South Western House

In 1929, and shortly after Mr Dawson killed his wife before turning the gun on himself, their room (667) was closed off for a long time afterwards, but guests still experienced seeing apparitions and hearing strange noises in the hallway outside. Voices, music, the sound of children's laughter and footsteps have been reported in empty rooms, and there had also been stories of being touched by invisible hands and experiencing cold spots. A newspaper article also talks of "doors opening and closing on their own, lights flickering, furniture moving around and inexplicable voices whispering." With regard to visible apparitions, a porter saw a lady wearing Victorian attire at the end of a hallway; she disappeared when she turned to look at him. This same phantom may also have been seen in the area of the hotel's ballroom. There has also been a story of a man in military garb in the lobby (the building was used as a military intelligence HQ during the Second World War). The strangest ghost is that of a sailing ship passing through the walls!
A reply by a resident of 11 years to the newspaper article says that the Victorian (Edwardian?) lady is a frequent visitor to the hallways and while harmless, has been known to appear beside people's beds. On the Titanic staircase, the resident heard voices and then the sound like horses hooves on the stairs, following by a blast of cold air in the face when he/she turned round, which was likened to a horse snorting or whinnying. The informant thinks that this might be a spectral resident of Hollywood cowboy Tom Pick who once rode his horse up the staircase for publicity. The resident also mentioned "sudden drops in temperature, accompanied by lights being flickered, doors (quite heavy fire doors) being flung wide open, with no one around, voices (often very clear) and things moving around, with no decent explanation. It happened to me only last week. A (very heavy) cabinet, in my flat, had moved about 5 feet, across my floor, in between me going out to do some shopping, and getting home (about half an hour)." These things happened so frequently that the resident doesn't bat an eyelid now!

Link: Daily Echo