Cotswold Ghosts

The Cotswolds is profoundly rural and steeped in history, with a deluge of very old beautiful buildings. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that there is an abundance of ghosts reported throughout the length and breadth of the area. See below for some of our favourites and whet your appetite for the spooky season ahead. 
 
Prestbury‍

Prestbury is said to be one of the UK’s most haunted villages. Just a stone’s throw from Cheltenham it’s said to have no less than thirteen ghosts. From the handyman at Walnut Cottage who likes to pop in and announce “Here’s old Moses you see, I likes to look in sometimes” to the ghostly little girl at Sundial House who likes to sit in the garden playing the Spinet (a kind of old piano). There are ghostly hooves often heard on Plough Mill Street and, the most frequently seen, Black Abbot often spotted in the church yard at Christmas and Easter walking the same well-trodden ghostly path.  
 
Cheltenham – The Woman in Black‍

During the 1880’s and for many years afterwards, St Anne’s House, on the corner of Pittville Circus and All Saints Road in Cheltenham, was the site of numerous sightings of The Woman in Black.  The disturbing apparition is said to be Imogen Hutchins, the second wife of Henry Swinhoe, whom both lived at St Anne’s. Imogen died in 1878  and it was said to be a deeply unhappy marriage.
 
A young woman named Rosina Donore moved to St Anne’s in 1882. Over the course of the next decade, Rosina saw The Woman in Black many times. The apparition was reportedly seen up until the 1970’s by many others too. The Woman in Black wore Victorian mourning clothes and her face was often absent or obscured by a handkerchief. The house still stands today and has been divided up into flats.
 
The Fleece Inn

The Fleece Inn at Bretforton dates from the 15th century. The picturesque country abode was originally built by a farmer called Byrd. In 1977, Lola Taplin – a direct descendent of Byrd – bequeathed the Inn to the National Trust upon her death at 77 years old. The building has been used as a public house since 1848 and Lola had run it alone since around 1947.
 
Since her death, Lola has reportedly never really left, haunting The Fleece and making her presence felt throughout. The apparition of an old lady has been seen sitting in a rocking chair, there’s been reports of a lady’s face appearing in an upstairs window and ghostly shadows disappearing around corners. Not to mention objects flying around and strange ritualistic circular markings by the hearth of a fire. The marks are said to protect inhabitants from evil spirits and witches.

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