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With Halloween fast approaching, it’s got us thinking about some of the spookiest and most haunted places in Hampshire. Get your chill on and find out more about the fascinating history of some of the ghosts and ghouls that haunt Hampshire’s buildings.
Take a look at some of the most haunted places in Hampshire
Tudor House Museum, Southampton
Believed to be one of the most haunted buildings in Hampshire, Tudor House runs ghost tours for groups which take you into the attic and the cellar where you can get close to the spirits.
Find out more about Southampton Tudor House and Garden
Rufus Stone, The New Forest
King William II (son of William the Conqueror, who founded the New Forest) is said to have been shot by an arrow in the New Forest. Today, the Rufus Stone, which depicts where King William fell can be seen. It is said that his ghost still haunts this area.
Find out more about the New Forest National Park
Winchester
It is claimed that the streets of Winchester are haunted by famous author, and Hampshire resident, Jane Austen. Jane was laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral in 1817.
Find out more about Jane Austen’s ghost, and the other ghosts of Winchester by booking onto a guided tour with the Winchester City Guides.
Find out more about Guided Tours of Winchester
Burley, The New Forest
Famous for its witchcraft connections, it’s no wonder that Burley is reputed to have several ghosts with the ghost of a cat being found in the Coven of Witches shop in the heart of the village.
Find out more about Burley
The Eclipse Inn, Winchester
A tall woman in a grey woollen dress, Lady Alice Lisle, is said to haunt the historic Eclipse Inn in Winchester.
Lady Alice spent her last night alive within the building before being beheaded in 1685 after being found guilty of providing Christian shelter to two refugees from the Battle of Sedgemoor which ended the Monmouth Rebellion. Unbeknown to Lady Alice, one of the refugees was a wanted fugitive, and the punishment for hiding someone such as this was death. It is claimed both staff and customers see Lady Alice from time to time.
Find out more about The Eclipse Inn
Wymering Manor, Portsmouth
One of Portsmouth’s oldest houses, Wymering Manor dates back to Elizabethan times.
There are several hauntings associated with this manor house and paranormal groups often visit to investigate the ghosts that reside here.
Find out more about Wymering Manor
Netley Abbey, Southampton
Netley Abbey fell victim to the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII and since that time was turned into a mansion and then fell to ruin. Talk is that a monk, named Blind Peter was buried along with Netley’s treasure at the time of the dissolution. Blind Peter can be seen wandering between the walls, perhaps protecting the treasure.
Find out more about Netley Abbey
Beaulieu, The New Forest
The most famous ghost at Beaulieu’s Palace House is Isabella, Countess of Beaulieu. Isabella is so substantial when she appears, Beaulieu staff often have visitors complaining that the lady in the blue dress was very rude and ignored them when they asked her a question!
Isabella was thought by her contemporaries as ‘quite mad’ often taking tea with her pet parrot or monkey. Isabella had a tragic love life. Her first husband, the Duke of Manchester died, leaving everything in his will to his brother, not poor Isabella. She was engaged to Richard Lumley, but, tragically, he took his own life only weeks before the wedding.
The Gothic chairs around the family dining table in Palace House were commissioned by her father John, Duke of Montagu and inherited by Isabella, who has been seen sitting at the table, perhaps keeping an eye on her property. Her most famous trick however, is to pass straight through the fireplace and disappear, which was still an open archway in her time.
Find out more about Beaulieu and Palace House
Hurst Castle, the New Forest
It is claimed that King Henry VIII, who founded Hurst Castle, is one of the castle’s famous spooky residents and is often seen heading for the lookouts.
Hurst Castle has a rich history and was used as a prison during the 17th century. One of its inmates was King Charles I, who was held in the castle ahead of his execution.
Find out more about Hurst Castle
The Brickworks Museum, Burseldon
Founded in 1897, Burseldon Brickworks was a site of much industry. With hard conditions, many men fell to their deaths within a short time of working there. Added to this, child labour was used for the more nimble jobs.
Today, the Brickworks are open as a museum and you can book ghost huts of the site with various events organisers.
Find out more about Burseldon Brickworks
Find out what’s on over Halloween in Hampshire
Related
A visit to The Brickworks Museum invokes the sights, smells and sounds of life in Victorian Britain. Explore 125 years of brick-making history and the lives of the people that drove it.
Extensive remains of a 13thC Cistercian abbey, converted into a Tudor mansion after the dissolution.
This is Southampton’s most important historic building, Tudor House reveals over 800 years of history in one fascinating location at the heart of the Old Town. Tudor House gives a unique and atmospheric insight into the lives and times of both its residents through the years, and of Southampton itself.
