Dorney Court : A very haunted manor house in England


Dorney Court One of the most haunted houses I've come across Martin and I like to visit the stately homes of England for many reasons: they are beautiful; they have a wonderful sense of history; and, often they are haunted. Some of them are stuffed full of ghosts, so many that they are almost hanging out of the windows and flailing their arms to get attention. Dorney Court comes into that category.

		One hot and sultry summers day we dug out the Historic Houses book and leafed through the pages on the surrounding counties to the one we live in. We chose to try Dorney Court, Berkshire, near Windsor. A house built in 1440 and lived in by the same family for 450 years. The picture showed a beautiful red brick and oak-beamed Tudor manor house, just the sort I love best. The house was about fifteen to twenty miles away from our home, across country, so it was a pleasant drive on a summer's day. Due to its proximity to London, the place was busy when we arrived. That must have pleased the owners because the revenue from the visitors would help to keep it their family and not sold off to someone who did not belong there. Martin and I bought a guidebook and paid our entrance money and went in.
The minute we walked through the door I met the first ghost! He was a splendid Cavalier gentleman and he gave me a guided tour around the house. I know it sounds odd, but I have often found that some ghosts are very proud of their home and like to share it with visitors who see/hear/feel them and this gentleman was no exception. I also find that if the original family is still in the same house that also tends to make the ghosts happier, after all they are the same blood and bone. He took Martin and I around together, Martin was vaguely aware of him, and I was merrily chatting away to the ghost (luckily strangers would have thought I was chatting to Martin). I had to relay what the ghost was saying to Martin, he enjoyed hearing the conversation.
We read the guidebook, visited the rooms, and I listened to my new friend. Then we went upstairs. The gallery was ringed with paintings brought home from a grand tour by a past family member. Martin felt very drawn to a painting, feeling that it was haunted in some way. Martin tends to pick those types of haunts better than I. The painting in question was of a Turkish gentleman in a turban. If you ever go to Dorney Court, see how you feel about it.
Once passed the gallery we came to a small bedroom. This is known to be haunted by a girl in white as they mention her in the guidebook. I was aware that she was there, she apparently died for love. I definitely got the impression that she starved herself to death through misery, it was a sad room. When we finished touring the house, I thanked our ghostly guide for his help and told him how beautiful his home was. Then we left to have a cup of tea in the tea-room, situated in the stable block. On our way there we found another haunted spot, a strange feeling crept over both of us, but it was so vague I could not catch who or what it could be. After a nice light snack we enjoyed the garden, and left for home. A lovely house with 4 haunts within it. Not something to frighten children with but to become aware that there are other levels of existence to the one we have in a human body. C Judy Farncombe 1999
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