Haunted Hotels: Two From Across The Pond

Great Britain has always been known as a land populated with the spirits of the dead and should it be any wonder when you consider the long and bloody history of Old Blighty? If our country, which is relatively young by comparison, can possess hotels with haunted reputations than it should come as no surprise that hotels that are centuries older than our own land should retain the spirits of the dead that are still said to walk.

The Queens Head Hotel

I can honestly say that this hotel has a pretty cool name. Built in the mid-17th century as a sort of memorial to the wives of Henry VIII who met their untimely demise at the executioner’s block this hotel is said to have a spirit walking it’s halls that gives off a feeling of intense evil and dread. Over the years several staff and guests have reported witnessing a large, tall black mass that appears to be a man but has no features making some wonder if this entity, whoever it may be could be a shadow person. No one is quite certain who this person may be, however in the many times that he has been encountered by the living occupants of the hotel, they claim that this figure gives off an air of evil and dread. Psychics who have investigated the hotel claim that the spirit is one of pure evil and should be avoided at all costs.

Guests of the hotel have claimed to be awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of children crying and sometimes playing in the halls. One of the children that has been seen on numerous ocassions by staff and guest alike, appears as the apparition of a young boy dressed in an old fashioned gray school uniform. The young lad is said to appear sitting on the steps of the main staircase and those who have seen him claim that he appears to be sad and deeply depressed. Over the years many have attempted to discover the identities of not only the dark man but the children as well and as of yet the spirits of The Queens Head Hotel remain a mystery.

Ruthin Castle Hotel

I love when a good ghost story has it’s roots is a verifiable tale of betrayl, jealousy and murder and it would appear that these three things appear to be at the root of many tales of the unquiet dead in England and one of the oldest hotels is no different. Wales’, Ruthin Castle Hotel is possibly one of the most haunted locations in the country of England. The original castle was built in 1207 for King Edward I as a place for the monarch to get away from the rat race of ruling an empire, however peace and quiet was something the young king never found because the betrayl and murder that he dealt with on a daily basis followed him to his vacation home.

Although the castle and the hotel that was built onto it lays claim to many ghosts, the most active spirit seems to be that of a young woman clad in a gray dress who walks the halls of the hotel weeping. The story of the Gray Lady can be traced back to 1213, Edward’s second in command was a well known philanderer who got it on with pretty much any woman who would succumb to his advances, and did they really have much choice afterall it is not a wise thing to turn down the King’s right hand man.

One night as the King’s man was locked in the throes of passion with one of his many conquests his wife happened to be home and cracked the door open a bit to see her husband in the arms of one of the chamber maids. The wife was well aware of her husband’s loose morals but this was first time she ever witnessed it. The wife could take no more of her husbands immorality and decided that she would do the only thing she could think of, the bastard and the wench must die.

The wife waited in the castle library for the oppurtune time to shed blood and when the clock struck midnight she figured that they must be asleep by now so the wife grabbed the closest thing she could find, an ax sitting by the fireplace, and quietly stalked the hall to the room. The wife wanted to keep the elemant of surprise and opened the door ever so silently, raised the ax over the head of the sleeping form of her husband and his mistress and a blood bath ensued. That’s what happens when you screw around.

Unfortunately it would not be long before the jealous ax murdering wife was captured. These were the days when woman were seen as property and were subjected to the whims of their male counterparts and although her husband was a cheating douchebag, it did not save her from meeting her maker. The wife was brought to the axman’s block and she lost her head. For whatever reason, possibly due to the severity of her crime, the wife was buried in unconsecrated ground without the services of a priest. Is it any wonder her spirit still walks the castle and certain parts of the hotel?

Those who have stayed at the hotel and ventured into the old part where much of the castle has been incorporated onto the hotel have claimed to see two versions of the Gray Lady. One version is the sad jilted wife who wanders the halls weeping loudly over the infidelities of her husband. The other version of the apparition is not so charming. The spirit of the gray lady has been seen stalking the halls and weilding an ax with a crazed look in her eyes. She is a woman on a mission to take care of a little business that has gotten way out of hand. Whatever version of the spirit witnesses have seen it would appear that the gray lady of Ruthin Castle Hotel is their to stay.

I hope you enjoyed this series of of haunted hotels as much as I enjoyed writing it. Would you dare to spend the night in one of these hotels knowing that at any moment you could come face to face with one of these lost souls that still wander their halls? I would, but then again I’m a little strange like that. I’m going to be taking a little break for awhile so before I go I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Halloween. See you soon.

Rick E. Hale

t_seeker@hotmail.com