Description:
– Stone Manor house, church and mill in Gloucestershire
Era:
– Built in the 16th century as a private residence but the Deeds go back to 1210 and there was some sort of house on this land prior to the 1500s.
Bloody history:
– Owlpen Manor was the home to refugee children who had been removed from major UK cities during WWII.
– Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI stayed at Owlpen in 1471 and spent her last happy night before her defeat, exile and eventual widowhood.
– There are some reports of a ‘hooded figure’ or ‘Black Monk’ who is said to haunt Owlpen. Some say he is Bartholomew de Olpenne whose family owned the manor in the 1100s, and who was walled up and starved to death in the manor. His bones were found but apparently crumbled to dust when the space came to light.
Ghost ratings:
– A grey lady clad in a fur-trimmed gown, steeple hat and wimple, Queen Margaret is reported to haunt the house where she spent her last night.
– When some children visited and were greeted by an American woman the day after their arrival, they asked why she wasn’t wearing the “lovely clothes” she had worn the night before. They described clothing from several centuries ago. Could they have been met by the ghost of a woman on their first night at Owlpen!
– One ghost is reportedly a mischievous child who is said to run up and down the back stairs, disturbing the sleep of the guests, and moving objects in the house.
– The ghost of a wizard and Alchemist who was lord of the manor in Georgian times apparently stalks the attic floor of the 1616 wing.
Spooky experiences:
– The face of the small child has been seen on a photograph taken when the house was empty.
– Visitors report strange and unexplained sights, sounds and even scents.
First broadcast: 23rd March 2004
A self confessed super fan of Most Haunted and editor of GhostMag.com. Matt’s passion for ghost hunting began when he moved into a haunted house in his second year of university in Leicester! His favourite location is the Niddry Street Vaults in Edinburgh.