Haunted Hotels: Ettington Park Hotel

Ettington Park Hotel is a breathtakingly beautiful neo-Gothic mansion situated roughly six miles from Stratford-Upon-Avon in the stunning Stour Valley. The old manor house was demolished and replaced with a smaller house which was rebuilt from salvaged materials. In the mid-1930s the mansion became a nursing home and also used as a camp for prisoners of war throughout the Second World War.

Fans of the classic 1963 ghost film The Haunting will recognise the building as it was used as the exterior locations for the chilling tale. A fire in 1979 caused a huge amount of damage and the building lay empty for 3 years and deteriorated badly as a result. In 1983 the manor house and the land were leased to a hotel company and an extensive restoration of the building began, Ettington Park was then opened as a luxury hotel.

But its not just staring in a film about a haunting that sets the house apart. Ettington Park has the label and reputation as being one of the most haunted hotels in the UK. Staff members and guests have reported ghostly apparitions, unexplained noises and disembodied voices echoing all over the building.

Of the many spirits located in Ettington Park the most popular is that of a former governess who goes by the name of ‘Lady Emma’ is seen gliding down the corridors of the hotel and then vanishing into the walls.

Another lady spectre that has been reported is that of the grey lady who floats to the bottom of the main staircase and stops, where it is suggested that she was pushed and subsequently died of her injuries. Staff have also reported seeing a candle be picked up off a mantelpiece and floating by itself.

The tales of hauntings surrounding Ettington Park Hotel are as varied as the history of the building and are reported by staff and guests alike. In this video clip, Carol Vorderman takes a tour around the hotel hoping to experience some of the spine-tingling apparitions reported over the years.