Bodelwyddan Castle
Close to the
village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire in Wales, was built around 1460
by the Humphreys family of Anglesey as a manor house. Its most important
association was with the Williams-Wynn family, which extended for around 200
years from 1690. The castle was bought from the Humphreys by Sir William
Williams, Speaker in the House of Commons from 1680-1681. The castle which
stands today was reconstructed between 1830 and 1852 by Sir John Hay Williams,
who employed the architects Joseph Hansom (inventor of the Hansom cab) and Edward
Welch to refurbish and extend the house, though the Williams' family fortunes
had started to decline since the 1850s, due to the loss of the main source of
income for the estate, lead mining.
There have been many reports of ghost sightings at
the castle, including that of a soldier in one of the galleries. Sir John Hay
Williams wrote in 1829 that, during a period of refurbishment, human bones were
found near one of the chimneys. They were built back into the wall, which means
they remain there to this day. The castle has also been the subject of two
episodes of Living TV's Most Haunted and Syfy's Ghost Hunters International.
It is a medieval fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by
Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign
to conquer Glamorgan, and saw extensive fighting between
Gilbert and his descendants and the native Welsh rulers. Surrounded by
extensive artificial lakes, it occupies around 30 acres (120,000 m2) and
is the second largest castle in Britain. It is famous for having introduced concentric castle defences to Britain and
for its large gatehouses. A green-dressed woman wanders about the towers and
many ghosts of soldiers patrol over there.
It was erected between 1819 and 1825 at the behest
of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, grandfather of Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald. From
1894 until 1924, when the Countess died, it was the residence of the Dundonald
family. The Countess left the castle in her will to King George V
and the then Prince of Wales (who
later became King Edward VIII).
However, the gift was refused and the castle passed to the Venerable Order
of Saint John. In 1928, the Earl of Dundonald purchased the castle for
£78,000, selling the contents to meet the cost.
The most important
ghost in the castle is a woman who lives in the north part of the castle. When
the ghost appears, it smells terribly awful and the temperature goes down. In
February 2010 a ghost was apparently photographed at the castle and featured in
The Sun newspaper.
Denbigh Castle
Denbigh Castle was a fortress built following the
13th-century conquest of Wales by Edward I. The castle, which stands on a rocky
promontory above the Welsh market town of Denbigh, Denbighshire, was built upon
an earlier Welsh stronghold. It was defended by a unique triple-towered
gateway. The current Denbigh Castle was built on the site of a former Welsh
stronghold held by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Llywelyn the Last.
A dark shapeless figure has been seen dashing
around the Goblin Tower. This is said to be the son of the castle's builder. He
was falsely accused of having an affair with the land owner's daughter, and was
thrown to his death from the partly completed tower. A grey (or white)
lady has also been observed in the area. Another local legend says that a
dragon once resided in the castle. A man with eight fingers on each hand
finally killed the creature.
St Donats Castle is a medieval castle which dates
to the 12 th century. It now houses Atlantic College, a private boarding school
founded in 1962, as the first of ten United World Colleges. In the 13th century
St Donats was held by the de Haweys family who also had estates in Somerset and
Dorset. The heiress John de Hawey married Sir Peter de Stratelynge (Stradling),
a Swiss who was in command of the castle at Neath in 1296. He
died soon afterwards so it was either his sons or Joan's second husband John de
Pembridge who built the castle in the early 14th century.
St Donats is reputed to be
haunted by several ghosts which include Lady Stradling. Her ghost is said to
wear a long flowing dress and high shoes, and is said to have been murdered at
the castle. She is often seen in the Long Gallery with her appearance being
said to be a warning of impending disaster. Other ghosts witnessed at the
castle are said to be an old woman resembling a ‘witch', who is seen in the
Armoury. A phantom ‘Panther' which has been witnessed in one particular
corridor. One of the bedrooms is said to have ‘bright lights' which are said to
look like ‘bright eyes'. Invisible hands are reported to play the piano even
when the lid is closed.
Roch Castle
Built in the 13 th century by a Norman Knight, Roch
Castle marks the northern limit of the Norman Conquest of West Wales. In the
1630’s it was home to Lucy Walter who later became consort of Charles II and
mother of the Duke of Monmouth. In 1644 it was garrisoned for King Charles I
but surrendered to Cromwell’s troops later that year.
After the Civil War it slowly
fell into ruin until it was restored in 1900 by the first Viscount St David’s,
friend and frequent host to Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts
movement, and to David Lloyd George, Great Britain’s Prime Minister from 1916
to 1922.
The castle is said to be
haunted by Lucy Walters, who has been seen floating through locked rooms
wearing a white dress and she maybe the cause of the noisy running footsteps
which mysteriously disturb the sleep of guests on occasions.
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