HAUNTED WALES
"Hey there guys and girls, Welcome to our site! hopfully this should help you all keep up to date with all the investigations we carry out and view all the footage and images etc also listen to any EVP's we catch which can be very interesting.
HERE IS SOME BACKGROUND HISTORY OF SOME OF THE MOST HAUNTED PLACE'S IN WALES.
Wales is arguably one of the most haunted countries in the world. Visit its monuments, or stand on the battlements of its war-torn castles. Wherever you find yourself in Wales, north or south, you'll never be far away from a stone-age site. Re-live the history and take a journey through the chilling adventures on offer; unravel and explore the things that really go bump in the night!
Some haunted places and spooky tales from Wales:
POWIS CASTLE
A poor, unmarried woman, sleeping in a grand bedroom was awoken by the ghost of a well dressed gentleman. Three times he entered, and three times he left her room, before she gained the courage to ask who he was. The ghost asked her to follow him, which despite her fear she did. He led her to the location of a hidden box, and with it a key to open it. He gave her strict instructions that both items should be taken to the Earl of London, and once this was done, he would trouble the castle no more. This she agreed to. What the box contained is unknown but the ghost seemed to find the eternal peace he was looking for.
CAREPHILLY CASTLE
The Green Lady is the ghost of Princess Alice who is one of several spirits that haunt Caerphilly Castle. The young princess was lonely while her husband was away fighting in his many battles before his death, and it was while he was away that the princess fell in love with a young Welsh prince called Tew Teg. He confessed his love to his priest, however the priest betrayed the young man, by passing on the information to the powerful and very influential Lord de Clare, who promptly sent his wife to France. Tew Teg hunted for the priest, eventually gaining revenge for his betrayal, but in life the two young lovers never saw each other again. In death, Princess Alice returns to the castle in a never ending search for her lost love.
CASTELL COCH
Gilbert de Clare was also responsible for the fairytale castle of Castell Coch, which stands at the entrance to Taff Gorge, a beautiful and apt setting for the strangest of tales. The legend revolves around buried treasure belonging to a medieval Welsh legend, Ifor ap Meurig. He had two of his finest, most loyal men turned into eagles, to stand guard over his treasure, which he buried in a tunnel beneath the castle. Centuries past before anyone dared attempt to find the treasure, and it was two intrepid gentlemen who tried first. Their first attempt they were beaten back by wave after wave of attacks by the eagles. On the third occasion, they took their pistols, armed with blessed silver bullets, and a minister to read an exorcism. This time they were lucky to escape with their lives, and finally they gave up, and the treasure still lies secure, protected forever by the watching eagles.
SKER HOUSE, PORTHCAWL
Built by monks on the windswept coast near Porthcawl, Sker House is a rambling, medieval building currently being renovated. It was made famous by Victorian novelist RD Blackmore when he heard a true story about the Maid of Sker - a young woman who was imprisoned there in a room with blocked up windows.
LlANCAIACH FAWR MANOR, near NELSON
A 17th century manor house that is said to be haunted by many of its previous occupants: soldiers, children and a maid. Reported sightings include a cot that rocks on its own.
NANNAU,DOLGELLAU
Famous for its legend of Ceubren-yr-Ellyl. In 1402, Owain Glyndwr, Welsh legend and famous for leading a major revolt against Henry VI, walked with his cousin, Hywel Sele, Lord of Nannau, in the grounds of the great house. They argued there and Hywel Sele was never seen alive again. 40 years later, a tree split in two by lightening revealed the skeletal remains of the Lord, who's troubled spirit still maintained a ghostly hold over the mansion and the land until 1813, when the tree that had held the secret finally toppled over, bringing an end to over 400 years of haunting.
PLAS PREN, near DENBIGH
Plas Pren (The hall of wood) was formally a hunting lodge and was built in the early 20th century, before being sold in 1925 to house gamekeepers, until the 1950's when it was abandoned back to nature. The locals in the Sportsman's Arms pub just up the road from the site enjoy telling visitors the tale of the 'luminous skeleton' who has been seen dancing in the ruins.
MARGAM ABBEY, Port Talbot
The Talbot family built Margam Castle in 1840, however the Mansel family were the land owners before and in the eighteenth century they ignored the curse that the retreating monks had placed on the old abbey, that if the pillars of the abbey gatehouse were to fall, then the family involved would die out. Within five years, this had happened, and when the land became available, the Talbot family made sure that the stones from the gatehouse were promptly rebuilt, and can still be seen standing today.
