There’s nothing we love more as building surveyors than being on site, but sometimes…. not everything is as it seems. Not only do we have to pack our surveying equipment, but we have to prepare for what, or who we might find still lurking around. Here’s a few of our favourite ghost stories from recent projects….
London
While working on a property in London, we had to be wary of one of our history’s most active ghosts.
Former PM Winston Churchill is said to haunt many places in London including Parliament, his War Rooms, his former school, Harrow, St Paul’s Cathedral and his homes.
A property close by to where our surveyors were working is the first home of Winston and Clemmie Churchill, and where their first children, Diana and Randolf were born. It’s while living here, his political career really took off…It’s no wonder he is said to return.
Norfolk
While providing Contract Administration work at a property in Norfolk, we had to beware of multiple spirits, one of them being one of the most divisive figures in our history- Anne Boleyn.
This property sits on the site of a former medieval manor, which is believed to have been the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. Famously beheaded by her husband Henry VIII, her ghost is said to return to her home every year on the anniversary of her execution.
When night falls on May 19th, Anne Boleyn rides up to the house in a coach driven by a headless horseman, sitting with her own head in her lap. Once at the main doors, they disappear into thin air until the following year.
However, Anne Boleyn isn’t alone, as Sir Thomas, Anne Boleyn’s father also haunts the property, following a curse, for not preventing the execution of two of his children by the hand of Henry VIII.
Oxborough
We made sure to take our coats as we surveyed a property in Oxborough, after environmental systems show unexplained drops in temperature in the North bedroom and staircase.
These drops in temperate are reportedly caused by the ghost of a forsaken lover- a countess of Italy.
The countess still roams the North bedroom and staircase since she jumped out the window and drowned in the moat below. People have reported seeing a women in Tudor dress, and when asked around, they found out they were no actors on that day….
Edinburgh
We recently worked on a project in Edinburgh, but had to keep looking over our shoulder, as the property sits on one of Edinburgh’s most haunted streets.
The street is haunted by the ghost of Jane Vernelt. Jane is often seen wondering the street, in 19th century dress, repeatedly saying her name. Jane suffered from a variety of mental illnesses, which progressed after she was persuaded to sell her livelihood, her shop she owned on the street under false pretence. She was institutionalised where she died soon after. She now walks the street looking for her former shop.
Norfolk
We worked on an interesting property recently but were advised to stay away from the library.
British Wig statesman, and later Secretary of War, William Windham III inherited the hall in 1749. One night in 1809, William was returning to Pall Mall, London, when a fire broke out in a friends Library. Being a bookworm, William couldn’t bear to see the books burn, and went back into the building to save the books – He died a few weeks later from his injuries.
It is said you can see William in the library, forever surrounded by books, as he has an eternity to catch up on the reading, he didn’t have time to do when alive.
Dinefwr
We had to brace ourselves for a trip to a property in Dinefwr, after multiple reports of hauntings.
These hauntings are backed up by stories from a TV Crew who stayed at the house in the 1980’s. The crew reported feeling the ghosts touch them, hearing muffled voices and lights turning on and off.
Who’s responsible for these strange occurrences? One possible explanation is that it’s the ghost of Lady Elinor Cavendish, who is unable to rest after being brutally murdered at the hands of her husband.
Lady Elinor was forced to marry a man she didn’t love in the 1720s. The marriage was a disaster, and eventually she fled to stay at her family home. Her husband was furious and followed her home. He then burst into the house and strangled her to death.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Team Trident doesn’t only love the history of the building, but the history of the people who lived there…Happy Halloween! To see more of our projects, click here.
