Haunted houses are a staple of supernatural fiction.
But I have visited a genuine haunted house. It's not an old creepy mansion, the type you'll see at the Jack Nightingale website - www.jacknightingale.com
It was built in 1995. It's lovely, with superb sea views, with pristine wood floors and an Aga cooker in the kitchen. But no one has ever lived there. And only one man ever spent a night there - he left the next day swearing that he would never return.
The house was built on the site of an old cottage and some of the original stone was used. It really is a fabulous house. But very few tradesman would work on the house for more than a few days. They would quit and swear never to come back. Once it was built, every one who visits describes the same thing. Rooms will suddenly go very very cold and it will feel as if there is someone there. And there is often a strong smell of a woman's perfume. But worse than that is the intense feeling of dread, that something bad will happen.
The garden is overgrown and the front door is covered with cobwebs. But inside there is surprisingly little dust, and the windows are clean. It was completed in 1995. And has remained empty since that day. The owner carried out some research on the original house and discovered that three skeletons were once discovered in a well on the site. That well was covered up but is now thought to be under where the kitchen is now. The skeletons were of a man, his wife and their daughter, and were thought to have been murdered.
There is some furniture inside. But no one has ever lived there. And by all accounts no one ever will. The owner is often approached and asked if he will sell the house. He won't. He knows any sale will end in grief.
I took the above picture through a window. I do wonder about trying to spend the night there myself but I have a nagging fear that if I did, whatever spirits there are might follow me home.
Sounds like a job for Jack Nightingale!
If you prefer fictional supernatural stories, my publisher Hodder and Stoughton have cut the UK eBook price of Nightfall, the first Jack Nightingale novel, to just 99p! You can buy it here - http://amzn.to/12HKc3T
5 comments:
I love the Jack Nightingale series, are there plans to turn them into films? They would make great viewing!
My agent is on the case, Kara!
Good piece, but what country is this in, let alone any more exact address?
Been trying to work out where this place is! Internet is drawing a blank and google images reverse-search is not throwing up any other photos of similar looking (same?) houses online either.
Anyway, very interesting and looks like an amazing place to urb-ex. Around a decade ago a group of us researched the history of, then stayed in Cane Hill overnight to get the "vibe" of the place, which was quite an experience.
I'm deliberately not saying where it is as the owner doesn't want sightseers!
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