The Grey Ladies of Axbridge and Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Axbridge is the smallest town in Somerset and in the high street is where you’ll find the Old Manor House. It is a grade 2 listed 900 year old building and before it was made into a hotel, it was a family home.

When Annabelle Chard was a child, she would hear the tale of the ghost, said to be a grey old lady, who would glide the landings of the manor house, looking for her lost love. This grey lady was said to be a relative of Annabelle’s family and had resided in the property, centuries ago, before dying of a broken heart.

Annabelle said that she found the manor house dark and spooky, with an atmosphere where she felt that she may bump into the grey lady whilst waking up through the night and having to use the bathroom, which was a walk down a long landing. This affected Annabelle so much that she spent quite a lot of money in moving the bathroom nearer to her bedroom. This helped Annabelle feel more comfortable in using the bathroom in the small hours of the morning, but she still felt apprehensive in the manor house during daylight hours.

Around 17 miles away, we visit the Thatched Cottage, which was a restaurant in Shepton Mallet, now an inn, and it too has a grey lady ghost that has been witnessed.

This grey lady is said to have been a Quaker maid in the 1600’s, who was said to have been in love with a Cavalier, who had also been in love with her. He would visit the maid regularly but due to him being an aristocrat and her a servant, the relationship was doomed. Rumour has it that this man was the Duke of Monmouth.

As it became clear to the poor maid that nothing more could come of this relationship, she took her own life. She has been seen in the rocking chair by the fireplace in the property, looking out of the window, waiting for her lover to return. It’s said she has been haunting the Thatched Cottage for over 300 years.

On one occasion, Kim Moon was babysitting children in the property and was sat in the lounge when the red setter dog who lived there, became restless, and started pacing around the room, barking. Kim got up and checked on the sleeping children upstairs, who were still fast asleep. Kim returned to the lounge and as she sat down, she saw the figure of a grey lady, walk out the room.

The children living there had witnessed pots and pans being moved around the kitchen floor, as though by invisible hands. They told their parents of what they had seen and when the parents went to the kitchen, they saw motionless pots and pans, scattered all over the floor.

Members of the restaurant staff have also reported of feeling a cold hand upon their shoulder, whilst overs have sensed a presence in an empty restaurant. One time the ghost was helpful. A member of staff had their hands full of plates and as they approached the kitchen, the door was quietly opened as though to let the member of staff through. No one felt uneasy as the haunting was not disruptive.

If you’ve ever stayed at either of these properties and had a spooky experience then please email me and let me know what you witnessed – spooky@mysticaltimesblog.com