Thornberry Castle
Halloween is almost upon us. Which means that historic hotels – from castles to country houses – all over the UK will soon be full of eerily-inclined guests padding the creaking corridors and staring suspiciously at the slightest twitch of a curtain in the hope of catching sight of a spectre.
And whether you’re a sceptic or a true believer, it’s hard to deny that the five famously ‘haunted’ luxury hotels below have seen more than their fair share of things that (may or may not) have gone bump in the night…
Lumley Castle; Durham
Durham’s Lumley Castle is positively crammed with creepy credentials: it’s all four poster beds, crenellated towers and tongue-in-cheek medieval trimmings. The story goes that Lady Lily, wife of Sir Ralph Lumley, haunts the castle’s corridors having been bumped off by the local clergy (who then rather callously dropped her body down a well).
Lumley Castle hit the headlines a few years back when the Australian cricketer Shane Watson was so troubled during the course of a night’s stay that he chose to bed down on a teammate’s floor rather than be in his room alone.
Thornbury Castle; Thornbury, South Gloucs
Another castle, another spectral lady – this time of the grey variety. But she’s far from the only spirit lingering around Thornbury Castle: Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, is believed to have been seen on several occasions, while a greyhound said to belong to Mary Tudor has been known to drift through the library.
Along with gargoyles and the odd suit of armour, Thornbury’s riddled with secret passages, priest holes and a dungeon (now the hotel’s wine cellar). One room even has a hidden bathroom; which sounds like fun – until you’re caught short in the middle of the night, that is…
Ettington Park; Alderminster, Warks
The facade of Ettington Park is all elaborate Neo-Gothic twiddles and eerie plays of light and shadow. The classic haunted house, in other words. 
And that’s precisely what appealed to film director Robert Wise when, looking for a suitably creepy location for his 1963 classic horror, The Haunting, he cast Ettington to play the starring role of horrible ‘Hill House’.
There are plenty of reports of hauntings of the non-celluloid variety, too. Amongst a glut of ghastly goings-on, there’s a ghostly monk in residence, echoing children’s voices have been heard, and a former governess known as Lady Emma has been known to slip through walls from time to time.
Langtry Manor; Bournemouth
Edward VII built the graceful Arts & Crafts Red House – now Langtry Manor Hotel – as a South Coast love nest for his mistress, Lillie Langtry. And so besotted was she with the place that her love-struck spirit has frequently been spotted wandering the grounds.
Chilston Park; Lenmouth, Kent
Bit of a cheat, this one. Chilston Park sneaks into our list through proximity, rather than any reports from guests of anything untoward happening. However, nearby Pluckley has a reputation as ‘the most haunted town in Britain’ – the Piccadilly Circus of supernatural sightings, if you will.
Not everywhere can claim a highwayman nailed to a tree, the shade of a headmaster, a phantom horse and carriage, a Red Lady in the churchyard and bloodcurdling screams coming from an abandoned brickworks. So if you were setting out to spot a spook this Halloween, the elegant confines of Chilston Park are as good a place to be based as any!
(This piece first appeared on the rather nifty blog of our friends over at Ooh.com…)
Tags: Castle Hotels, Chilston Park, Country House Hotels, Ettington Park, Haunted Hotels, Langtry Manor, Lumley Castle, Thornbury Castle, UK Hotels, Unusual Hotels
