Arnos Manor Hotel - Bristol's Haunted Georgian Manor Arnos Manor Hotel was built in 1760 by wealthy business merchant William Reeve as a private home for his growing family. The stunning Georgian Gothic building boasts original features including a decorated chapel, high ceilings, intricate cornicing, and wall paneling. After the Reeve family ownership ended, the property was converted into an all-girls Catholic school run by nuns from the chapel. The school remained part of Bristol until it was badly damaged by German bombing during World War II. The building wasn't reopened as a luxury hotel until the 1970s. In the 1960s, before the hotel conversion, it operated as a private club and was one of Bristol's hottest spots, hosting weekly cabaret nights featuring performers like Tom Jones.
The Tragic Discovery
The hauntings at Arnos Manor weren't realized until a grisly discovery was made during WWII bomb damage repairs. When workmen began repairing the war damage, they discovered a skeleton bricked up inside a wall - the remains of a nun who had been hidden there for years. According to legend, the nun fell pregnant while working at the school, and overcome with shame, she took her own life. The other nuns bricked her body into the wall to hide the scandal. The workmen who found the skeleton reportedly just hid the bones elsewhere rather than reporting the discovery. Since this macabre revelation, paranormal activity has intensified throughout the hotel. The Resident Ghosts
- Sister Teresa - The Bricked-Up Nun: The most persistently reported ghost at Arnos Manor is affectionately dubbed Sister Teresa. She appears as a figure in brown and is especially active in Room 160. Guests report seeing her spectral form ascending stairs that don't exist, as if climbing an invisible staircase. She manifests throughout the hotel, particularly near the chapel and the dark, dank area alleged to be her final resting place before discovery.
- The Monk: A monk has been spotted roaming the grounds and hotel corridors, adding to the property's religious haunting history.
- The Coachman: A phantom coachman has been witnessed around the property, likely dating to the manor's earliest days.
- The Old Man: The spirit of an elderly gentleman is said to haunt the hotel, reportedly composing his memoirs in the afterlife.
- Playful Children: The ghosts of children, forever young and playful, are frequently heard throughout the hotel. Guests on upper floors report hearing children playing and running when no children are booked on those levels.
Paranormal Activity
- Room 160 - The Most Haunted: This room experiences the most intense activity. Guests wake to feel invisible weight pressing down on their chests, pinning them to the bed. The figure in brown (Sister Teresa) is most frequently seen here. Witnesses report feeling an overwhelming presence and seeing the nun's apparition rising as if climbing nonexistent stairs.
- Physical Contact: Guests report being pinned down by unseen forces, with pressure on their chests and legs. The sensation of someone sitting on beds during the night is common. Some visitors experience an "unwelcome embrace" from invisible entities.
- Poltergeist Activity: Objects fly through the air with no explanation - ashtrays and glasses are thrown from tables by invisible hands. Toiletries are flung around bathrooms. Bathtubs fill themselves without anyone turning on taps. Guests return to rooms to find bedding and personal belongings scattered about.
- Auditory Phenomena: Loud footsteps echo throughout the hotel. Heavy banging on walls occurs regularly. Children's voices and laughter are heard playing all night on floors where no children are staying. Women's screams pierce the night. Rustling noises manifest in bathrooms at night.
- Environmental Anomalies: Rapid battery drain on electronic devices, particularly phones. Heavy, oppressive energy in certain areas makes guests uncomfortable. The dark corridor leading to the nun's bricked-up location has an especially ominous atmosphere. Orbs of light appear throughout the property.
- Apparitions and Shadows: Shadow figures move toward doors followed by loud bangs. Small figures appear by windows at night. The figure in brown is seen throughout the hotel. Full-body apparitions of the nun, monk, and other spirits are regularly witnessed.
- First Floor Activity: The first floor is reported as especially haunted, with concentrated paranormal activity and multiple ghost sightings. The chapel area where nuns ran the school remains particularly active.
Paranormal Investigations
Multiple paranormal groups have conducted investigations at Arnos Manor, including the Bristol Society for Paranormal Research and Investigation (BSPRI), UK5 Paranormal (televised as Paranormal 5), Ghost Challengers, and the Avon Paranormal Team. Psychic artist Stephen Cox has created portraits of the spirits encountered here. A book titled "Ghosts of Arnos Manor Hotel, Bristol" by Ken Taylor documents the extensive investigations and findings. Halloween vigils are regularly held, with investigators using trigger objects like old coins and crucifixes to encourage spirit interaction.
Modern Day
The hotel now operates with 73 comfortable en-suite bedrooms including doubles, twins, family rooms, and premier doubles. The Cloisters restaurant in the courtyard of the original manor house offers seasonal menus. The bar and lounge serves various ales and spirits. Located just ten minutes from Bristol city center, the hotel is near shops, museums, Bristol Zoo, and attractions. Despite (or perhaps because of) its haunted reputation, Arnos Manor remains a popular destination for both regular guests and paranormal enthusiasts, with staff sharing stories dating back to the Swinging Sixties.