Ettington Park Hotel
Alderminster, Warwickshire
Ettington Park has accumulated one of the most extensive collections of ghost sightings of any British hotel. The management maintains an official log of paranormal encounters reported by guests, a practice that has documented dozens of separate incidents over the decades.
The most frequently reported apparition is Lady Emma, a woman in white who staff believe was a former governess at the house. Witnesses describe her gliding along corridors before disappearing directly into solid walls. The rustle of her dress often precedes visual sightings, and she has been observed in the library and along the veranda. A separate figure, the Grey Lady, manifests near the main staircase. Reports describe her floating and stopping at the foot of the stairs, precisely where she fell to her death in an accident.
The grounds carry their own tragedies. Two children from the Shirley family drowned in the River Stour during the 1800s. Staff and guests have reported seeing child figures standing by the river, and the sound of crying has been heard in the area. Near the ruined chapel, a monk or priest in grey robes walks among the stones. This figure connects to the site's religious history, as the ruins of Holy Trinity Church stand within the estate.
The library hosts multiple entities. An elderly man in Victorian clothing has been spotted sitting in a chair before vanishing. A separate sighting describes a man accompanied by his dog, both of whom disappeared suddenly when observed. Near the conservatory entrance, an old woman in Victorian dress has been both seen and heard.
Physical phenomena accompany these visual encounters. Objects move without explanation, including one report of a candle floating in mid-air. Guests report sudden drops in temperature, the sensation of being touched by unseen hands, and footsteps in empty corridors. Disembodied voices have been recorded in multiple areas of the building.
Lady Emma (Woman in White), Grey Lady, The Two Shirley Boys, Monk/Priest, Army Officer, Elderly Man in Victorian Clothing, Man with His Dog, Mary (young woman), Old Woman in Victorian Clothing
Staff members have encountered Lady Emma with enough regularity that they speak of her with familiarity. One housekeeper reported entering the Long Gallery early one morning to find a woman in a white dress standing at the far end. Assuming she was an early-rising guest, the housekeeper called out a greeting. The figure turned, revealing a pale face with no discernible features, then walked directly into the wall. The housekeeper found no door, no opening, and no guest matching the description staying at the hotel.
A guest checking out in 2003 asked the receptionist about the woman in grey who had stood at the bottom of the stairs during the night. The guest had woken around 3am and stepped onto the landing, only to see a figure floating approximately six inches above the floor at the base of the staircase. The figure remained motionless for several seconds before fading from view. The receptionist noted the account in the hotel's ghost log, where it joined numerous similar descriptions of the same location.
A couple walking the grounds at dusk in 2015 heard children crying near the River Stour. They followed the sound, expecting to find lost youngsters, but instead saw two small figures standing at the water's edge. When they called out, the figures turned to face them, then simply were not there. The couple reported the incident to reception, visibly shaken. They learned about the historical drownings only after describing what they had seen.
In March 2000, a male guest reported an encounter that differed from the typical apparitions. He described waking in his room to find a concentrated mass of energy in the corner. He used the word 'baleful' to describe the sensation, noting that the presence felt actively hostile rather than residual. The energy remained for several minutes before dissipating. He did not sleep again that night and requested a different room the following evening.
A photograph taken in October 2014 captured an anomaly that neither the photographer nor hotel staff could explain. Above a guest's head appeared an amorphous shape with no apparent source. The image was taken in good lighting conditions with no reflective surfaces nearby. The hotel added the photograph to their collection of documented incidents.
Multiple witnesses have reported the elderly Victorian gentleman in the library. He appears seated, reading or simply staring ahead, dressed in clothing consistent with the 1860s-1880s period. When approached or addressed, he vanishes instantly. The man with his dog presents a different phenomenon. Both figures appear to be walking through the library with purpose before disappearing mid-stride, as though passing through a doorway that no longer exists.
A spectral woman in white glides through the corridors of this Gothic revival mansion, passing through walls and leaving the rustle of her dress in her wake. Staff identify her as Lady Emma, a former governess whose presence has been documented in the hotel's official ghost sighting log.
A spectral woman in grey hovers at the foot of Ettington Park's main staircase, forever returning to the spot where she met her violent end. Guests report her floating figure stopping abruptly, as if reliving the final moments before impact.
Two distinct female apparitions haunt Ettington Park Hotel. A grey lady patrols the staircase where she met her death, while a woman in white glides across the terrace. Child spirits crying by the River Stour complete this trinity of grief.
