FAST FACTS
- The castle is best known as a prison of Mary, Queen of Scots who hatched the plot that led to her beheading at Fotheringay Castle in 1587. And there have been many sightings of her roaming the ruins ever since…
- There have also been sightings by many visitors of a little boy and his companion, a spooky little girl called Ellie
This week, Spookipedia contributer Emma Cash tells us about what many have described as the most haunted location in the UK. But before we delve into Emma’s story, check out this video below from historians, Richard Felix and Lesley Smith.
And now we hear from Emma…
Emboldened by watching too many episodes of Living TV’s Most Haunted, a group of friends and I wanted to do something different for Halloween so decided on an all-night ghost hunt at Tutbury Castle. These atmospheric ruins set against an unforgiving landscape and overlooking the River Dove was to become the eerie base for a night of vigils and séances.
After a guided tour and a talk from Lesley Smith (she of Most Haunted fame and also the castle’s curator) about her ghostly experiences in Tutbury Castle, we were led into the torture chamber (or oubliette, as we were schooled). Permission to enter was asked from its resident ghost Jack, thus setting the tone for our hunt. Spending almost an hour in the oubliette in only torch and star light, we were regaled with stories about torture methods over the ages. For me this was the scariest part of the evening. Cynic that I am, even I must admit to refusing to look over my shoulder into the darkness whilst hearing bloody tales of men being hung, drawn and quartered.
Next, we were introduced to Tutbury Castle’s infamous guests in the Kings Chamber. Here, we were asked to hold hands in a circle, extinguished our torches and the medium invited both Ellie, a seven year old girl and a gentleman who did not like men, to make their selves known to us. The séance in what was the Great Hall brought a shiver down my friend’s spine as the glass on the table kept zooming towards her. I should also say that the second time in the oubliette (this time not asking permission from Jack), there was a noticeable smell of vomit which is said to come from one of the prisoners, and in the King’s Chamber, a man in our group felt such hatred from our gentleman ghost that he had to leave the room, almost feeling physically pushed out. I’m glad he liked women!
A ghost hunt isn’t for everyone and the organised side of it (fantastically organised, I must add, by Haunted Happenings) can take away from that spine-tingling feel that comes with random, ad-hoc visits to less well-known but just as chilling places like Clophill. But there’s no doubt, Tutbury Castle is truly spooki. So overall, we give it…
… 10 OUT OF 13 FOR THE SPOOKI FACTOR
Have you been? If so, leave your experiences in the comments section below.
SPOOKI LINKS
Tutbury Castle – the official website of the spooki castle
Haunted Happenings – the company through which you can book your experience
Most Haunted at Tutbury Castle – More information on when Most Haunted visited Tutbury Castle
Pic: by steve p2008 via Flickr.
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