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Harrogate is a picturesque town in North Yorkshire with a haunted history. Guest writer PAUL FORSTER, local paranormalist and host of Harrogate Ghost Walk, shares some of the city’s most haunted locations
Windsor House, also called The Grand Hotel
Cornwall Road, Harrogate HG1 2PW
The former Grand Hotel building (now Windsor House) dominates the landscape on Cornwall Road, which overlooks the Valley Gardens.
Completed in 1904 for Sir Christopher Furness, the building has seven floors, including the basement.
Now an office building, it is plagued by paranormal activity, the most common of which is a haunted elevator. In the 1920s, a young lady was staying on the top floor when she got dressed for dinner one evening and walked to the elevator.
She pressed the button, waited a few moments, and then, without thinking, pulled the scissor gate apart. She stepped inside and fell dead.
The elevator had not reached her floor. She fell on top of the roof of the elevator and died instantly. Her ghost has been seen waiting for the elevator by many visitors and guests over the centuries, and people still see her even today.
Some cleaners working late at night have seen men wandering around barefoot in blue pajamas. Coincidentally, the hotel was used as a hospital during World War II and the patients wore blue pajamas.
The Crown Hotel, Harrogate
Crown Place, Harrogate HG1 2RZ
The Crown Hotel has a long and illustrious history dating back to 1660, when a small inn stood on the site.
The influx of visitors saw the hotel grow considerably in size, and by the time Lord Byron visited in 1806 with a bevy of ladies, dogs and horses, the hotel was described as a mini-village.
Much of the hotel was rebuilt in 1870 in the style you see today.
There is an abundance of poltergeist activity taking place in many of the hotel suites at the back of the hotel, above the Victoria Suite, a grand ballroom.
This room was used as a hospital ward during the Second World War. Many guests and staff watched in disbelief as a man dressed in an RAF uniform walked across the stage before disappearing into the wings.
Cedar Court Hotel
Park Parade, City Centre, Harrogate HG1 5AH
The building, which has been on the same site since 1672, has many haunted features, from ghostly soldiers spotted smoking in the attic to a guest who swore he had chased an intruder out of his room.
But the best story is that of an electrician who worked there and witnessed a ballroom full of ladies in ball gowns having a tea party.
Hales Bar
1-3 Crescent Road, Harrogate HG1 2RS
Hales Bar is the oldest licensed premises in Harrogate and, in my opinion, the most haunted building in the city.
This former coaching inn dates from 1827 and at the rear there is a courtyard, a former coaching inn and stables. In this enclosed courtyard you can still hear the unmistakable ‘clipping beat’ of horses’ hooves, even though the stables have been empty for decades.
Entering the pub is like stepping back in time. Dark wood paneling hugs the walls and blood-red, leather-clad booths invite you into their curved embrace.
The crowning glory of the bar are the atmospheric and original gas lamps and cigar lighters, which cast an eerie glow over the bar top.
The bar is home to a mischievous poltergeist, who is responsible for picking up glasses and dropping them from a height. You wait for the inevitable smash, but it never comes as none of the glasses ever break. They bounce a few times and then land on their bottoms.
The most common activity is ringing a service bell. In the oldest part of the pub there is a small bar, often unmanned.
There is a small button on the wall; press it and a bell will ring in the main bar to attract the attention of a team member who will walk through a door to the small bar to serve you. This bell rings automatically. Daily.
A member of the team enters the small bar, looks around and sees that it is empty, and immediately returns to the main bar.
The Turkish Baths
Royal Baths Building, Parliament Street, Harrogate HG1 2WH
The Victorian bathhouse is grand, to say the least. With its tall Islamic arches and beautifully painted Italian terrazzo tiles, you’d be hard-pressed to believe this place is haunted. But I believe it is the most haunted location in Harrogate.
Upstairs are thirteen changing rooms, and the 13th is haunted by the apparition of an old lady with white hair named Ethel. She can be mischievous and very mean, as she is blamed for opening and closing doors and chasing people out of the room with a deep and menacing mumbling sound right in your ear.
The relaxing warm house is home to a number of ghosts who wander the steam rooms dressed in Victorian swimwear.
Poltergeist activity occurs almost everywhere, from one person jumping into the icy plunge pool and splashing around, to another moving furniture and slamming doors.
Deep beneath the building is haunted by a man in a blue jumpsuit who effortlessly slips through closed doors, and those brave enough to go there complain about the constant feeling of being watched.
Next time you visit Harrogate, book for the Harrogate Ghost Walk and be sure to visit PAUL FORSTER’s events page for a Victorian Séance experience at www.harrogateghostwalk.com
Have you seen a ghost in Harrogate? Tell us about it in the comments below!
