Day 7
Today marks one week since I have arrived in England, so far I have quite enjoyed my stay. This morning we moved from the Bed and Breakfast at Oxford to stay in an actual castle in Thornbury! The castle was the home of Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford. He was heir to the 2nd Duke and in line of succession of the royal Plantagents, making him a threat to the king and the Tudors. The Duke was summoned from Thornbury on command of King Henry VIII, taken to the Tower of London where he was convicted of High Treason and executed on May 17th 1521.
I took many pictures of the grounds, and am contemplating making a second post dedicated to them because the gardens were so beautiful. Here is a tour of some of the outside of the Castle, and the interior where I am staying. PS: It is haunted. (@Lindsey...)
Another cool fact about this castle, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed her in 1539 in attempts to seclude themselves from a plague during the time.
Ooooooo Ghost Stories...
taken from MyThornbury: Behind the Scenes
There have been some "experiences" from the staff who work at the Castle, as well as some guests, claiming to have felt/seen ghostly presence while staying here.
Ghost hunters claim to have successfully taken "orb pictures" at the Castle, apparently showing the energy fields of former residents. Just look up "Thornbury Castle orbs" on the Internet to see for yourself.
History records that Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, spent time at Thorbury Castle as a teenager and kept greyhound dogs as pets.
Recently the manager received a telephone call from a lady who said she and a friend had enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Castle, but had been surprised to see a greyhound walk through the Oriel dining room, as she understood the hotel had a “no dogs” policy.
The only explanation Mr Jarvis could offer was a brief history lesson about Princess Mary...
No collection of ghosts would be complete without a grey lady, and during the Second World War a soldier stationed at the Castle reported seeing a lady in a grey dress walking along the battlements...
One of the Castle's ghosts understands the importance of caring for guests: this mystery maid has been known to help residents in the Gloucester Room into their bath, even helping to remove their socks and shoes!
Thornbury Castle's best known ghost however is Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and stepfather to the Duke of Buckingham. You can see his image on the key cupboard by the hotel's reception desk, carved by carpenter Stephen Edgar.
In Jasper's day, the area on the first floor of the castle now occupied by offices was reserved for gentlemen only. It seems Jasper is unhappy that today's office ladies have invaded his space, and makes his presence felt.
He turns on the photocopier and pushes objects off shelves – once he dropped a first aid box from the top shelf right in front of Julie, former PA to the Baron of Portlethen.
A clairvoyant who visited the offices claimed she could see Jasper Tudor, dressed in a long dark coat and a pointed hat, indicating to her to keep her distance.
Interestingly, a quieter time was enjoyed by all when there was a man working in the office.
Jasper may also operate in the Library, where books have been known to jump out of bookcases. Once a history of myths and legends flew across the room, narrowly missing once of the office ladies walking through.
Hold on tight to your drinks...
Now and again, guests report noticing people in their rooms in the middle of the night. A little girl who stayed in the Mary Tudor room drew a picture of a man she said had visited her in the night, and the picture bore a remarkable resemblance to Jasper Tudor.
Youngsters seem to notice the ghosts more than adults: the children of one family being shown to their room refused to go in, saying they didn't like the people who were in there. The room was of course empty.
Indeed some of the ghosts are children, or child-like in their behaviour, such as the one who pulled at the skirt of a member of staff, and the lonely boy and his dog who turn on the television in the Tudor Room. One has even responded to a challenge to come and play, setting a rope pull by one of the bedroom doors swinging.
One evening, as two "turn down" girls were walking back to the Castle from a fireworks display in the grounds, they noticed a couple of children in the window of the Plantaganet suite, laughing, talking to each other, and pointing at the fireworks.
The girls went straight up to turn down the beds in the suite, only to find it empty.
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