Places where things go bump in the night, and sometimes during the day.
Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H, Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
I stayed at the castle in 2000, in the first room down from this turret. I was awakened during the night to a loud banging, which went on for a minute or so. Groggily I woke up my ex, who was sleeping and we listened to the noise together as it crossed above us and then the furnace kicked on ... fooled by the ancient furnace.
One strange event that I can't explain though took place in the turret room itself. I was filming the steps leading to the room, and when I went inside the camera shut off, with a dead battery alert. Once back outside the room, the camera worked again. This took place twice more before I gave up on the idea.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H, Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
I stayed at the castle in 2000, in the first room down from this turret. I was awakened during the night to a loud banging, which went on for a minute or so. Groggily I woke up my ex, who was sleeping and we listened to the noise together as it crossed above us and then the furnace kicked on ... fooled by the ancient furnace.
One strange event that I can't explain though took place in the turret room itself. I was filming the steps leading to the room, and when I went inside the camera shut off, with a dead battery alert. Once back outside the room, the camera worked again. This took place twice more before I gave up on the idea.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H
Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H, Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
I stayed at the castle in 2000, in the first room down from this turret. I was awakened during the night to a loud banging, which went on for a minute or so. Groggily I woke up my ex, who was sleeping and we listened to the noise together as it crossed above us and then the furnace kicked on ... fooled by the ancient furnace.
One strange event that I can't explain though took place in the turret room itself. I was filming the steps leading to the room, and when I went inside the camera shut off, with a dead battery alert. Once back outside the room, the camera worked again. This took place twice more before I gave up on the idea.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H, Ballygally Castle Hotel, at the head of Ballygally Bay, on the Antrim coast, Northern Ireland
It is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a Madame Nixon who lived there in the 18th century. After she died it was said that she haunted the castle, wandering the passages at night dressed in a silk dress and amusing herself by knocking on the doors of different rooms. Her fleeting appearances have recently been confined to a room in a corner turret.
I stayed at the castle in 2000, in the first room down from this turret. I was awakened during the night to a loud banging, which went on for a minute or so. Groggily I woke up my ex, who was sleeping and we listened to the noise together as it crossed above us and then the furnace kicked on ... fooled by the ancient furnace.
One strange event that I can't explain though took place in the turret room itself. I was filming the steps leading to the room, and when I went inside the camera shut off, with a dead battery alert. Once back outside the room, the camera worked again. This took place twice more before I gave up on the idea.
Another of the stories attached to Ballygally is: Two elderly guests booked in for several days over the Christmas season. On arrival they were intrigued to discover the staff were preparing for a fancy dress ball. That night there was a knock at the bedroom door and there stood one of the waiters clad in medieval costume. He had arrived to invite them to the ball. They went. And had a lovely evening surrounded by staff and other guests all bedecked in wonderful attire. The next morning at breakfast they enthused to the Manageress about what a wonderful evening it had been. Which came as a bit of a shock to the lady, for the ball had not taken place yet and was not due to take place for another two days. Needless to say the elderly guests booked out.
James Shaw, of Scotland, came to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for 24 pounds a year. He built the castle in 1625, in the style of a French chateau with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
The castle came under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950's the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings H
