Haunted places to stay
In preparation for Halloween we've pulled together some ideas for you. All the stories you are about to read have been validated by the hotel owners themselves. So if it's things that go bump in the night you're after this Halloween you've come to the right place...
South West
Stron Easton Par is a magnificent Palladian house near Midsomer Norton in Somerset, home to the ghost of the murdered parlour maid who stalks the top floor.
Situated opposite the soaring gothic cathedral in the heart of Exeter, the Royal Clarence Hotel dates back to 1769 and has three permanent guests (make that three friendly ghosts) to show for it.
Guests of the Barceló Cheltenham Park Hotel in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, should beware of moonlit walks in the hotel landscaped gardens after dark as a female spectre has been spotted hovering above the lake.
Built in the 18th Century, the historic Arnos Manor Hotel in Bristol was once a covent in its time and legend has it one of its former occupants still roams the corridors.
The Ring O' Roses (The Holcombe Inn) located near Radstock in Somerset is a 17th century Inn steeped in history and intrigue. Rumour has it a man stalks the rooms at night, checking on his daughter who was bequeathed to a noble, ran away with a commoner, only to be imprisoned by her father in a room upstairs.
A Grade I Listed building with claims to be England's most ancient hotel c1220, The Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury, Wiltshire is renowned for numerous spooky incidents over the years, unsurprising considering its 800 year old history.
South East
One of the oldest inns in England, rebuilt in 1420, and with smuggling connections throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, The Mermaid Inn in Rye, East Sussex, is reputed to have several ghosts. Visitors have witnessed fights in period costume with the loser being thrown down an old hidden staircase.
The Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa, situated within landscaped grounds only ten minutes away from Windsor, is home to the 'Blue Lady' - the maid of the lady of the house who returned, during a fire that had swept through the original house, to collect the lady's jewels but died on the stairs as she attempted to leave the building.
Look out for the Grey Lady who is seen at twilight in the restaurant of the Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, a historic country house hotel set in 10 acres of parkland with far reaching views over the Surrey countryside. Another lady ghost has been spotted at Macdonald Frimley Hall Hotel Spa, a class ivy-clad Victorian manor set within beautiful gardens in Camberley, Surrey.
Heart of England
Tall, square and solid, the stylish Dinham Hall in Ludlow, Shropshire, is the epitome of a grand, late 18th century family home. The setting for several sightings of ghosts, it has even had a medium stay who recorded voices in one of the rooms.
Also situated in Ludlow is The Feathers Hotel. Internationally recognised for its Jacobean architecture and medieval heritage, a female presence has been felt in room 211, as well as sightings of a small female child crossing the road to the Bull Hotel opposite.
If you're particularly stout of heart and fancy a scare take a trip to Shrewsbury in Shropshire. You can book yourself into Room 6 at the Prince Rupert Hotel, where numerous reports of objects being moved around the suites of the mansion house and sightings of a woman hanging from its ceiling should make for a disturbed night's sleep.
When plague came to Shrewsbury it supposedly started at the Ye Olde Bucks Head, a 17th century coaching inn - one or more children died of it and have been seen in its windows.
East Midlands
A number of mysterious sightings of ghostly apparitions have been noted at the Bestwood Lodge Hotel, a former Victorian hunting lodge set in 700 acres of parkland in Nottingham.
North East
The Best Western Walworth Castle Hotel in Darlington has a chilling tale to tell. Legend has it a rich lady who owned the castle became pregnant with by the stable boy and thus disgracing her family, she was locked up in the castle turrets and now haunts the library, as well as Room 16. In Northumberland at the Warkworth House Hotel a butcher is known to roam the top floor from the time of World War II when the house was commandeered by the army as barracks and officers' mess.
Built in 1881 as a family home and then used as a judges circuit residence, it seems court is still in session at the Judges Country House Hotel in Tees Valley, where the in-house judge is still trying a case and he's not happy. At Number 34 in Barnard Castle, County Durham, some of the guests have referred to a presence in the house, now affectionately called George. So far he has been friendly and doesn't eat much.
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