Francis Hotel

A former housekeeper is said to have hanged herself here and has returned in spectral form. There are also reports of poltergeist-like activity; one guest said their hot water bottle was flung from their table, and they heard tapping and scratching noises too.

Update 21/1/24: Reception Manager Paige Clark provided an information sheet on the hotel's ghosts. "In the hotel itself there have been numerous sightings of The Grey Lady.  An actress from the 1880's, this lady killed herself in the hotel when she discovered her husband had murdered her secret lover. Her last performance at the theatre was the night of her death, and there she wore a grey feather dress - the same clothing she still wears. Also, during sightings, the aroma of her perfume hangs in the air - it is upon this scent that the olfactory identity of the hotel is based. There is also the ghost of [building designer] John Wood’s former housekeeper, who usually manifests as poltergeist activity.  She lost her entire inheritance due to a gambling addiction. John Wood took pity on her and employed her as his housekeeper; however, she unfortunately was unable to shake the addiction, and she became depressed and hanged herself in what were then the servants’ quarters on the top floor of the house.  This ghost recently also manifested as an apparition, which our guests described as a "dead housekeeper". Another incident occurred this year [2022, the date of the information sheet?] in the wing of the hotel.  The guests in the room checked out early, saying that there was a "presence" in the room, and that they wanted to leave the hotel immediately.  They had been too afraid to take their belongings with them so asked the concierge to go and get them.  The concierge described an intense pressure in the room, and an unusual feeling of claustrophobia.  He noted while in the room that the curtains were open, and a towel was on the floor.  When he returned to the room 5 minutes later to check it again, he discovered the curtains had been closed and the towel was folded on the bed.  The housekeeping team had left an hour previously ... When he checked the room again in the morning, he said the feeling of pressure was gone, but the curtains were now open again. That same evening a receptionist stayed overnight to support the nights team.  She awoke in the middle of the night to an intense feeling of pressure bearing down on her, making it difficult to breathe.  She grabbed her mobile phone to call for help but it did not respond to any button presses.  After several long seconds the pressure subsided, and her phone began to function normally again."

Update 24/1/24: Adrian De Waal, the Night Team manager sent a few interesting experiences; in 2021, the owners rebranded the hotel and the new manager incorporated many changes, one of which was to move a bust of Solomon Francis to the rear of the hotel. Solomon and Emily had been owners and proprietors of the hotel in 1884 and their busts had been placed in alcoves in the reception. When Adrian mentioned to the manager about the busts being separated one of the crystal balls hanging from the chandelier dropped and smashed on the floor. When they went to investigate, a second ball fell from a chandelier on the other end of the room. Later that evening, another ball fell and landed at Adrian's feet at the bottom of the stairs. This continued for several weeks until the statue of Emily was moved to the rear, reunited with her husband.
Adrian also talked of seeing and hearing doors moving by themelves; as an example he says, "On more than one occasion I have witnessed the 100 year old turnstile door making a full revolution on its own" - he also notes that although they laugh it off as an effect of the wind, the door didn't budge during a recent storm. He also says, "One night I tried to get video of the doors to the Boho Marche restaurant swinging back and forth at 3 in the morning. It stopped the moment I took my phone out, but as soon as I put my phone away a shadow moved across the frosted glass window and the doors swung back and forth one more time before going quiet for the night."
In the week before his message to me, he says that all was quiet until 6am and he and a friend were chatting and finishing up paperwork in reception when Adrian heard very faint music. His colleague asked if he could hear it too and they started to look for a source which they traced to a a single solitary speaker in the No 10 bar next to reception. The sound system was fully off and normally the music would pipe through to all speakers, not just one. The sond was "Feel Alive Again" by Molly Parden.
Adrian notes that one of his co-workers keeps feeling someone reassuringly squeeze her shoulder, and people have heard "child like whispers" and shadows that disappear down hallways.

Author Andy Owens wrote to the Hotel in late 2024 and his findings were published in issue 453 of "The Fortean Times." The correspondent was Adrian De Waal and he regaled Mr Owens with the story of the busts above. He notes that "one [ghost] that seems to be recurring is a phantom lady sitting in bed in one of the rooms. I have yet to see her as I hardly have cause to go up to that particular room at night. However at least three of my colleagues have told me their stories. It's always the same in the same room; a staff member goes up and when they enter the room there seems to be a lady sitting in the bed right by the door. Fearful of interrupting a guest, they apologise and back out and then they come back to reception to find out who is in the room that is supposed to be empty. When checked the room *is* empty, and bed is made. One of the waiters has seen a lady in black turn down a corridor, but when he turned down it himself, there was no sign of her, and he heard no doors open and close. She just disappeared. My colleague on the night shift swears that she keeps feeling someone put an arm around her shoulders or squeeze the top of her arm. It seems to be a gesture of reassurance or comfort." Adrian notes that the history of the building doesn't have any recorded instances of maids hanging themselves, however two local men died in the hotel the night it was bombed...it's believed they were the night staff taking shelter in the basement. Adrian mentions that if you end up working on the night shift then you might hear ghostly voices that accompany you when you do your rounds, but then they stop when you stop to listen.

Link: Somerset Live

Website