Newton House or Newton Nightmares?

Newton House in Wales is currently maintained by the National Trust and is a truly elegant and beautiful building. It dates back to the 1600’s and has had much influence from gothic and Victorian times, with some parts of the building being added on in the 18th century. It hasn’t always been the pretty site it appears today though. In 1974, the building was sold and it suffered. It is situated near the small market town of Llandelio in South Wales and has recently been restored to it’s former glory. It’s gothic appearance has fuelled the suspicions of many that it is in fact a paranormally active building, which explains why it has appeared on most haunted before, along with many other chilling stories.

The structural integrity of the building was damaged, when squatters moved in and used many of the wooden support beams for firewood. This now makes the floorboards on the upper floor very dangerous to walk on. The squatters that have lived there have also stripped the house of many of it’s original features, diminishing the buildings overall charm. The house also has a chilling history to it. The now picturesque surroundings of a deer park and well maintained gardens do not simply make it’s sinister past disappear.

The earliest and most prominent spooky story from the house, that perhaps sparked most of the intrigue and suspicion about it’s paranormal activity is when Lady Elinor Cavendish was strangled by a suitor. The most disturbing, yet interesting part of this story is that many visitors report being able to feel invisible hands placed around their necks whilst they are in the house, a spooky thought indeed. There is this story and many others that have seen the times place the house as the number four most haunted site in Britain!

The house even looks haunted, if you imagine a generic, scary, old haunted house, then something resembling Newton House springs to mind. The stories of ghosts do not disappoint it’s appearance either. The ghost of Lady Elinor is called the white lady and had a rather large prominence the last time time that most haunted visited the house. She was murdered in cold blood by a man she did not want to marry and ever since, it has been said that she haunts the house. There have even been tales of a beautiful girl appearing, almost out of thin air and disappearing, into a cupboard, seconds later, never to be seen again.

There has also been reports that a man was hung there centuries ago, which is another reason visitors feel like they are being strangled on entering the house. Many visitors have also seen a haggard old lady, who appears at the top of the stairs. This woman is dressed all in black and looks that ferocious, scary and evil that many visitors do not dare walk past where the spirit stands.

Even the land on which the house is built is said to be cursed. There are many inns and hotels nearby that are said to of had numerous people hung in their hotel rooms and the area is basically well-known by many to be haunted, not just the house itself. One story in particular is the legend of the nearby Skirrid Mountain Inn is that a huge number of felons, 182 to be precise, have been found, hung, above the staircase.

There have been several reports of a poltergeist moving objects around the house as well. A particularly spooky encounter is said to involve a wheelchair in the next episode of most haunted. The band members of Bullet for my valentine are really shaken and the ordeal with the wheelchair is said to provide some of the most conclusive paranormal proof that there has ever been in Newton House.

In Pure Spirit

Have you visited Newton House, Llandeilo, and encountered anything spooky? It’s considered by some to be one of the most haunted locations in the country.