Stay at Baskerville Hall Hotel – the very haunted hotel that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – RICK HALE reports
Baskerville Hall Hotel
Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye,
Powys HR3 5LE
In 1901, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, penned his classic tale of supernatural horror, The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
In the story the world’s greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, must save the last of the Baskerville line from a vicious hellhound.
What many don’t know is that Baskerville Hall in based on a real house in Wales.
Today, the real Baskerville Hall is a hotel. And although there may not be any murderous hellhounds stalking the house, it is home to a few very active ghosts.
History Of Baskerville Hall Hotel
The legendary house, Baskerville Hall, was built in 1839, by Thomas Mynors Baskerville for his beloved wife, Elizabeth.
The Baskervilles were related to the Dukes of Normandy and assisted William the Conqueror to become king in 1066 CE.
The author, Arthur Conan Doyle was a family friend of the Baskervilles and visited frequently.
While there, he undoubtedly heard the legends of spectral hounds attacking people and dragging their souls to hell.
With such source material, it’s little wonder the story became an instant classic.
Following World War II, the house was used as a school and a health farm
In 1984, David Hodby bought the building and turned into a hotel.
Baskerville Hall has long been believed to be haunted, but the renovations carried out by Hodby may have given fuel to the supernatural activity in the iconic building.
The Hauntings Of Baskerville Hall Hotel
Legends of giant black dogs is a staple in the supernatural folklore of Great Britain.
However, despite its famous association, there are no spectral hounds found at this Welsh hotel.
But rather two apparitions that are encountered regularly. And a slew of other unexplained phenomena.
The White Lady
Visitors and guests of Baskerville Hall Hotel, have reported the apparition of a white lady.
Although she has been seen in other parts of the house, the rose garden is where she prefers to spend her time.
It’s believed the apparition is the lady of the house, Elizabeth Baskerville, as she spent a great deal of time in the garden to find peace and quiet.
The Unknown Man
The figure of an unknown male apparition has been witnessed by both staff and guests.
This apparition is typically seen walking up and down the stairs. And will oftentimes stare at people with cold lifeless eyes.
He’s also been seen in guests rooms and vanishes when his presence is challenged.
Bangs and Footsteps
Many guests of the hotel have reported unexplained knocks and hangs on the walls of their rooms.
When they report the phenomena to the front desk, they’re shocked to discover that no one is in the neighbouring rooms.
Lastly, guests have reported the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps following them around the hotel.
They only seem to stop when they either enter their room or leave through the front door.
What The Hotel Offers
Baskerville Hall Hotel sits on 130 acres of beautiful Welsh countryside. And has 30 tastefully decorated en-suite rooms.
The hotel has a restaurant and a bar where you can unwind with a few drinks. The hotel also has a heated swimming pool and a relaxing sauna.
Baskerville Hall Hotel is located near the River Wye where you can enjoy fishing, canoeing and river rafting.
And the Brecon Beacons are nearby, where you can indulge in any number of outdoor activities.
The Baskerville Hall Hotel is a quiet hotel to stay in if you wish to experience a building that inspired a literary masterpiece. And the ghosts believed to haunt it as well.
My Spooky Trip to Baskerville Hall
ROBIN WHEELER describes his visit to Baskerville Hall, revealing ghostly encounters and eerie stories, including a psychic vicar’s unsettling experience and mysterious apparitions captured in photographs
Baskerville Hall, near Hay-on-Wye, was built in 1839 by Thomas Mynors Baskerville for his second wife, Elizabeth. If you are immediately thinking of the Hound of the Baskervilles, you are right to do so. Arthur Conan Doyle, a family friend, stayed at the Hall often. It is said that local legends inspired him to write the story, but to keep inquisitive tourists away from the Hall, he set it in Devon.
The Hall has had a varied history. Since World War II, it has served as a school, a hotel, a health farm, and, since 1984, a hotel again, after the current owner restored it. It came to my attention through a rather dated online article listing haunted hotels to stay in. Hoping for an exciting experience, my wife and I booked a weekend there.
It did not disappoint in its outward appearance nor in its dramatic Victorian interiors and rooms. However, it was disappointing to learn from the owner that he had tired of parties of ghost-hunters coming to the hotel. He was now keen to play down any supernatural presence that might have been there.
Reluctant to leave without some information, I pressed the owner on what had been seen at the Hall after we had paid our bill. He told me that recently, a vicar had stayed at the hotel with his wife while attending a nearby clergy conference. After his first night, the vicar came down to the front desk, and the owner asked him if he had slept well. ‘I’m afraid not,’ he replied. ‘In fact, you’re going to have to move us to another room.’ ‘Why’s that?’ asked the owner. ‘Because I had a lady standing by my bed all night, staring at me,’ answered the exhausted vicar.
The vicar explained that he was quite psychic and often saw spirits invisible to others. He also recounted a visit to a ship moored in Liverpool, where he and his wife were startled by the sound of crashing, screaming, and crying children. They looked everywhere but found nothing to account for it. The ship’s staff later told them that what they had heard was the sound of a terrible accident a couple of years before. A school party visiting the ship had been dropped into the water when the metal gangplank suddenly collapsed. Worse, the ship moved swiftly sideways against the dockside, crushing the children. It was their last desperate screams that they had heard.
I asked if there was anything else. The owner told me that when they had been photographing the hall for the previous brochure (which I could not see), the developed photographs showed a man standing in the right-hand doorway behind the main staircase, watching them take the photographs. He could not say who this might have been. I like to think it might have been Conan Doyle, fascinated by the supernatural and spiritualism, paying a post-mortem visit to his old friends’ house to see what was going on.
Have you been to Baskerville Hall Hotel? Did you experience any paranormal activity? Tell us in the comments section below?
we stayed at baskerville hall this weekend and I heard someone walking around my room at 2am room 8 I thought itbwas my husband getting up to use the bathroom but to my shock he was sound asleep next to me! my son stayed in room 2 and his bathroom tap turned on by itself early hours too
Interesting stuff Claire – had you experienced anything like that at any other property?