Edinburgh
Edinburgh is known for many things. As a UNESCO city of literature and home to the most famous festival in the world, books and the arts spring to mind for many. But the city also has a very murky past. Witch burnings, mass murders, corpse digging, and hangings are among the terrible events that litter the city’s history.
There have been several books written on the many spooky spots in the city but two of the most frightful are moments away from our very own Grassmarket and City of Edinburgh Hotels. The Grassmarket was where executions would take place in front of roaring crowds.
Looming over our two Grassmarket hotels is the stunning Edinburgh Castle. As beautiful as it is, it has some secrets. Between the 12th and 20th century, the screams of prisoners echoed the stone walls as convicts were held. Guests of the castle have reported apparitions of pipers, soldiers and even dogs during their visits.
London
London can be a dark place. In the centuries it’s existed, the city streets have witnessed some horrific and extraordinary events such as The Great Fire, the Plague and the misdeeds of Jack the Ripper.
Our Temple Court Hotel is right on Fleet Street where a demon barber was thought to live. At 186 Fleet Street, right next door to St Dunstan’s Church, is where Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street is thought to have run his dreaded barbershop. The story is that he deposited his clients into an underground room where he slit their throats and passed on the bodies to his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett to cook into her infamous pies. Although this story might not be strictly true, it’s fun to explore and scare yourself thinking of the horrors that might have occurred.
Apex City of London Hotel however is moments away from one of the most haunted places in London, if not the UK. The Tower of London is a short walk from the central hotel and has countless reports of spooks. Founded in 1066, many of the ghosts are those who met an untimely end at the tower. Anne Boleyn, Henry VI and Guy Fawkes are among the names who died at the tower and many people have reported voices and aspirations over the years.
Dundee
While not as grizzly as Edinburgh or London, Dundee has many dark secrets of its own.
Five minutes from Apex City Quay Hotel and Spa lies the haunted Coffin Mill. In 1828, Logie Works opened in Dundee and become one of the largest mills in Scotland. It was known as the Coffin Mill due to it’s coffin-like shape and has long has a reputation of being haunted. Some have reported a girl walking across the bridge that connects the two parts of the factory. The story goes that the girl was thrown from the bridge by her manager after he found out she was pregnant. She is thought to have fallen into one of the machines where she met her untimely end. The ghost of the girl has been known as ‘The White Lady’. The mill is no longer but some visitors have reported an uneasy feeling at the flats that have replaced them.
There is another ‘white lady’ who haunts Dundee. This one has been spotted around the bridge at Balgay Park which connects to the hill to the old cemetery. The bridge has been a spot for many accidents and suicides over the years and the story goes that two boys cycling across the bridge saw a woman hanging off the bridge. They tried to help but she fell and later died in hospital. A day after her death, the boys returned to the bridge and saw a ghostly figure in white at the other side. Don’t go at night!
Bath
Bath seems far too pretty to be haunted but it too has some spooky haunts to be explored. The beautiful Theatre Royal in the city is said to be home to the Grey Lady ghost. It’s based on a woman who fell in love with an actor in the 18th century and hanged herself when her love was unrequited. She’s said to roam the theatre as well as the Garrick’s Head pub next door.
A short walk away from Apex City of Bath Hotel is the Royal Crescent where a phantom hourse-drawn carriage has been spotted. The carriage is thought to carry the ghostly spirits of Elizabeth Linley and playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan as the eloped.
Abbey Church House is another to explore. The building is thought to be the oldest surviving Elizabethan house in Bath and was build around 1560. It’s used for offices and storage today although under the building lie the remains of a 12th century leper hospital. People who have worked in the offices have reported cold spots along with flickering lights that no electrician can explain.
The most frightening experience was from a workman who was offered a room in Abbey Church House while working on the opposite Bath College. He was woken in the middle of the night to see a woman’s face staring at him from above.
Glasgow
Glasgow is said to be a hotspot for paranormal activity if you know where to look and if you’re staying at Apex City of Glasgow, you won’t have to look far. A short walk from the hotel is the Tron Theatre which gives us the shivers just looking at it. The historic building has a steeple with Gothic carvings and was thought to have been built in 1529. Over the years it’s seen some dark stuff. Stranger Things fans will be interested to know that in 1793, Glasgow’s own Hellfire Club set the building on fire to see what members could (literally) stand the heat! The fire destroyed everything except the steeple which was incorporated into the replacement.
Today, pantomime and theatre productions take place but various mediums and paranormal experts have been called in to investigate the supernatural in the auditorium. Many visitors have reported apparitions in The Victorian Bar and the back two rows of the playhouse. These have been described as ‘threatening’ presences that send a chill down your spine! We suggest you watch where you sit next time.
So next time you're staying will you be brave enough to investigate one of these haunts?