One of my ‘must places to visit’ when I was on my hols in Northumberland was Chillingham Castle because it sounded so interesting. It had the reputation of one of the most haunted castles which I was skeptical about, thinking it a marketing ploy. I will now give you the information I wrote in my note book on the day:
The castle was very run down and currently being done up by the owner who is related to the original owners (the Grey family) by marriage. The renovations have been ongoing for 20 years and are far from complete.
Some rooms had a cool and unsettled feel to them. They were the ones that were closest to the guest apartments where one of the rooms is supposed to be haunted.
I will now clarify my feelings. One room I had to leave immediately after being in there for a couple of minutes (the room that led to the guest rooms), there was a particular place in the dungeon that I had to rush past and the minstrels gallery made me feel a little unsettled.
Some of the pics I took:
Fast forward to today I logged onto the Chillingham Castle website to get the historical background for the castle so I could share it with you.
This ancient and remarkable fortress is the home of Sir Humphry Wakefield Bt., his wife The Hon. Lady Wakefield and their family. Since 1246 the Castle has been owned by one continuous blood line with the Earls Grey ruling the Castle for the founding centuries. Those Grey Lords built the Castle’s alarming dungeons and torture chambers, as well as the beautiful parklands and gardens.
In the Castle you will see active restoration of complex masonry, metalwork and ornamental plaster as the restoration continues. A wide diversity of styles in the rooms spells out successive fashions through the early centuries, which gives an educative and vibrant difference to this ancient Castle. Today, it thrives with day to day family life and also events relating to music, drama, mountain rescue, child welfare and other local interests.
Then out of curiosity I clicked on the link ‘Ghosts’ and found the videos ‘Most Haunted Unseen’ and watched them. It seems I wasn’t just being paranoid and jittery…
If you have the time and are interested just click the first video to watch and then click on the right arrow which will show program in full. My immediate response to the video is *phew* it isn’t wasn’t me then…
Most Haunted Unseen – Chillingham Castle
Ah I have not heard of that castle before
I don’t think it has been open to the public very long.
Only right that ghostly forebears create a tourist attraction sufficient to pay their way.
Having visitors is a good way of making money to enable the house to be restored to it’s former glory.
Do ghosts stick to the houses they haunt or do they go back to the homes of visitors later, Cherie?
From what I have heard about ghosts they are associated with places it doesn’t even have to be a building. But there again I am no expert!