LITZ BUTCHER unveils a haunting at Arthur Findlay College in Stansted, where a series of eerie incidents from the late 2000s hint at a lingering presence from the building’s chilling past
College is a great place to mix with like-minds and work with some amazing, world-renown tutors. My experience of Room 210 on the other hand was not so great…
At check-in, I was jokingly asked if I was moving in, as usual, I had taken too much stuff. Room 210 was allocated to me, and I trotted off to find the lift. I decided to take the bags to the room one at a time, leaving one on the second-floor lift lobby.
I unlocked the door, leaving the Yale key in the lock I plonked the first bag on the end of the bed, left the door ajar and returned to get the second bag. Moments later when I got back to Room 210, the door was shut, and the key was gone. Cursing myself I retraced my steps back to the lift but there was no sign of the key. I told myself I was a putz and must have left it on the bed.
I dashed back to reception and was told in no uncertain terms that I now owed them £5 for the lost key. How could I have lost the key? Back up on the second floor, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I approached Room 210, there in the lock was the key. I must have dropped it, and someone picked it up surely.
I needed a shower but felt exhausted, so I splashed my face with water and sat in the chair for a moment. On the basin, I noticed a long, black hair snaking around the tap and crawling down the plug hole. All rooms are usually clean so I decided it must be the housemaids, I swilled it down the sink and thought no more of it.
Running late I needed to be in the coffee lounge for the meet and greet, so I dashed off looking forward to meeting my fellow students. An hour or so later I decided to go back to the room, get showered and change for dinner. As I passed by the basin, I couldn’t believe my eyes, there was a hair in the same position. It couldn’t possibly be the same one, I was sure I’d swished it away and it definitely wasn’t mine as I’m blonde. I decided I was overtired, obviously, I hadn’t swished it away the first time and so again, I repeated my previous actions and made absolutely sure it was gone.
After dinner, and ready for bed, I returned to my room, walking in my eyes were immediately drawn to the basin and the long black hair that snaked around the taps and down towards the plug hole. I consider myself a sceptical believer, but this was definitely a little uncomfortable even for me.
Nothing else occurred until the early hours of the following morning when my bladder woke me. Room 210 isn’t ensuite, so I tip-toed down the corridor to the shared bathroom. Getting back into bed I noted from my alarm clock the time was 2.15am. I started to doze off to sleep but was woken suddenly by breathing coming from right behind my back, it became louder and louder and was accompanied by what felt like tiny feet pushing into the small of my back. The breathing was now overwhelming and frankly unnerving. I spun round in bed but of course, there was nothing to see.
Laying there waiting for the morning light seemed like an eternity, the room was cold, but I felt clammy. As day broke I glanced at the clock which had been frantically ticking all night, yet it still told me the time was 2.15am.
After some research, several friends told me they had also experienced Room 210 and flatly refused to stay there again. I later discovered before Stansted Hall, built in 1871, was bequeathed to the National Spiritualists Union it had been a family home and the second floor was originally the children’s nursery. I can only assume the spirits of naughty children still inhabit Room 210.
LITZ BUTCHER says: “I am a Seer rather than a Psychic or Clairvoyant; that sums up what I do: I see things that normally cannot be seen. Coming from a psychic, witchy family, it’s no surprise that, from my earliest memories, I’ve had an obsession with witches, ghosts, and everything paranormal. My home library is filled with books, articles, and magazines on everything from meditation to curses, how to make a hoodoo cleansing bath, and the best way to summon a Crossroads demon! In my downtime, I watch real-life crime shows and write fiction.” Follow Litz:
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