Have you ever imagined a spooky weekend looking for ghosts in a real haunted hotel? All of these hotels in Devon have received reports of supernatural sightings.
1) Chambercombe Manor, Ilfracombe
Chambercombe Manor, one of Britain’s most famous haunted houses, was featured on the Living ‘Most Haunted’ television series. It has long been reported that he is haunted by the ghost of Lady Jane Gray.
Spookier still, in 1865, a tenant noticed the outline of a window that did not correspond to a room within the building. When they investigated, they found a small sealed room that contained a bed frame with a skeleton. The skeleton is believed to have been a titled lady visiting relatives in Chambercombe who were shipwrecked in a storm on the rocks at Hele. When he later died in the room, the occupants of the mansion took his jewelry and sealed it. A section of the partition has now been removed so that visitors can see inside the chamber.
Chambercombe Manor hosts guided tours, paranormal events, overnight paranormal nights, and murder mysteries. Vacation accommodation is available in luxury cabins.
2) The Devil’s Stone Inn, Shebbear
The Devil’s Stone Inn has a bar certificate to show that it has been officially inspected and recognized as one of the eight most haunted pubs in the UK.
The rooms and bathrooms are said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl of about seven years old. Sometimes seen with a gray-bearded man believed to be her father, he is said to be a friendly ghost and has “appeared” on demand at the bar, moving coats and closing doors. He is also blamed for the pictures that fall off the walls.
The pub itself is an old farmhouse that was converted to an inn in the 17th century. It is named after the Devil’s Stone, a large glacial rock on the village green, which is said to imprison the devil beneath it. Following local tradition, the town’s bell ringers turn the stone every year at 8 pm on Guy Fawkes night (November 5) to protect the town from disaster. Once the stone has been turned, the celebrations begin at the Devil’s Stone Inn.
Local legend states that there is also a hidden tunnel that connects the Posada de Piedra del Diablo with the church.
3) The Royal Castle Hotel, Dartmouth Quay
The Royal Castle Hotel has hosted Queen Victoria, Edward VII, Sir Francis Drake and Cary Grant, as well as hosting several of King Charles II’s mistresses.
At 2 a.m. on fall mornings, a ghostly carriage and horses are heard arriving, loading a passenger and driving away. This ghost carriage is said to date from the time of the arrival of King William and Queen Mary of the Netherlands in 1688. The queen arrived first and stayed at the Royal Castle Hotel, which at the time were two pairs of houses with a narrow courtyard in the middle. The king was forced by a storm to land at Torbay instead of Dartmouth, and a car was dispatched to fetch the Queen Mary, arriving at the Royal Castle Hotel shortly before 2am.
Since then, hotel staff and guests in the fall reported hearing the hooves of horses crossing the cobblestones, a carriage door opening and closing, followed by the snap of a whip, the chimes of a long-lost clock. and the horses whinnying. as they accelerate the coach’s march.
4) The Lord Haldon Hotel, Dunchideock, near Exeter
A large country hotel that has hosted many aristocratic guests, the Lord Haldon Hotel has received many reports of ghosts.
The most tragic story is that of an 18th century maid who appears to be in distress and dripping water. Locals believe that she became pregnant by a man of greater social prestige and was murdered at the lake to avoid a scandal.
A more mysterious ghost, seen several times, is a large man with his sleeves rolled up. It appears through the frosted windows at the rear of the old hall, next to what used to be the stables, and when its silhouette is seen through the windows, its height matches the level of the previous floor.
Another inexplicable ghost is a girl who knocks on guests’ doors and calls out their first names in the early hours, between 1 and 3 in the morning. Guests and staff have also heard footsteps when no one is there.
5) The Royal Clarence Hotel, Exeter Cathedral Yard
Built on the site of the home of the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh’s parents, the Royal Clarence Hotel is the beginning and end point of guided ghost and legends tours of Exeter’s Red Coat. It is said to be the home of three friendly ghosts, one of which may be Sir Walter Raleigh himself. Famous visitors to the Royal Clarence Hotel include Lord Nelson, Nicholas I, the Tsar of Russia, author Thomas Hardy, and Hollywood actors Clark Gable and Gary Cooper.
Queen Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent, traveled to Exeter to receive freedom from the city, but died while at Sidmouth on 23 January 1820. His body was transported to Royal Clarence and embalmed there before being transported to his funeral in Windsor.
Haunting manifestations include coughing sounds from the upper deck, which some have claimed to be the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh. A gray ghost lady has also been seen looking out of a window.
Another part of the Royal Clarence Hotel is the Well House Tavern, which has a basement crypt with a skeleton, believed to have been a victim of the plague.
While visiting Exeter Cathedral Green, you can also keep an eye out for a monk, a nun, a three-headed man, and a tall, glowing figure, reported to haunt that area – not surprisingly, people say that Exeter is one of the Most haunted cities in Britain!