Wednesday, July 23

The Ghost Sightings In London's Top Hotel

The Langham Hotel
Photo source: The Langham Hotel
The Langham Hotel is one of London's finest five star hotels but is also reputed to be one of England's most haunted places to stay. This can be confirmed by some of the England Cricket players, like Stuart Broad for example.

The fast bowler described his experience, while staying at the hotel.

"It was so hot in the room I just couldn't sleep. All of a sudden the taps in the bathroom came on for no reason. I turned the light on and the taps turned themselves off. Then when I turned the lights off again the taps came on. It was very weird.

It really freaked me out. I ended up asking to move rooms. Bealey [his girlfriend] was pretty spooked too.

Ben stokes has had some problems sleeping as well. He's in room 340 and it seems the third floor is where a lot of the issues are. I'm telling you something weird is going on.

He went on to say:

"I've slept okay during the current Test but the Sri Lanka Test was not great. One night I woke up in the middle of the night, around 1.30am and I was convinced there was a presence in the room. It was the weirdest feeling.

I turned the light on and looked online and could see Matt Prior was online too. I went to his room and he had exactly the same thing! Neither of us could sleep because we were spooked out."

That's the cricketers experience but The Langham Hotel has a long history going back to 1865. The cream of Victorian society would frequent the hotel, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde. The Langham Hotel website actually indicates that they have seven ghosts.

The most famous of the ghosts haunts Room 333.

A BBC Radio announcer, Alexander Gordon, awoke suddenly in the night to see a fluorescent ball which slowly took on the shape of a man wearing Victorian evening wear. The announcer asked the ghost what it wanted and it began to float towards him, with its legs cut off some two feet below the ground, arms outstretched, eyes staring emptily. At this point the announcer got up and fled.

Other BBC staff reported seeing the apparition in the same room, though it usually only appears during the month of October. The explanation for why the ghost looked to have his legs cut off, some two feet below the ground, is that the floors have been raised since Victorian times when central heating pipes were installed.

A further guest told how a friend of hers had seen the ghost in Room 333. He had thrown his boot at it and the boot sailed right through the ghost. An American journalist also saw an apparition in this room.

Another ghost is described as a grey haired Victorian gentleman, dressed in a cloak and cravat with blank staring eyes. It is said that he is the spirit of a Doctor rumoured to have killed himself after murdering his bride while they honeymooned in the hotel.

Also seen is a footman dressed in blue livery and with powdered hair from the 18th Century. This is most likely a ghost from the days when the Foley Mansion stood on this site. Then there is the large Germanic looking man, in military style dress, who stands at a window on the fourth floor. The legend is that he is the ghost of a German Prince who threw himself out of the window just before the outbreak of the First World War.

BBC staff also told of how they experienced the antics of a mischievous spirit who had a habit of tipping sleeping night shift staff out of their beds. It is also rumoured that former guest, the exiled French emperor Napoleon III, returns from his last resting place to haunt The Langham’s basement.

If you want a good night's ghost hunting try The Langham Hotel - that is, if you can afford five star London prices!

Other Ghost Stories:
A Sighting Of The Bank Of England Black Nun Ghost
The Ghosts Who Haunt Bodmin Jail, Cornwall: 13 Exclusive Photos
The Grey Ghost Who Walks Into A Doorway That Is No Longer There

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4 comments:

  1. Suzie08:56

    I have always said I would like to stay in a haunted house or hotel but The Langham is way out of my reach, do you know any haunted B&B's! And I mustn't forget to say Happy Birthday, have a special day.

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    1. Thanks, did have a 'special' day yesterday. As for ghostly B&Bs, haven't come across any yet but have stayed in some creepy places.

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  2. Happy birthday, Mike!
    Love the stories about this hotel. It has its counterparts in the U.S. - the Stanley Hotel in Colorado and the Biltmore in North Carolina. It sounds like these ghosts are very active!

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    1. Thanks Trish. It looks like hotels collect ghosts, there must be so many happenings over the years, all sorts of things taking place in their rooms (some I'd rather not think about!)

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