'Dorset's Most Haunted Hotel!'

Crown Hotel, Blandford is probably the oldest hotel in Dorset as a local historian found a reference to the ‘Crowne’ dated as far back as 1465. Yet there are some who reckon it is also the county’s most haunted hostelry.

A horse’s head severely shocked a seated gentleman. This occurred when this equine apparition burst through a wall in the unlikely location of the gentleman’s toilet in the Crown Hotel’s Sealy Suite. It had been built on the site of the hotel’s former coaching stables. In some terror, the unfortunate man fled the hotel.

Mrs Gordon was an eccentric old lady who was a Crown Hotel resident for a number of years and a member of the Gordon’s Gin family. Her familiar appearance was apparently witnessed by staff on several occasions after her death. Appropriately, bearing in mind her family pedigree, one of these appearances was at the hotel bar.

A lady in black wearing a long crinoline dress, said to inhabit the first floor, seems to be the apparition that has made the most appearances. This lady has appeared to both hotel staff and a guest who initially thought that she was all dressed up for a fancy dress party. No such an event was taking place. Sometimes, a distinctive rustling sound of a dress can be heard. While the lady apparently, has a habit of entering hotel bedrooms but will then disappear. At one time clairvoyants were called in who politely asked her to leave but their efforts proved to be unsuccessful.

A 19^th century local legend makes reference to two handicapped children being imprisoned in the hotel stables and then murdered. While also a young boy chimney sweep became trapped in a Crown Hotel chimney and then suffocated. There have since been reports of children’s voices being heard.

Appropriately, for the inn’s age a highwayman, complete with cloak and three-cornered hat, has been seen in a bar area. Back in the early 18^th century, a highwayman had been shot and killed there when attempting to rob the hotel. More recently, a lady resident had an unusual experience. Not having enjoyed a good night’s sleep, she awoke to find all her cosmetic and skin care products laid out in an orderly fashion after she had left them in an untidy fashion all around the room.

It seems that not all spirits at the Crown Hotel, Blandford are of the alcoholic sort.

(Source: Blandford Forum Ghosts by Sue Burleigh & Catherine Greenway.)

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