Haunted Places

Hycroft is one of Vancouver's most stately houses. Apparently it is also one of the most haunted. There are supposedly seven ghosts wandering the halls of the 30-room, 20,000-sq.-ft. Shaughnessy mansion. One is an older man in a First World War officer's uniform, believed to be Alexander Duncan McRae, the industrialist, warhero and politician who built the place in 1909-12.

Another may be his wife, Blaunche. Three ghosts, known as the Pranksters, are believed to be First World War veterans who passed away at Hycroft when it was a veterans hospital and convalescent home from 1943 to 1960. The ghost of the head nurse from the convalescent home is also believed to be hanging around. The earthly identity of a crying ghost on the upper floors is unknown.The ghosts seldom, if ever, appear whenHycroft is used for weddings or functions put on by the University Women's Club, which has owned and operated the property since 1962.

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THERE is the ghostly man who walks through the floor, a silent horse drawn carriage out the front and down the road a baby cries at night. Anyone who claims there is no spirit left in the New South Wales Parliament should try spending a night there alone, The Daily Telegraph reports. Once a hospital complete with a morgue, Parliament House is giving up its ghostly secrets for a new history project.

Most staff have a tale of a shadowy figure in the corridor, lights flickering or a strange tap on the shoulder out of thin air. The most common include a baby that cries in the night from under the building, shadowy soldiers out the front on misty mornings and an old woman in a rocking chair in one room. The old morgue under the theatrette at Parliament, which is preserved but bricked up, is considered by some to be the source of the ghosts.

Education staff will compile the tales in a new bulletin named The Ghosts And Ghost Stories of Parliament House. One parliamentary staffer said: "A guy was here late one night and there was a hand on his shoulder, he turned around and there was no one there. "The ghost stories are worse at Government House, the most common one is that a baby cries and no one can find the baby."

Another said: "You hear about people in old-fashioned garb mysteriously appearing, walking down stairs or even walking through the floor." Parliament education officer Daniela Giorgi wrote in the latest Legislative Assembly newsletter that the bulletin would "explore the strange phenomena that have been reported throughout Parliament for many years".

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By Yona Williams

In Ireland, there is a ghostly tale regarding a castle located within the country. Built between 1798 and 1812, the castle served as the home to the Charleville family (hence the name, the Charleville Forest Castle). In an effort to showcase the flashy preferences of the family, the first Earl of Charleville Charles William Bury and designer, Francis Johnston worked with one another to construct the castle that holds a curious tale. In order to create such an elaborate structure, it took more time than the designers had planned and the more money they spend, the more complicated the timeline became. The Charleville family also didn’t make matters any better with their overindulgent tastes. They lived beyond their piggy bank figures, which often hindered the progress of the castle’s building. Sometimes the construction of the castle would stop for a bit until the family could financially fulfill their dreams.

Some of the impressive features that the castle held included decorative detail regarding the ceiling within the dining room area, which was the handiwork of William Morris. This piece of the castle can still be viewed to this very day. Throughout the years of the castle, the family would actually reside, but for the most part, this illustrious fixture in Ireland often accommodated no one. By the time the 60s rolled around, the castle was practically abandoned by the Charlevile family members. Presently, the Charleville Forest Castle is now the property of Bridget Vance, who is currently revamping the appearance of the castle to the point of its former majesticness. But unfortunately, these desires have been met with opposition. The construction has been a bumpy road to say the least. It isn’t for lack of money and it isn’t for lack of commitment, but because of the ghosts that haunt the premises. The local workers diligently repairing the castle believe they have disturbed spirits attached to the residence. The haunting characteristics of this site have been recognized all through the country and many refer to the property as one of the “spookiest castles” in the land...

Throughout London's dark history and ghost lore, the case of the Enfield poltergeist remains one of the most bizarre and astonishing. Between 1977 and 1979 this haunting was investigated by one Maurice Grosse who, two years previous had lost his daughter in a crash. He felt that the Enfield mystery was meant for him, but little did he realise just how potent and everlasting the story would remain.The three-bedroom semi-detached house was was run by single parent Peggy Hodgson, and inhabited by her four children. Eleven-year old Janet was the first to recognise strange utterings in the form of odd knocking noises but such disturbances were considerablyminor in comparison to what was about to occur.Larger objects in the house began to be pushed around, doors slammed, windows opened, loud banging noises reverberated around the home, alarming the children more and more as they intensified.

Then, the unknown shifter of objects dealt a violent blow to one of the young children, a small boy, and WPC Caroline Heaps visited the house, and was shocked to see a chair floating in the middle of a room. Then, things became extremely serious as children, particularly young Janet, were attacked in their beds, strangulation was attempted, bed sheets were strewn and Peggy's nine-year old son Billy had a lucky escape when an iron grate crashed onto his bed as he slept, thrown by an invisible assailant. Despite the serious nature of incidents, many locals believed the 'ghost' to be nothingmore than a hoax perpetrated by the family, but the Society of Psychical Research, and leading member Maurice Grosse, suggested something unknown to blame. When Janet, and her sister Margaret began speaking in demonic tongue, the case took a disturbing turn. Pools of water began appearing throughout the house, and in the end more than fifteen separate cases were witnessed by many people. Why Janet was singled out we'll never know, but investigators believed that it was the spirit of an old man who died in the house which may have caused the torment. His name, a Bill Hobbs from Durant's Park graveyard. Unfortunately for Peggy Hodgson, she had to put up with the awful phenomenon until one day it ceased, never to return, making the Enfield poltergeist one of London's most fascinating yet eerie events.

Londonist·