RHOSILLI RECTORY, Gower
With its stunning views across the Atlantic Ocean, this seems as good a place as any to be the location of ghostly goings on. Its been described as 'Something very unpleasant indeed' that enters the Rectory for this winter's tale, as occupants have felt sudden drops in temperature and a cold chill around their shoulders, often hearing a low, gruff voice challenge them from behind by saying 'why don't you turn around and look at me?’.
MORFA COLLIERRY, near Port Talbot
Morfa Colliery was owned by Vivian and Sons and was opened by them sometime in the 1850's. It was always known as the 'unlucky pit', due to numerous explosions and accidents resulting in many deaths. The most serious of these accidents happened on the March 10th, 1890. At the inquest some witnesses spoke of hearing unearthly voices just before the explosion occurred and there were many reports of a strong smell of roses.
NANTEOS MANSION, Rhydyfelin, Aberystywyth
An 18th century mansion that boasts many spirits who frequent its halls, attics and corridors. The most famous is Gruffydd Evans, a legendary harpist. Other spectral visitors include a family of spirit folk, an unseen servant boy who can be heard whistling while wandering the corridors, the sounds of an invisible horseman and nocturnal furniture removers. www.nanteosmansion.co.uk
BODELWYDDAN CASTLE, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire
The castle, parts of which date from the seventeenth century, has been subject to many ghostly happenings over the past few years. Reports include a lady in Victorian dress in the sculpture gallery, which was seen by one of the room attendants, a soldier in one of the galleries (Bodelwyddan Castle was used as an officers mess and a recuperation centre during the First World War), shadowy figures drifting down the corridors and a lady wearing a blue dress and cloth mop cap in the tea room. The castle, which was home to the Williams family for about two hundred years, was also a girl’s school before it was refurbished as an historic house, which now houses collections of art from the National Portrait Gallery, sculpture from the Royal Academy and furniture from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The building has had many phases of redevelopment, the latest one being in the nineteenth century, which transformed the structure into the castle we know today. It was during this rebuilding that a gruesome find was uncovered. In 1829, during one of the periods of restoration, it is noted in the diary of Sir John Hay Williams that human bones were found near one of the chimneys. It is also said that the bones were built back into the wall, which means they are still there to this day. Could this be the cause of the paranormal activity at Bodelwyddan Castle, or is there something else in the castle’s history, which we don’t know about? Interestingly, many of the castle documents were destroyed in a fire, which took place in a peripheral building of the castle in the 1920’s; therefore much of the history of the building is lost. www.bodelwyddan-castle.co.uk
A haunted castle to stay in - - Gwydir Castle
The most significant ghost is a young woman who haunts the North Wing and the panelled corridor between the Hall of Meredith and the Great Chamber. Associated with the sightings is the drop in temperature and the extraordinary smell in the vicinity. Sir John Wynn is also said to haunt the castle, sighted on a number of occasions on the spiral staircase leading from the Solar Hall to the Great Chamber, his portrait hangs in the Lower Hall. Other sightings include crying children, a dog, a short Elizabethan lady in a yellow dress and a night torch lit procession on the Great Terrace. www.gwydir-castle.co.uk
Haunted hotels...
Castle Hotel, Conwy
Stands on the site of an old Cistercian Abbey. Conwy Ghost Tours start and finish at the Castle Hotel, which stands in the centre of the medieval walled town of Conwy. www.castlewales.co.uk
George Borrow Hotel, Ponterwyd, Ceredigion
The original part of the hotel was built in 1700s when the inn was called the Gogerddan Arms. It was in 1854 that George Borrow stayed, while on the walking tour of Wales that he wrote about in his book ‘Wild Wales’. The hotel is said to be haunted by a former landlady from the 1950’s, Miss Withers. Although the hotel has a very calming atmosphere, keys and plates are moved as well as furniture. The hotel’s current owners have even found their dog locked in a room!
Haunted inns and pubs...
The Queen’s Head Hotel, Monmouth
Reputed to have a Cromwelian Soldier lurking in its corridors. www.queenheadmonmouth.co.uk
Skirrid Mountain Inn, Abergavenny
The Skirrid Inn is the oldest public house within the Principality of Wales, it has stood for almost 875 years. It stands in the shadow of the Skirrid Mountain, sometimes called the Holy Mountain, which, according to legend, broke in two at the time of the crucifixion of Christ during a violent storm. In the forecourt of the Inn Owain Glyndwr rallied his troops before marching on to Pontrilas. Halfway up the magnificent square spiral staircase stands the cell, now used as a store room, where many a prisoner spent his last night before being sentenced to death by Bloody Judge Jefferies. The hanging was carried out from a beam placed across the joist of the staircase and the slab on which the bodies were placed may still be seen at the well of the stairs. www.skirridmountaininn.co.uk
