If you’ve read our review of Preston Manor you’ll know we’re a bit ambivalent on the subject of ghosts.
Some places have a real atmosphere and I admit to experiencing a frisson or two when we visited the deserted Hotel Berengaria in Cyprus (now awaiting renovation), but things that go bump in the night usually have a rational explanation.
But when it comes to the commercial world, the haunting hype can be good for business, and in Sussex there’s no shortage of tall tales.
You may take what follows with a pinch of salt (or throw it over your left shoulder into the devil’s face if you are superstitious) but these haunted hotels in Sussex are worth checking out if you have a fascination for ghostly goings-on.
Angel Inn, Petworth
The Angel is a lovely 18th century building in the middle of this West Sussex market town, and the haunting here is a little out of the ordinary.
An elderly lady once slipped and fell down the stairs of the hotel and sadly died. So far, so traditional.
But it’s not her spectre who reputedly walks but that of her friend who, having witnessed the fall, apparently died of shock.
A two-for-the-price-of-one ghost story!
George Hotel, Crawley
Formerly a coaching inn famous for its bare-knuckle fights and public hangings, it’s supposed to play host to a multitude of ghosts.
The most famous is the spirit of Mark Hurston, a former night watchman who drank poisoned wine.
Staff and visitors report strange goings-on like a broom cupboard door found open after being locked for the night and lights being turned off and on.
So is Mark still making his nightly rounds?
The Shelleys, Lewes
This hostelry is full of curiosities, including a secret garden and a strangely crooked door, but does it also have ghosts?
Staff and visitors have reported odd poltergeist activity. Many swear they have seen a lady in blue, rumoured to be a murder victim, walking the halls.
There’s also the ghost of a handsome Cavalier and a small dog who haunts what is now the car park.
Crown Inn, Lewes
Just a bit further down High Street, The Crown seems to have a couple of non-paying guests too.
A man dressed in brown 18th century clothing and a Victorian woman garbed all in grey have been seen in the hotel rooms and bar.
Dean’s Place, Alfriston
A lady in a blue silk dress supposedly walks this 14th century moated manor house. The sightings began not long after a skeleton was unearthed there.
And a man in a tall hat and white coat has been noticed lurking in the attics.
Norfolk Arms, Arundel
Here, a playful spirit messes staff about, turning electrical items on and off and pushing kitchen equipment off the work surfaces.
Some people have also reported a semi-naked man running around the building – but perhaps that was just a stag night!
Amberley Castle Hotel, near Arundel
Stay here, and it’s possible you might meet little Emily, a servant girl allegedly seduced by a Bishop.
When she fell pregnant, he abandoned her, and she threw herself from the battlements.
And finally …
Mermaid Inn, Rye
One of the best known old inns in Britain with a long and turbulent past.
There’s been an inn on the site since the 1300s, and the current building dates back to 1420.
New research suggests that Shakespeare’s band of actors The Chamberlain’s Men may even have performed at the inn in the summer of 1597.
Not surprisingly, The Mermaid has more than its fair share of apparitions, including:
- A lady in grey who sits in a chair by the fire and has a habit of making guests’ clothes wet, although no-one knows quite why.
- A man who walks through a bathroom wall into the bedroom.
- Two men fight a duel in the Elizabethan Room. When one is killed, he is dragged into the next room and thrown down a trapdoor.
- Members of the infamous Hawkhurst Gang, a band of smugglers and ruffians with their own rough and ready justice, are frequently seen. Bottles are reportedly smashed and the ghost of a maid, a gang member’s girlfriend killed by his fellow smugglers because she knew too much, is said to walk the rooms.
- In another room, the ghost of the wife of the Hawkhurst gang founder George Gray sits in a rocking chair. Guests have reported waking in the night to hear the creak, creak, creak as it rocks all by itself. The chair has since been removed for everyone’s peace of mind.
Feature image ©Matt Davis, Flickr, reworked by rosemaryandporkbelly. Reproduced under creative commons licence. (CC BY 2.0)
Where to next?
• Ghosts and Gravestones tour of Boston
• Eastern State Penitentiary – if walls could talk
• A pocketful of Rye