominated by the ruins of Laugharne Castle. It was originally a Norman ringwork which was attacked numerous times by the Welsh and was rebuilt by the de Brian family in the thirteenth century. In 1575 it became the property of Sir John Perrot, reputedly one of Henry VIII’s illegitimate sons, who transformed it into a fine Tudor mansion. In 1591, however, he was found guilty of high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he died the following year. In his absence the castle began to be stripped of anything of value. Finally, during the Civil War it fell to the Parliamentarians, who slighted it. The grounds were landscaped in the eighteenth century.

  The town is reputedly haunted by a phantom dog called the Gwyllgi, or Dog of Darkness. Like similar dogs in many other parts of the country it is large and black with fiery red eyes. It is said to run from the castle to the town.

  Laugharne Castle, Market Street, Laugharne SA33 4SA; Tel: (01994) 427906. Open daily April–September.

  There is a small parking area opposite the castle and a public car park nearby. There is a shop at the castle.

  Dylan Thomas Boathouse, Dylan’s Walk, Laugharne SA33 4SD; Tel: (01994) 427420; Fax: (01994) 427420. Open daily.

  There is a tea room for snacks and refreshments.

  Maesmawr Hall Hotel

  Maesmawr Hall Hotel is situated in the Severn Valley, five miles from the market town of Newtown and a mile from the village of Caersws. It dates back to the sixteenth century and is a fine example of the central chimney timber-framed houses which are characteristic of the area. A large function room has been added at the rear.

  A Grey Lady is said to haunt the hotel. She is supposed to sit on the bed in two of the rooms and strokes the occupant’s hair and hands.

  There are also stories about a very evil man, Robin Drwg, who took the form of a bull and was finally ‘laid’ by seven parsons and condemned to Llyn Tarw (Bull’s Pool). It may be his ghost that is supposed to haunt a small wooded area in the grounds
as well as the house.

  Maesmawr Hall Hotel, Caersws, Newtown, Powys SY17 5SF; Tel: (01686) 688255; Fax: (01686) 688410; Website: www.maesmawr.co.uk

  The Maesmawr Hall Restaurant, open to the public seven days a week, specializes in freshly cooked food using local produce. À la carte and bar menus are available.

  The Mason’s Arms

  Kidwelly, on the River Gwendraeth in South Wales, is a historic coastal town dominated by its Norman castle. English, French and Flemish immigrants were brought into the area to support Norman rule and the town was attacked many times by the Welsh. By the fourteenth century strong defences had been built and the town had become a busy commercial centre. The Mason’s Arms dates back to this period and is one of the oldest pubs in Wales. It is a traditional thatched inn with a beer garden. A variety of beers, wines and spirits are served and food is available.

  The pub is reputed to be haunted by three ghosts. When a new landlady moved in recently, she found that all the chairs had been moved round into a circle to welcome her, though no one had been in the room at the time.

  The Mason’s Arms,37 Water Street, Kidwelly SA17 5BX; Tel: (01554) 890298

  Miskin Manor Country Hotel

  Miskin Manor Country Hotel is a Grade II listed building situated in 22 acres of countryside. It is believed that the name evolved from maes cun, ‘lovely plain’. The manor dates back to the tenth century and was rebuilt in 1857 by David Williams, a well-known Welsh bard and philanthropist. It suffered two major fires, the first in 1922 and the second in 1952. During the Second World War it was a nursing home and afterwards was turned into flats before becoming a hotel in 1985.

  Staff at the hotel have had many paranormal experiences. The most regular sighting is of a grey mist that floats across the lounge bar from the drawing room at night. At first one of the former night supervisors thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but one night he invited the security guard in for a coffee and he suddenly shouted, ‘What was that?’ ‘It happens most nights,’ the supervisor replied. The security guard never took him up on his invite for coffee again.

  On another occasion the same night supervisor was approaching a conference room in the early hours of the morning when he noticed a tall shadow on the door. Believing it to be an intruder, he summoned the security guard. He came quickly and went into the room to investigate. The shadow slid down the door and away from view. There was no sound from the wooden floor, no one came out through the main door and all the fire exit doors were secure, yet a search found no one in the room.

  Another evening the bar supervisor drove home at about 11 o’clock. A couple of minutes later the manager on duty carried out his usual check of the premises, which included walking over an old bridge. As he crossed the bridge he felt that someone was walking beside him. The following day the bar supervisor related how she had had the feeling that someone was sitting in the back seat of her car as she had driven over the bridge and that she had been afraid to look in the mirror. The manager and the supervisor had been on different shift patterns and neither had any idea of what the other had experienced.

  Guests, too, have had strange encounters. One warm night a businessman was lying in bed with the bedclothes pushed down. As he was drifting off to sleep he noticed a figure coming out of the bathroom and moving around the bed until it was level with him. Then it said, ‘There is no need for you to worry any longer now you are dead,’ and raised the bedclothes up to his chest. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel afraid, just relaxed and comfortable. The figure then returned to the bathroom. After a while the guest started to wonder whether it had been a dream. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to find paper tissues thrown untidily around the room.

