If you’re not keen on throwing a Halloween party this year, staying in one of the England’s many haunted hotels could be an interesting and equally enjoyable alternative for you.
Parties are great fun, but they do require a lot of work. From decorating the place and preparing sumptuous snacks to organising your friends and family and coming up with that perfect Halloween costume.
It’s no surprise then that some people want to take a break from the noisier celebrations and opt for something quiet. But a quiet Halloween needn’t be an uneventful one because if you take an interest in the paranormal, going on a real ghost hunt is an exciting prospect.
Haunted Hotels
There are countless (reportedly) haunted locations around the UK from ancient castles to abandoned industrial units, but most of these are inhospitable to say the least.
If you want to spy some spooks in comfort, finding a haunted hotel is the best way to go. Fortunately for you guys, Halloween-errific has been on a hunt to find you some hotels that could offer some spooky splendour for such a trip.
Haunted Hotels in the North
The Hotel
Chillingham Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland
The Ghosts
Chillingham Castle is far more than an imposing, grand location in which to stay. Its ancient walls also contain a number of notorious spirits.
The White Pantry Ghost is the figure of a woman in white that has been seen numerous times. A boy in blue is known to haunt one of the rooms next to which some remains of a child have been found. There’s even a phantom procession that is known to frequent the gardens. Add to this numerous other reports of sightings, sounds and sensations and you have what is likely to be the most haunted location in the north.
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Chillingham Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland
The Hotel
The Kirkstone Pass Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria
The Ghosts
This eerie, authenic, remote inn has had a colourful history. Believed to be connected to a 15th century monastery there are a number of ghosts that appear to be drawn to its energy.
There’s the spirit of Ruth Ray, a woman that was lost in the surrounding landscape during a storm. Also, that of a young boy who was killed by a coach.
A grey lady reportedly frequents the inn as does a poltergeist which is connected to a former employee. There’s even a spooky painting which depicts a mysterious figure that is surrounded by mystery.
The Kirkstone Pass Inn is likely to give you a night that you’ll never forget.
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The Kirkstone Pass Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria
The Hotel
Ancient Unicorn Inn, Bowes, Co. Durham
The Ghosts
The Ancient Unicorn Inn started out as a coaching inn and remains to this day a popular stop off point for people travelling north.
The inn has featured in a number of pieces of literature, much of which is related to misfortune and the paranormal. It is said that the ghost of a young boy haunts the cellars and that a bearded man wearing a bowler hat is often seen by residents.
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Ancient Unicorn Inn, Bowes, Co. Durham
Haunted Hotels in the East
The Hotel
The White Hart Hotel, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
The Ghosts
A highwayman was killed in the former stables and his ghost has been seen flitting through the restaurant on occasion hiding his face with his cloak.
Another ghost at the hotel is known as the ‘Mobcap’ girl. She was a maid at the hotel who was brutally murdered and her spirit is seen on occasion cowering in the corner of the landing on thefirst-floor.
In one room where a guest committed suicide in the 1960’s a feeling of sadness is often felt and ghostly sobbing has even been heard.
Staff have also reported seeing an elderly woman in period dress walking along one of the corridors before disappearing mysteriously.
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The White Hart Hotel, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
The Hotel
Haycock Hotel, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
The Ghosts
The hotel dates back to the 16th century and guests have reported various ghostly occurrences including sightings of figures in public areas, particularly in the oldest parts of the hotel. Guests have also reported the feeling of someone being in the room with them.
It has also been said by many that the ghost of Mary Queen of Scots is regularly seen at the Haycock hotel, it being one of the places that she stayed at on the way to her execution at Fotheringhay Castle.
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Haycock Hotel, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
The Hotel
The Bell Hotel, Thetford, Norfolk
The Ghosts
The Bell Hotel is a favourite with paranormal investigators as it’s widely thought to be the most haunted location in all of Norfolk.
The hotel has been a hostelry since it was established six hundred years ago and it has some great period features including a priest’s hole and a secret passageway. One main suite bedroom is said to be haunted by a hooded monk.
The drawing room is said to haunted by a former landlady of the inn.
There have been other recorded experiences at the hotel including an unexplainable smell of perfume and the sound of ghostly footsteps.
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The Bell Hotel, Thetford, Norfolk
Haunted Hotels in the West
The Hotel
Salford Hall Hotel, Abbots Salford, Stratford upon Avon
The Ghosts
There is meant to be lots of paranormal activity at the Salford Hall Hotel. It’s a favourite for ghost hunters and equally holidaymakers who are drawn by this 15th century building.
The ghosts of a nun, a stable boy and a number of other shadowy figures have been reported. A pair of monks are sometimes seen purveying the grounds and the reception area has been known to echo with the sound of a giggling gathering of girls that cannot be seen.
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Salford Hall Hotel, Abbots Salford, Stratford upon Avon
The Hotel
The Lion and Swan Hotel, Congleton, Cheshire
The Ghosts
This hotel may have a modern interior, but that hasn’t stopped any of the history of this 16th century building from showing through.
The spirit known as the Brown Lady tends to a fire wearing clogs, whilst room number 20, which is said to be the most haunted, leaves a cold feeling of terror with anyone that stays in it.
Other rooms contain disembodied voices, curious sounds and even the spirit of a black dog whilst a painting that is said to be cursed hangs in the cellar.
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The Lion and Swan Hotel, Congleton, Cheshire
The Hotel
Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
The Ghosts
If you’re in the vicinity of Cornwall and the wild landscape that is Bodmin Moor, it’s essential that you take a trip to the historic Jamaica Inn.
The inn has connections with smugglers and nefarious activities which could go some way to explain some of the phenomenon there. At night it is said that ghostly hooves and carriage wheels can be heard. And the apparition of a man in a hat and cloak that dashes through closed doors.
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Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Haunted Hotels in the South
The Hotel
Mermaid Inn, Rye, East Sussex
The Ghosts
The Mermaid Inn is a wonderfully atmospheric hotel that is steeped in history. Said to be haunted by a number of spirits, if you’re lucky you may be placed in one of the rooms that is known for activity.
There are two female apparations that are similar in appearance (dressed in white or grey) and the spirit of a man who walks through walls in front of shocked guests. A rocking chair is also said to mjove on it’s own. Without a doubt, The Mermaid Inn is supposed to be one of the most haunted hotels in the area.
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The Hotel
The Langham Hotel, London
The Ghosts
Looking at this grand hotel it’s hard to imagine that you’d have difficulty feeling comfortable during a night’s stay. However, the hotel is known to have at least five ghosts, one of which once appeared to a BBC newscaster, causing him to flee.
Interestingly, this spirit, dressed in Victorian clothing is known to be most active in the month of October, which is ideal if you’re planning a trip for Halloween. Room 333 is the room to ask for.
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The Hotel
Elvey Farm, Pluckley, Kent
The Ghosts
Elvey Farm’s most noted ghostly resident is a former farmer who committed suicide there. He is now said to walk the corridors and can even be heard whispering on ocassion.
Best of all though, the village of Pluckley, which is just walking distance from the farm, has a reputation of being the most haunted village in the UK.
There are a number of spirits that are said to inhabit the area making it a particularly popular choice for budding ghost hunters.
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This is just a short selection of supposedly haunted hotels to get you started.
If you can recommend a place to stay then please let us know. Also, if you have a particularly spooky time at some creepy accommodation, why not tell us all about it below?