Winstanley House

A phantom lady in a white robe, sometimes described as wearing a veil, has been sighted here. She may be May Winstanley [whose family owned the house for many years] who was in a convent but died of TB at the age of 18; novice nuns wore white robes. Other phenomena have been reported; a faint scream, the sensation of being pushed, a lady in a pink ballgown, a little girl hiding in the attic, a horse drawn carriage that silently passes the hall at night and a man dressed like a gamekeeper. In the past, poltergeist-like activity has been reported, including lights in the (at the time) empty building resulting in the police being called to investigate a possible intruder.

Update 11/1/24: Abi Santaney, the guest relations executive for the hotel replied to my query for any recent phenomena saying, "I have not myself personally experienced anything out of the ordinary on the premises" but she provided a very interesting information sheet (dated 2022) on the ghosts. The document says that the hall got a reputation for being haunted because a stonemason and a labourer were killed during building work. It also repeats the story of May Winstanley above and says that, "In 1922, Rosemary Winstanley, aged 8, was walking the corridor from the bathroom to the nursery when she noticed a figure dressed in white moving some feet ahead. Puzzled, Rosemary followed the visitor until it went into the Governess’s room. She asked the nanny who it was and was told not to worry about it." Years later, several of the children contracted measles and it was thought prudent to isolate them but one night their nurse maid's screamings woke up the household; she said that she had awakened to find "a young female at the side of her bed. She had a long white dress or robe, and her face was obscured by a veil." It was found that her room (205) used to belong to May.
"The next known sighting occurred in 1973. Alan Jarvis had recently taken the position of caretaker. On a winter’s dusk, around 5pm, he was sweeping the corridor on the top floor when he noticed a petite figure dressed in white. Alan asked what she was doing when the figure approached him in a fluid manner. He dropped his broom and ran along the corridor then down the stairs in record time. It was quite a while before he dared return that evening but when he did there was no sight of anyone. A few days later he encountered them again when he felt less intimidated but wary. There was a dozen more sightings and Alan took the sensible attitude that whoever it was had as much right to be there as him."
In July 2005 historian John Bayldon visited the hall around 10am on a Friday morning. His daughter was on the small staircase in the west wing when she had a weird experience. A sudden blackness flashed through; she felt a strong electrical current and almost violated. It was as if ‘something’ had stormed straight through her. She was badly affected by the incident.
Other tales of the Hall include those of a groom; after a scandal involving one of the Winstanley families’ daughters, he was dismissed from service and hanged himself in one the beams in of the coach house rooms, perhaps 106.
The vision of a young woman holding a dog, has been seen to throw herself from a top floor window at the rear of the property. It is said to be the groomsman’s love, who was heartbroken following his death. Her companion dog has been seen many times running through the mist then vanishing mysteriously.
Ex pupils of the school, who visit the hotel tell us of the haunted classroom (room 122). Looking at the front of the hall, it is the 1st floor right hand side windows.
In the cellar of the hall, reports have been made of a monk being sighted on numerous occasions, he can be heard to chant in Latin as he wanders the rooms and tunnel that linked the main house to the servants' areas.

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