1) Ardgowan, Inverkip
You could never be lonely at Ardgowan House, which is good considering the estate is in rural Scotland. As Lady Shaw-Stewart says: 'There are countless ghosts at Ardgowan, from bustling housekeepers to helpful chambermaids. They are charming.' All except for one - a poltergeist with a disruptive streak. 'We think he's a child who can't bear to be left out. He teases builders and tried to push the nurses who looked after my husband down the stairs. He plagues my son Ludovic and his friends by banging on the window bars and buzzing on the intercom all night…'
2) Great Fulford Manor, Devon
Owned by the Fulford family since 1190, Great Fulford Manor is supposedly one of the most haunted houses in the county. The current owner, Francis Fulford, has seen a ghost twice: 'The first time I was five. She appeared on my bed; I thought it was my sister so I tried to hit her, but my fist went straight through and she passed through a wall above my head.' Thirty years passed till he spied her again. This time round, Francis awoke thinking, 'Oh bugger, I need to pee,' only to be confronted by a silhouette by the door, which he assumed was an intruder and so, once again, he considered attack - until he realised it was 'the girl from years ago, wearing the same nightie, with a candle in her hand and dark hair'.
3) Easton Neston, Northamptonshire
Leon Max hasn't revealed whether he has had any ghostly encounters since moving into Easton Neston - perhaps the Russian tycoon just thinks they are all part of the rich tapestry of British life and not worth bringing up at dinner. But when Countess Zamoyska went to stay with Lord Hesketh (the former owner), and was searching for the loo in the middle of the night, she came across an old woman who 'looked completely mad', with a 'long, horse-like face', wearing 'a black Victorian dress with a white cap'. An inebriated guest in fancy dress? No. Rather it was an insane great-great-aunt of Alexander's who had been confined in that part of the house years before.
4) Mapperton House, Somerset
Should you, surly doubters, desire actual physical proof of a ghost, you need look no further than Princess Victoria von Preussen. She has in her possession the fragments of a broken shell that was destroyed by a 'ghost cat' at the von Preussens' old home, Mapperton House. 'He had the most perfect herringbone-tabby tweed coat; I would often see him sitting on the chair by the Aga,' says Princess Victoria and then, 'one day, my daughter Beatrice and I were in the kitchen and we saw one of our big shells being nudged slowly along the shelf. Eventually it tumbled off and crashed into the drawer below.'
5) Biddesden House, Hampshire
'Who's that handsome chap?' you might ask the Guinness family while pointing up at the equestrian portrait hung in their hall. The portrait is of the original owner of Biddesden House, John Richmond Webb. And yes, it may seem odd for him to hold such a prominent place in the house as he is not a family member, but should the painting be taken from the hall, a ghostly rider is said to gallop up and down the stairs all night. Which does rather keep one awake at night.
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