Hauntings

Ghost Room

Legends of the ghosts

During the restoration project, some macabre discoveries were made in the panelled room, now used as an exhibition of the restoration project and said to be haunted by the ghosts of three young children. The childrens spirits are believed to roam the building after being disturbed by the extensive rebuilding programme after the fire.

In the ‘ghost room’ behind the panels, were found inscriptions for the children of the family that had lived and died for many generations. There were in total 186 separate pieces of ‘linen fold’ panelling, and behind each one had been placed a child’s tooth (sometimes covered in silver), a ringlet of child’s hair, and the name, date of birth, and date of death for each. The loose bricks in the fire place revealed bags of salt in Hessian and a collection of children’s shoes all from around the 16th century.

Following the removal of these items for examination, and the replacement of the main stairwell following the fire, the whole building was said to take on a different feel. Workmen who were working late in the building reported that the temperature of the building got a lot cooler, and they heard unusual sounds coming from the attic and the sounds of children playing up and down the stairs when no one else was in the building. The strangest of all was the sound of children whispering and singing in the panelled room on the top floor.

The disturbance of these artifacts is said to have awoken the sleeping spirits and now they wander the building causing mischief by moving objects and turning taps on and off.