Creepy Stories and Ghostly Encounters
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You can also donate by Text: 6 Text TUDOR to 70085 to donate £5 Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message hrp.org.uk Historic Royal Palaces is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (No. 1068852). Creepy stories Base Court hamptoncourtpalace @hrp_palaces and ghostly historicroyalpalaces 1 #hamptoncourtpalace encounters Hampton Court Palace has reputedly been the site of many strange and spine-tingling encounters, from eerie noises to unexplained sightings. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, discover just some of the events that have given Hampton Court such a spooky reputation. Are you brave enough to find out more? Main entrance Case 1: Case 2: Case 3: Case 4: Case 5: Case 6: Case 7: Are there really The lady in grey Jane Seymour The robed figure The phantom dog The ghostly cat Catherine Howard and The ‘Cavaliers’ ghosts here at The Haunted Gallery Hampton Court Location Location Location Location Location Location Palace? Corner of Base Court (turn right as Archway in Clock Court Colonnade, Clock Court The King’s Staircase, Clock Court, ground Location Fountain Court (south-east corner) Some people believe so, you enter the palace via the main opposite the Astronomical William III’s Apartments floor rooms opposite the Processional Gallery, others believe that there may be gate) Clock As seen by Astronomical Clock Henry VIII’s Apartments As seen by CCTV As seen by Grace and Favour resident, scientific explanations for the As seen by As seen by Palace staff during the 1990s As seen by As seen by Lady Hildyard sightings and sounds. Grace and Favour residents, Several people over the years, Event Palace staff and visitors Grace and Favour residents, Another explanation may be The Ponsonby family, Princess particularly in Victorian and In October 2003, a new exhibition Event Mrs Cavendish Boyle and Lady Event found from the Grace and Frederica of Hanover and her guards Edwardian times opened in the rooms behind the A ghostly dog has been seen Event Eastlake, staff and visitors Lady Hildyard complained that her Favour residents. From the and servants Colonnade. Shortly after opening, and heard here several times in During the 1980s and 1990s, rooms were frequently visited by Georgian period, people who Event security staff went to investigate the past. Queen Victoria banned several visitors appeared to Event two invisible beings and she was had served the monarchy or Event A ghostly lady in a long white when the fire door alarm was dogs from the palace, although step over something in this Residents and visitors have reported often disturbed by the sound of country in some way, were given In the 1830s the first floor rooms gown has been seen carrying triggered. exceptions were made for area. When questioned by seeing a woman dressed in white with knocking. When workmen were homes in parts of the Palace as were home to the Ponsonby family. a lighted taper down the stairs They found the fire doors open lap-dogs belonging to grace and staff, the visitors claimed to long flowing hair, drifting down this brought in to lay new drains, they thanks. Sometimes they didn’t They complained that they were here and out into Clock Court. but nobody there. The security favour residents. The definition be stepping over a white cat, gallery. One eyewitness said: discovered the skeletons of two like the apartments they were disturbed by the sounds of a spinning staff checked the CCTV footage, of a ‘lap-dog’ was open to but there were no cats to be ‘Just as she reaches the Royal Pew she men buried under the pavement of given and wanted to swap. Possible explanation wheel and a woman’s voice. It is and saw the doors flying open, interpretation and many were seen! lets out an unearthly shriek and hurries the cloister where you are standing. A good reason for swapping Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third reported investigations found a sealed but no one was seen. The next day, in fact rather large! back towards the top of the stairs with to get a better apartment wife, lived in the apartments Possible explanation Possible explanation chamber behind a wall containing... the alarm went off again, but this a ghastly look of despair.’ was to claim hauntings or above the archway. She died Possible explanation Chased away by the Lady Hildyard and many others an old spinning wheel. time they found the doors closed. ghostly sightings! here after giving birth to their Could this have been the ghost phantom dog! At other times a ghostly hand wearing believed that the two men were Around the same time, a guard The CCTV showed the door son Edward. of a much-loved pet? Don’t tell an elaborate ring has appeared from Cavaliers, executed during the saw a woman in a grey hooded opening, then being slammed shut Queen Victoria! behind the curtains. Visitors report Civil War and buried secretly here robe leave these apartments, then Could this figure in white by a mysterious and grainy robed suddenly feeling very cold and some by the Roundheads. In fact, the vanish! Princess Frederica of Hanover be Jane? She was buried at figure just before the security staff have even fainted in the gallery! skeletons were two workmen killed described ‘a tall, gaunt figure, Windsor Castle, but her heart had got there! when William III’s new apartments dressed in a long grey robe, with and other organs were buried Possible explanation collapsed in 1689. a hood on her head and her lanky somewhere underneath the Possible explanation Some believe this figure is the ghost hands outstretched before her.’ high altar in the Chapel Royal There is currently no explanation of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth here at Hampton Court Palace… for the mysterious robed figure, wife. Legend has it that on the night Possible explanation but these rooms had not been after she was arrested for treason, The rooms above us are said to have used for many years prior to she ran down the gallery – while Henry been the home of Sybil Penn, Edward this exhibition opening. Did we was in the Chapel Royal – begging the VI’s nurse. She died of smallpox in disturb someone? King to spare her life. However, she 1568 and was buried in St Mary’s was executed at the Tower of London Church, Hampton. In 1829 her grave on 13 February 1542 was robbed. Not long after, the Ponsonby family moved in….