We stayed in the oldest hotel in Britain!! Of course it was haunted and it was either a Ghost or insomniac HeeHoo prowling around at night. Set in Britains beautiful little town of Buxton, the Old Hall Hotel was built in 1573 with the sanction of Queen Elizabeth the First to provide accommodation for Mary Queen of Scots who was under house arrest!! It is built on the site of a natural warm spring recognized as a thermal bath since before the Roman occupation.
Queen Mary was to give one hours notice if she wished to leave her apartments, no visitors were allowed after 9 pm and all strangers were prevented from entering and leaving the town.
There was a rumor that Queen Elizabeth had entered into the hotel in disguise in order to meet with her cousin and 'take the waters' of the hot spring. Mary Queen of Scots scratched her famous couplet of farewell to Buxton with her diamond ring on one of the bedroom window panes. 'Buxton, whose warm waters have made thy name famous, perchance I shall visit thee no more - Farewell'
Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate from her Scottish throne, she received little sympathy from her cousin Elizabeth 1 who kept her under survelillance and moved her around the land in an effort to defeat Catholics who would plot in her name.
She was very athletic and active, and was one of the first women to play golf, but she adopted a cloak of illness and swooning which she appeared to enjoy. Her four ladies in waiting were also called 'Mary' which must have caused a lot of confusion!!
Mary was executed in Fortheringhay Castle wearing red - the colour of martyrdom, after she was beheaded, her body appeared to move, but it was in fact the Skye Terrier she had brought to her execution under her skirts!!
No wonder there are ghosts in the Old Hall Hotel, the grandest room, Mary's Bower has a magnificent four poster bed and moulded ceilings, while the walls are adorned with pictures of the doomed queen.!!