Ghost stories from Scotland and England

Since I lived in Scotland and England as a teenager, I thought it would be fun to put in a couple ghost stories on the next couple pages. It was while living in Scotland and England that I truley started to believe in spirits and ghosts. My roomate Pat had a child girl spirit in her home in Scotland. Her bedroom belonged to the child, and Pat had a dressing table with a brush and mirror on it.They would often see the mirror floating in the air, with the brush stroking as if it were actually brushing long hair. It was after the first time they saw this that they asked their landlord and found out a child had died suddenly in that bedroom. Living in Scotland we all had to go to an American boarding school in England. The one I went to was in High Wycombe. And our girls dorm was haunted by a man we always called Marvin. Seems during WW2, Marvin died suddenly in the first room on the right of the right hand corridore. And his office was the room directly across. Our dorms used to be bunkers for military during WW2. Anyway, my room was the one on the right, and the one on the left belonged to Jude and Taffy. It was always about midnight when they would hear things being picked up off their dresser and dropped. So we started adding bells, and things that rattled, and let me tell you, there was many a night we went slippin in our own crap to get to the councelors office!! MY room was quiet compared to theirs. He would turn my heat on and off,and one time he opened my locked door. I had put the deadbolt lock on so I could get packed. Everyone kept coming in buggin me and I couldnt get anything done. Next thing I knew, my lock turned, and no one is there. The only keys were mine and Pats, and Pat had left the night before. So yeah...I believe in ghosts and spirits. From what I have researched Ghosts are more of an evil spirit. But spirits simply dont know where to go, or, have popped in to see things they miss. Like the one in our house.

Ravenswood House.

Ballater. Aberdeenshire.

Wandering around the cosy interior of Ravenswood House, you might chance upon a bearded figure, wearing an Arran sweater, the arms of which are rolled up to the elbows to reveal an old fashioned long-sleeved vest. You might bid him “good day” or words to that effect and might even be tempted to exchange a few pleasantries. What you might not realise is that you have met one of the two resident ghosts that wander the cosy and little changed interior of this delightful hotel. Ravenswood is also the proud possessor of a fully functional Victorian lavatory, now used as the ladies toilet, the solidness and bulk of which is as impressive as it is fascinating!

It is presumed that he is the ghost of the houses builder and original owner, a seafaring man who erected the property in 1820. Since his cargoes consisted largely of tea and alcohol, for some reason a clause was inserted into the lease that forbade the house to sell either alcohol or tea. Such a ban presented few problems whilst the building remained a family home. But in 1970, the house became a hotel and the new proprietors set about overturning the restrictive clause. The ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted. But the one on tea was not. Thus the current owners, Scott and Cathy Fyfe will happily sell their guests the cup, spoon, water and milk, but the accompanying tea bag is free!

But to return to the ghostly mariner. His roving shade has been encountered by many guests and all have commented on how solid and real he looks. Indeed many of them have not even realised his true nature until they have asked Scott or Cathy who he is and are told that they have been honoured with a sighting of the house’s ghost.

Ravenswood’s other ghostly inhabitant is a spectral nanny who only becomes active when small children come to stay. She has never actually been seen, but babies sleeping in cots have been heard over the monitoring intercoms gurgling and calling “nanny” to some unseen presence. When adults go to investigate they often find the child staring at someone that it can apparently see but which adults cannot. On some occasions laughing babies have even pointed to their feet as if their ghostly supervisor is tickling them there! No-one finds her antics in the least bit frightening and all who have encountered her have commented that it feels as though her sole intention is to watch over children who come to stay and to ensure that no harm befalls them.