The Storyteller: Encounters at the Wellington prove too scary for some guests

As I write, I’ve just had a most interesting online chat with Lawrence McNeela, who has recently launched a new programme on Palm Torbay Radio, which he calls Supernatural Chronicles. During the show he chats with people who have an interest, or a connection with, aspects of the paranormal world, that I’m very much into myself. The format is in its early stages, for in amongst the tunes, which he makes relevant to the subject matter, he includes pre-recorded snippets of chat with his various guests, throughout the show. The other week, on Thursday 11th, his guest was Kevin Dixon, local writer, historian and researcher, who I’ve met several times over the years, and I feel our interests compliment each other very nicely. It was a good choice of Lawrence’s to have us on, over consecutive weeks. The station has a catch up facility, so you can have a listen to Kevin before my episode, which was aired on Thursday 18th, as we both talk about local haunted locations, such as Torre Abbey, Berry Pomeroy and Churston Court. Highly recommended, even though I say so myself...

After I’d covered my various experiences at these places, all of which I’ve written about in my column before, Lawrence told me about some friends of his who live in an old property in Tavistock, where he also lives, who are experiencing some spooky activity at the moment, and they are very keen to tell his audience all about it on his show. As I have many Dartmoor based stories to tell too, which we didn’t have time for on this occasion,  I’m going to be invited back in a few weeks time, as part of a Dartmoor centric edition of Supernatural Chronicles. Before then, we have already arranged to meet up for an evening out, near to where he lives, with a view to holding another of my Evenings of Storytelling, closer to his home...he can’t get enough of me, obviously! More news soon...
Once he had asked me enough questions to fill this upcoming episode, Lawrence was kind enough to share with me some of his own experiences, and as they, coincidentally, refer to locations I am familiar with, he has given me permission to share them with you here...

One concerns a hotel that is very dear to my heart, The Wellington in Boscastle, where Sarah and I regularly stay around Halloween time, when we attend the annual Dark Gathering. Lawrence began by sharing with me a rather scathing review, that a customer once left for the establishment, after spending a rather unsettling night in the infamously haunted Room 9, staying in it on her own, with her friend elsewhere. Having asked if the hotel was haunted, as she checked in, the receptionist replied that she had never experienced anything unusual herself, but had heard stories from other staff members and visitors. After settling into the room, the guest, and her friend, were chilling in the lounge area, when they spotted a book detailing the haunted history of The Welly. She became quite concerned, when she realised that number 9 seemed to be the centre of much of the activity. Preparing herself for an uneasy night, she was pleasantly surprised to wake up in the morning, having had a good night’s sleep...it was only then, as she watched early morning TV, that she sensed something in the room that seemed to pass through her. Scared to death, she ran to her friend’s room for safety. When they eventually checked out, the guest was very angry with the staff, that they hadn’t prepared her for a potentially scary experience, citing the fact that, nowadays, estate agents have to inform prospective buyers if a property is known to be haunted, so why shouldn’t hotels have to do the same? She left under a bit of a cloud, and I think the hotel staff were glad to see the back of her. Well known haunted hotels, like The Wellington, have a bit of a dilemma, do they advertise the fact, and risk the wrath of customers who are disappointed when nothing happens to them, or say nothing, and get blamed when someone has an unpleasant encounter with non paying residents? In the end, they settle for its reputation being spread by word of mouth.

In Lawrence’s case, it was his boss, at the time, who insisted on sleeping elsewhere,  after witnessing an old man walking through a wall. They had decided to stay, having heard all about its haunted reputation, and got more than they bargained for.
I can relate to these experiences, as, several years ago now, we stayed for a weekend with a friend of ours, who is sadly no longer with us, and as she was single, she was allocated the smaller Room 9...we being next door in 10. Other friends were with us, and as they were being shown to their rooms, Jamie came out of 9 complaining there was an old woman sitting on a chair right in front of her! We explained that she was witnessing the spirit of the old nanny, who used to look after the children, who slept in that part of the building in a bygone era. For the two nights of our stay, she refused to sleep there, preferring to crash on the sofa-bed in our room, and once the sun was up, she dragged her duvet back to her own room...God bless you Jamie!

The other story that Lawrence shared, concerns a stay he once had at The Cridford Inn, in Trusham, which is a place that has cropped up a lot, in conversations with various other people recently, so much so, that I now feel I’m meant to go there myself, especially after hearing Lawrence’s story...

The pub has quite an interesting array of spooky sightings, including a Civil War Cavalier, (they get around a lot locally, don’t they?), a nun (not surprising, as it used to be a nunnery, once upon a time), and a little boy, for whom the landlady leaves out toys for him to play with, in a little nook. Aware of this history, Lawrence, and his girlfriend, spent an afternoon sitting in the bar, drinking wine and telling each other ghost stories, as you do. As he looked around the room, which was empty apart from themselves, he noticed a bulky, black shape rising from the floor by a table opposite him. Just as he made it out to be the silhouette of a male figure, it disappeared, just as quickly. They then moved to a different part of the pub, not because he was scared, but because the sun had come out, brightening up an area in the dining room. As she sat there, waiting for Lawrence to return with more drinks, his girlfriend witnessed the figure of a young woman materialise from around the fireplace, and walk towards the area they had recently vacated. She described her as appearing well dressed, and wearing a conical shaped hat. Upon further research they found it was called a hennin, a style of headdress, favoured by noble women in Medieval times. Neither felt any sense of fear from their encounters, but a certain frisson passed between them, when the landlady told them that Lawrence’s girlfriend, had been sitting in the same chair that the ghost nun is often seen sitting in...
I really enjoyed chatting with Lawrence. Now I’m looking forward to meeting him in person, and doing it all again in a few weeks time, but with more of a Dartmoor vibe...