Ellenborough Park Hotel

Southam Road, Cheltenham, GL52 3NJ

5-star luxury country house hotel with spa and fine dining restaurant

The primary haunting at Ellenborough Park centres on a tragic figure from the building's time as a girls' school. A matron who worked at the institution earned a reputation for her harsh, tyrannical treatment of the pupils in her care. Her methods eventually led to her dismissal from the position. Unable to cope with her termination and the disgrace it brought, she hanged herself in her bedroom within the building. The room where she took her life is now the hotel bar, a transformation that has done nothing to diminish her presence. Witnesses have reported seeing her apparition in multiple locations throughout the property. The accounts describe a distinct female figure, recognisable and consistent across different sightings. One of the most disturbing manifestations occurs in the guest bedrooms. Visitors have reported waking to find the figure of a woman hovering over their beds, watching them as they sleep. These encounters create understandable distress for guests unfamiliar with the building's history. The sensation of being observed, combined with the visual confirmation of an unexplained presence, has left lasting impressions on those who experience it. Beyond visual manifestations, guests and staff have documented pronounced cold spots throughout the building. These temperature anomalies occur without any apparent cause and often coincide with other phenomena. The cold spots move through rooms rather than remaining stationary, as if something unseen passes through the space. These accounts were most thoroughly documented during the property's time as the De La Bere Hotel. The hotel management at that time kept records of guest complaints and unusual incidents. Staff members who worked during this period corroborated many of the guest reports, adding their own experiences to the growing body of evidence. Whether the phenomena continue under the current Ellenborough Park ownership remains uncertain, as the hotel now emphasises its luxury hospitality credentials rather than its paranormal reputation.

Spirits: The Matron (unnamed female ghost from the school era)