Mid-17th century origins with major remodelling 1858-1862 (Victorian era)
Private family residence for the Shirley family
Ettington Park stands on land that the Shirley family has occupied for over a thousand years, making it one of the longest continuously held family estates in England. The current structure incorporates elements from multiple periods: mid-17th century origins, mid-18th century additions, interior alterations completed in 1824, and a substantial Victorian Gothic remodelling between 1858 and 1862. This final transformation gave the building its distinctive character, with elaborate stonework, pointed arches, and ornate decorative features typical of the Gothic revival movement.
The house received Grade I listed status on 5 April 1967, placing it among the most architecturally significant buildings in the country. Approximately 70 metres east of the hotel lie the ruins of Holy Trinity Church, also Grade I listed, which adds to the estate's historical weight.
The 20th century brought dramatic changes. In 1935, the property was converted into a nursing home, marking the end of its role as a private residence. During World War II, it served as a prisoner of war camp, housing captured soldiers on its grounds. A devastating fire in 1979 caused significant damage, but restoration work followed, and in 1983 the building reopened as a luxury hotel under lease to the Isis Hotel Company. Hand Picked Hotels now manages the property. The hotel gained additional fame when it was used as a filming location for the 1963 horror film 'The Haunting', directed by Robert Wise. This cinematic connection cemented its reputation in popular culture as a place of supernatural atmosphere.
Victorian Gothic revival with earlier Georgian and Stuart period elements. The 1858-1862 remodelling introduced elaborate pointed arches, decorative stonework, carved details, and dramatic rooflines characteristic of the Gothic revival movement. The Long Gallery, grand staircase, and library retain period features including ornate plasterwork and wood panelling.
Visual apparitions (woman in white, grey lady, monk, children, Victorian gentleman, man with dog), footsteps in empty corridors, disembodied voices, objects moving independently, floating candle, sudden temperature drops, tactile sensations including being touched, rustling of clothing sounds, crying children heard near the river, doors opening and closing, unexplained cold spots
Main staircase and landing (Grey Lady sightings, fatal fall location), Long Gallery corridor (Lady Emma apparitions), Library (Victorian gentleman, man with dog), Conservatory entrance (old woman in Victorian clothing), Veranda (multiple apparition sightings), River Stour banks (child spirits, crying sounds), Chapel ruins and surrounding grounds (monk/priest in grey robes), Various guest rooms (energy manifestations, tactile phenomena)
The hotel maintains an official ghost log documenting guest and staff experiences. The March 2000 account from a male guest describes a 'baleful' energy concentration in his room. The October 2014 photograph showing an unexplained shape above a guest's head remains in the hotel's records. A 2003 guest provided detailed testimony about the Grey Lady at the staircase base. Staff members have contributed numerous accounts of Lady Emma in the Long Gallery, with housekeeping staff particularly noting encounters during early morning hours. Groundskeepers have reported the monk near the chapel ruins on multiple occasions across different years. The couple who witnessed the Shirley boys in 2015 provided written statements before learning the historical context of the drownings.
Ettington Park Hotel featured in the 1963 film 'The Haunting', directed by Robert Wise, which brought international attention to the property's supernatural reputation. Haunted Rooms has documented the hotel extensively as one of the UK's most haunted locations. The hotel's practice of maintaining an official ghost sighting log represents an informal but consistent documentation of paranormal activity spanning several decades. The property's Grade I listed status has brought architectural historians and heritage researchers to the site, some of whom have noted the correlation between historical events and reported phenomena.
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📅 Sample dates:2026-03-22 to 2026-03-24 • 2 adults
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Address:
Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster
Status: Operating
The hotel offers weekend breaks and special occasion packages. Given its reputation, Halloween period sees increased bookings from guests specifically interested in paranormal experiences. Wedding and celebration packages utilise the Gothic architecture and grounds.
Ground floor rooms available, wheelchair access to main public areas, on-site parking, 40 acres of grounds with varying terrain
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Ettington Park Hotel ranks among Britain's most actively haunted properties, with at least seven distinct apparitions documented across its Grade I listed grounds. This guide covers the hotel's spectral residents and nearby haunted sites in the Stratford-upon-Avon area.
Read GuideEttington Park Hotel occupies a Grade I listed Victorian Gothic mansion built for one of England's oldest families. The Shirleys held this Warwickshire estate for over a thousand years, and the house witnessed drownings, fires, wartime requisition, and decades of abandonment before its restoration as a luxury hotel.
Read HistoryBook your stay and experience Lady Emma and the other spirits firsthand. Many guests report paranormal encounters during their visits.