Chillingham Castle is a privately owned medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, close to the border between England and Scotland. It has been owned by the family of the Earls Grey since 1200s (AD). It is said to be the most haunted castle in Britain.
History
The castle was originally a single watchtower, built close to the site of a monastery in the late 1100s. In 1298, King Edward I, or "Edward Longshanks", visited on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by William Wallace. He stayed at the room at the top of the original tower, now known as the Edward 1st Room. A window was specially installed for the king; a rarity in such buildings at the time.
The building underwent a series of enhancements, and in 1344 a licence was issued by King Edward III to allow battlements to be built, effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified 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.
In 1617, King James I, the first king of both England and Scotland, stayed at the castle on a journey between his two kingdoms. As the political situation between the two countries settled into peace following the union, the need for a military stronghold in the area waned. The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings. Rooms such as a banquet hall and a library were built. In the 18th and 19th century the extensive grounds underwent landscaping, including work carried out by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. It was an impressive home for the Grey family, who had owned the site since the 13th century.
During World War II, the castle was used as a barracks. During this time, much of the decorative wood was stripped out and burned by solders that were fighting the bitter Northumbrian weather. 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. Estimates suggest that over one ton of bird-dropping was present on the upper floors. In the 1980s, the land was purchased by Sir Humphry Wakefield, whose wife was a descendant of the Grey family. He set about painstakingly restoring the castle to its former glory. Each room was renovated and decorated appropriately. For example, The Edward 1st Room was restored to the way it may have looked in the 13th century, and the banquet hall was decorated in an authentic mediaeval style. It was during renovations that the grizzly history of the castle was further exposed. An ancient dungeon was unearthed, including a pit containing the skeleton of a human child.
Following the restoration, the castle was opened to the public. Modern Chillingham is beautiful by daytime, with grounds spreading over many acres (including an Italian-styled garden) and surrounded by woodland. The grounds also contain a lake which can be reached by a short woodland walk. The castle is still privately owned and does not charge an entry fee. Guests can stay overnight in a number of apartments, and the castle also hosts functions such as weddings. The picturesque castle has been used for filming locations in such films as"Elizabeth" and is also home to many varieties of wildlife, including the famous Chillingham Wild Cattle.
Chillingham's Ghosts
The castle is renowned for its many hauntings and is reputedly the most haunted castle in Britain. It has been investigated on television and radio (namely, Most Haunted, I'm Famous and Frightened, Scariest Places On Earth, Holiday Showdown and Alan Robson's Nightowls).
The reason that is presented for the ghostly apparitions which appear, as well as the sounds of banging and screaming which have been reported, is the violent history of the castle.
The most famous ghost of the castle is the "blue (or radiant) boy", who used to haunt the Pink Room in the castle. Guests have reported seeing blue flashes and would awake in the middle of the night to see a blue "halo" of light above their beds after a loud wail. This, coupled with the sightings of a boy dressed in blue, came to a stop when renovation work revealed the body of a man and a young boy bricked inside a 10-foot-thick wall. Presumably they were entombed whilst still alive, as there are clear scratch marks where they were said to have tried to claw their way out in desperation – although it is not clear if they were entombed together or at separate times. One hypothesis is that this was a punishment for overhearing a spy in the castle discussing plans regarding the Spanish Armada.
Another famous ghost is that of Lady Mary Berkeley, who haunts the entire castle, and in particular, the Grey Room, where it has been reported that her spirit has "climbed out" of the portrait of her hanging on the wall in the room. It is said that the husband of Lady Mary left her for her sister, leaving her alone and forlorn in the castle.
The oubliette is another interesting feature of the castle, where paranormal activity takes place. The oubliette is accessed via a small grate in the centre of a cell in the dungeon. There are no windows or doors; the only entrance/exit is via the grate. Prisoners of the castle may have had their limbs cut off or broken before being thrown into the pit to die. Eventually the bodies piled up and were cleared out early last century. Currently, one can view the skeleton of the last person to die in the oubliette &ndashl that of a small girl. At night in the oubliette's upper room, it is said that one can hear scraping and banging noises.