The Schooner Hotel in Alnmouth, Northumberland, is officially recognised as Britain's Most Haunted Hotel. The Poltergeist Society has confirmed twice that the Hotel is in fact 'The Most Haunted Hotel in Great Britain', with sixty individual apparitions and more than 3,000 sightings recorded.
Historical Background
Built in the 1600s as a coaching inn, The Schooner Hotel is now a Grade II listed building. It was the epicentre of all things happening during this time in Alnmouth, and the inn was a regular haunt for smugglers with secret underground tunnels leading from the cellar to the port. Notable guests have included Charles Dickens, John Wesley, Basil Rathbone, and King George III of Great Britain. The village of Alnmouth was a haven for smugglers and vagabonds, with such a reputation that John Wesley, the founder of The Methodist Church, commented that it was "a small seaport town famous for its wickedness". Controlling drunken sailors became a tall order. Disorder became commonplace, and violence regularly spilled out into the once quiet streets. Fist fights became part of the fixtures and fittings, as did a mounting death toll.
The Dark Criminal Past
The hotel quickly became the headquarters for gangs of smugglers who built subterranean tunnels that led from the basement to the nearby port. It's believed that everything from gun running to human trafficking passed through those underground tunnels. The history of the hotel is well documented, and there are many stories of murders, suicides and massacres.
Room 28 - The Most Haunted Room
Room 28 is considered to be the most haunted room at the hotel, and for good reason. According to the many stories told at the hotel, an entire family was slaughtered by a gang of smugglers as they slept. Staff and unwitting guests have reported the disturbing sounds of children crying in anguish, and a woman screaming and begging to be spared. Others have reported an overwhelming sense of dread accompanied by the feeling of being watched by an unseen presence. Room 28 is said to be the setting of the mass murder of a French family by a gypsy for their belongings three centuries ago. The De-Vere family were murdered in Room 28, and even as recently as the summer of 2020, there have been strange occurrences in this room, as well as hundreds of reports of footsteps, sightings of children and people checking out early because something has spooked them. Derek Acorah was drawn to Room 28 when he investigated the Schooner Hotel for Most Haunted in their third series in 2003. Several guests have fled in terror from room 28, and hotel staff refuse to step foot in the room.
Rooms 29 & 30 - Connected Hauntings
These two rooms appear to share the same haunting. Guests have seen an apparition standing at the ends of their respective beds. Several years ago a secret door was found connecting the rooms. The ghost of a young boy has been seen standing outside these two rooms and likes pounding on the doors, then vanishing. Guests often experience unbearable dizziness and sickness in rooms 28, 29, and 30. Strangely, when the affected guests leave these rooms, they feel well again. Unnerving and guttural whispers are heard in the early hours of the morning, and loud rapping sounds can be heard on the walls and ceilings. Sounds of slamming doors are also heard despite all doors being locked and bolted. Childish laughter has been heard from inside the bathroom, which ceases immediately when guests try to investigate. The ghostly figure of a young cavalier and maid has been seen walking hand in hand across room 29.
Other Ghostly Encounters
One of the most frightening experiences was the sighting of a dark figure that darted quickly out of room 20, then banged into the fire doors directly opposite. The two members of staff who witnessed this were terrified, and they ran away in sheer terror when the dark figure turned to face them and headed quickly in their direction. People were sent upstairs to check the corridors but nobody was found. A soldier in full uniform has been witnessed marching up and down the halls in the middle of the night, and a maid is said to appear on the stairs. The ghost of a maid is often seen walking the corridors of the first floor, a soldier is seen on the second floor, and the ghost of Parson Smyth haunts the cellar.
The Faceless Figure
In recent years, there have been reported sightings of a tall, broad, skulking, faceless figure in the hotel. He slowly thuds and creeps along the corridors, dragging what appears to be two bloody carcasses behind him. This is linked to a historical tale of sailors who mysteriously disappeared from the hotel after an encounter with a terrifying being.
The Sealed Room Mystery
A clear outline of a door can be seen, but the biggest mystery is what lies behind it. Staff are unsure of the reasons behind the closure and concealment of the room and it has never been opened for centuries. Could this hidden room hold the answer to the hauntings? Media Recognition: The hotel was investigated by the Most Haunted television programme in 2003, which explored the 17th-century coaching inn reported to have more than 60 different ghosts. The Schooner Hotel continues to attract paranormal investigators and brave travellers from around the world who seek encounters with its numerous tormented spirits in what remains Britain's officially designated most haunted hotel, where centuries of smuggling, violence, and tragedy have created an overwhelming supernatural presence across all 32 rooms.