  Another guest once witnessed a mirror float right across the room. There have also been many sightings of a gentleman dressed in a dark suit looking from the cedar room over the lawn. The ghost of an old gardener has also been seen and the hotel is said to be haunted by a small child who was killed in one of the fires.

  Miskin Manor Hotel, Pendoylan Road, Pontyclun, Nr Cowbridge, South Wales CF72 8ND; Tel: (01443) 224204; Fax: (01443) 237606; Website: www.miskin-manor.co.uk

  The Museum of Welsh Life

  The Museum of Welsh Life opened in 1948 and has become one of Europe’s foremost open-air museums. It stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, a late sixteenth-century manor house whose ground floor is open to the public. The 100-acre parkland now has over 30 original buildings which have been moved here from various parts of Wales to show how people lived at various times in history. They include a chapel, a school and several workshops where craftsmen demonstrate their skills and sell their products. There are also exhibitions of costumes, daily life and farming implements, and native breeds of livestock can be seen in the fields.

  Several ghosts are also on site. At the Battle of St Fagans in 1646, during the Civil War, 8,000 Royalist troops were routed and the river ran red with blood. It is said that the sounds of battle and cries of the dying can still be heard.

  Visitors to one of the cottages that has come from Rhostryfan in Snowdonia, the eighteenth-century Llainfadyn, have seen and heard ghostly children playing, laughing and crying.

  The eighteenth-century Cilewent farmhouse also has a reputation for strange events. Several visitors have felt icy cold there and on several occasions the building’s heavy wooden doors have been locked from the inside during the night. Staff opening the locked wooden trapdoor to the loft recently were surprised to see tiny footprints in the dust on a series of Welsh wooden chests. They clearly passed from one side of the stone wall to another. Neither visitors nor children have access to this part of the building.

  The castle and one of the houses are also haunted by a shadowy figure said to be the ghost of the first curator, Dr Peate.

  The Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, Cardiff CF5 6XB; Tel:029 2057 3500. Open daily.

  Powis Castle

  Powis Castle is a thirteenth-century fortress which has been modified by generations of the Herbert and Clive families. It houses a brilliant collection of treasures, including tapestries, sculpture, paintings, furniture and carriages, and the terraced gardens, designed in the seventeenth century, include many rare plants.

  Several ghosts have been seen at Powis, including a man in one of the ground-floor rooms, a woman in white in one of the bedrooms and a man on a horse in the grounds. However, the most famous apparition is that of a gentleman who was seen three times in one evening and has never been seen since.

  The story runs that an elderly seamstress had been engaged to do some work at the castle and given a small bedroom but not told that it was haunted. One night in her room she was reading her Bible when a gentleman walked in, stopped at a window and looked out. After a while he turned and left, slowly shutting the door behind him. It was only after he had gone that the seamstress realized that he had not made a sound. Realizing he was a ghost, she started to pray. Then the door opened again and she found the same gentleman standing right behind her. Again he turned round and left. Later he returned for the third time. This time the old lady asked him what he wanted. The ghost led her to a small room and told her to take up a floorboard, remove a box that she would find there and send it to the Earl of Powys in London. He promised that if she did so, he would never appear again.

  The box was duly sent to the Earl of Powys, who was so delighted to receive it that he invited the old woman to be his guest at the castle for the rest of her life.

  Powis Castle, Nr Welshpool, Powys SY21 8RF; Tel: (01938) 551929; Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk.Open April–November. There is a shop and restaurant. Special events are held regularly at the castle.

  Prestatyn Promenade

  Prestatyn is a lovely seaside town with a long promenade. On a warm summer’s day strolling along ‘the prom’ is an ideal way to relax.

  However, at twilight the promenade is haunted by a solitary woman in a white dress: the White Lady of Prestatyn. She i
s a tall figure who walks between the Nova and the Festival Gardens, although she has been seen elsewhere on the promenade. She has also been seen sitting on the sea wall reading a book. It is thought that she could be a ghostly nun reading her Bible.

  A few years ago a Rhyl man was walking his dog along the promenade when the White Lady appeared in front of him. His dog immediately started to shiver and whine and he had to pick it up and carry it under his arm. As the woman approached, the dog gave a terrified yelp, jumped out of the man’s arms and ran away. The air suddenly became very cold and the man realized that the woman coming towards him was a nun with no face below her wimple. As he froze to the spot with horror, she passed straight through him, feeling like an icy chill. When he turned, he found she had disappeared completely. He later found his dog safe and well, hiding under his car.

  DEREK’S TIP

  If you decide to form a circle in order to generate energy to assist spirit people in drawing close, ensure you maintain physical contact with the people who are sitting or standing on either side of you. This is important, as if contact is broken, the energy is diminished.

  Ruthin Castle Hotel

  Ruthin Castle, the Red Fort, was built by Edward I in 1277. Its remains are situated in a walled dry moat within 30 acres of landscaped gardens, parkland and woods by the River Clwyd. In 1963 it was transformed into a luxury hotel.