Chillingham Castle

Chillingham Castle. Northumberland UK

The current owners of Chillingham market the castle as being the most haunted place in Britain,It has been investigated on television and radio (namely, Most Haunted, I'm Famous & Frightened!, Scariest Places on Earth, Holiday showdown, Alan Robsons night owls) and now Ghost Hunters International.
The most famous ghost of the castle is the ''blue(or radiant) boy'', who according to the owners used to haunt the pink room in the castle. Guests supposedly reported seeing blue flashes and a blue ''halo'' of light above their beds after a loud wail. It is claimed that the hauntings ceased after renovation work revealed a man and a young boy inside a 10 foot thick wall. Documents dating back to the Spanish Armada were also found. When the bodies were found small scratch marks were found on the stones and the boys fingers were worn down to bone trying to escape. The owners also claim that the ghost of John Sage a former torturer, and of Lady Mary Berkeley haunt the castle, John Sage was also known as ''dragfoot'' due to the fact he had ligiments torn in one foot from a previous battle with the Scots, guests have reported hearing screams for help and doors slamming mysteriously, said to be the man found in the wall

The History of Chillingham Castle

The castle was originally a monastery in the late 12th century. In 1298, king Edward I, or ''Edward Longshanks'', stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to fight the Scottish army ran by William Wallace, a glazed window in a frame was specially installed for the king, a rarity in such buildings at that time. The Chillingham Wild Cattle occupy land adjacent to the castle, formerly owned by the Sir John Knott Trust, now owned by the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association (a charity not associated with the castle).

The castle occupied a strategically important location in medieval times; it was located on the border between two feuding nations. It was used as a staging post for English armies entering Scotland,but was also repeatedly attacked and besieged by Scottish armies and raiding parties heading south. The site contained a moat, and in some locations the fortifications were 12 feet thick..

The building underwent a series of enhancements, and in 1344 a licence to crenellate was issued by King Edward III to allow battlements to be built,effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified castle, of quadrangular form

In 1617, James I, the first king of both England and Scotland, stayed at the castle on a journey between his two kingdoms.As relation between the two countries became peaceful following the union of the crowns, the need for a military stronghold in the area declined. The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings. A banquet hall & library were built.

In the 18th & 19th century the grounds underwent landscaping,including work carried out by sir Jeffry Wyattville. The once extensive park, now under a seperate ownership from the castle,is home to the famous Chillingham wild cattle

During world war II the castle was used as an army barracks. During this time, much of the decorative wood is said to have been stripped out and burned by the soldiers billeted there. After the war, the castle began to fall into disrepair. lead had been removed from roof, resulting in extensive weather damage to large parts of the building.In the 1980s,the castle was purchased by Sir Humphry Wakefield,2nd Baronet, who's wife Catherine is remotely descended from the greys of Chillingham. He set about a painstaking restoration of the castle, sections of the castle are open to the public,and is now known as the most haunted place in Britain

Most Haunted @ Chillingham Castle

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