DrPaulLee
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2002
- Messages
- 2,445
There is a fascinating letter in the latest Fortean Times about the Francis Hotel in Bath; coincidentally, I had contacted them almost a year ago and asked about recent phantoms.
The receptionist sent me an information sheet which they give out to guests who are interested in the building's history and there is a small section on ghosts. The relevant section is here:
"Bath is well known as being a city that bears witness to an unusual amount of paranormal activity. Listed below are the ghosts who specifically haunt Queen Square and the hotel itself.
One known as “Julia” walks in the small park at the centre of the square wearing her wedding dress. Local legend has it that she still searches for the man who jilted her at the altar.
In the hotel itself there have been numerous sightings of The Grey Lady. An actress from the 1880's, this lady killed herself in the hotel when she discovered her husband had murdered her secret lover. Her last performance at the theatre was the night of her death, and there she wore a grey feather dress - the same clothing she still wears. Also, during sightings, the aroma of her perfume hangs in the air – it is upon this scent that the olfactory identity of the hotel is based.
There is also the ghost of John Wood’s* former housekeeper, who usually manifests as poltergeist activity. She lost her entire inheritance due to a gambling addiction. John Wood took pity on her and employed her as his housekeeper; however, she unfortunately was unable to shake the addiction, and she became depressed and hanged herself in what were then the servants’ quarters on the top floor of the house. This ghost recently also manifested as an apparition, which our guests described as a “dead housekeeper”.
Another incident occurred this year in the wing of the hotel. The guests in the room checked out early, saying that there was a “presence” in the room, and that they wanted to leave the hotel immediately. They had been too afraid to take their belongings with them so asked the concierge to go and get them. The concierge described an intense pressure in the room, and an unusual feeling of claustrophobia. He noted while in the room that the curtains were open, and a towel was on the floor. When he returned to the room 5 minutes later to check it again, he discovered the curtains had been closed and the towel was folded on the bed. The housekeeping team had left an hour previously… When he checked the room again in the morning, he said the feeling of pressure was gone, but the curtains were now open again.
That same evening a receptionist stayed overnight to support the nights team. She awoke in the middle of the night to an intense feeling of pressure bearing down on her, making it difficult to breathe. She grabbed her mobile phone to call for help but it did not respond to any button presses. After several long seconds the pressure subsided, and her phone began to function normally again."
--------------------------
*Another part of the document says that, "The Francis hotel occupies almost the entire southern terrace of Queen Square, one of the most important architectural set pieces in the city of Bath, designed by the famous genius of building design, John Wood the Elder, as four terraces of spectacular townhouses. To stay at the Francis Hotel is not just to visit Bath, but to immerse oneself in its history and culture. Work on the building was completed in 1735, and John Wood himself occupied house number 9, which is now the main entrance and lobby of the hotel."
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I was also to hear from a member of the night staff (the same person mentioned in the FT letter) and this is what he said;
"As a Night Team Member I stay over in the hotel overnight and carry out tasks such as paperwork and cleaning. We also walk the hotel twice a night to make sure all is secure. While I cannot attest to encountering any spooky spectres on my nightly rounds I have had a few unexplained occurrences that you may find interesting.
The Bust of Solomon
When I began my time at the Francis I was introduced to the bust’s of Solomon and Emily Francis, owners and proprietors of the hotel since 1884 when the hotel was founded. The two busts had pride of place in reception, set within the two alcoves on the right-hand side. Their likeness had stood in these alcoves for as long as anyone could remember. In 2021 the owners rebranded the hotel under their newly created Sutton Collection. As part of the rebranding they brought in a new Hotel Manager. Eager to leave his mark on the hotel, he started off with a few dynamic changes. One of these changes was to move the bust of Solomon Francis to the rear entrance of the hotel. I found it a bit strange that he moved one and not the other with little regard to the significance of the busts. As I was stating this fact that Solomon and Emily were now separated, one of the crystal balls dangling from the chandelier dropped and smashed on the ground. This in itself was strange enough but when my colleague and I went over to see what had happened, a second crystal ball fell from a chandelier on the opposite end of the room. Later that evening a 3rd ball fell off a chandelier at the bottom of the stairs as I was walking down towards it. It landed at my feet. This continued for several weeks until we took the decision to move the bust of Emily to the rear entrance where she now sits in an alcove next to her husband. I don’t know if its just a trick of the light but to me it looks like her smile is a bit more pronounced. You can still see the chipped baubles on the chandeliers in reception from Emily’s hunt for her missing husband.
Moving Doors
Several times I have witnessed doors moving on their own. The first I started to notice was during my night walk. Around the hotel there are a number of fire break doors that swing shut on a timer and exactly 22:05 every night. One of my jobs at around 5am I walk the hotel and open up all the doors again. I’ve experience all sorts from doors that close at the end of corridor when you open the door at the entrance of it to hearing a door opening and closing in an empty stairwell on the floor below you. On more than one occasion I have witnessed the 100 year old turnstile door making a full revolution on its own. Mostly we just laugh it off as wind, but as I write this email, there is a storm blowing a gale outside, I can hear it howling through the trees in Queen Square, so far the door has not budged an inch. One night I tried to get video of the doors to the Boho Marche restaurant swinging back and forth at 3 in the morning. It stopped the moment I took my phone out, but as soon as I put my phone away a shadow moved across the frosted glass window and the doors swung back and forth one more time before going quiet for the night.
EVP?
The most recent and probably my most pronounced experience happened just last week. There was nothing that set the night apart for any other until it got to about 6am. My colleague and I were both sat in reception finishing up some paperwork and chatting about how the shift had gone. I began to hear very faint music so low that I assumed it was coming from my colleague’s computer, but she soon asked me if I could hear music too? I told her I thought it was her and she confirmed that she thought it was me. We got up and started to look for the source of the music and we tracked it to one single solitary speaker in the No 10 bar next to reception. The thing is, is that the whole sound system is connected and if one was on then all the speakers in the bar and the lobby should have been on. When I went to the back to check the sound system it was fully off. The music only stopped when I turned it on and off again. Having my phone in my pocket I was able to use the Shazam app to identify the song before I switched it off. The song that was playing on the one solitary speaker in the bar was titled “Feel Alive Again” by Molly Parden.
During my time here I’ve had plenty strange things happen that even as a sceptic I can’t explain. Nothing alarming and nothing malevolent. One of my colleagues swears that she keeps feeling someone squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. I think what ever it is has the best interests of both guests and workers at heart and for all the strange stuff that happens, I have never not once been scared by it. I am just one of many that have had their own encounters at the Francis. From child like whispers that stop when you do, to shadows that disappear down hallways. I’ve heard all kinds of strange stories working here."
The receptionist sent me an information sheet which they give out to guests who are interested in the building's history and there is a small section on ghosts. The relevant section is here:
"Bath is well known as being a city that bears witness to an unusual amount of paranormal activity. Listed below are the ghosts who specifically haunt Queen Square and the hotel itself.
One known as “Julia” walks in the small park at the centre of the square wearing her wedding dress. Local legend has it that she still searches for the man who jilted her at the altar.
In the hotel itself there have been numerous sightings of The Grey Lady. An actress from the 1880's, this lady killed herself in the hotel when she discovered her husband had murdered her secret lover. Her last performance at the theatre was the night of her death, and there she wore a grey feather dress - the same clothing she still wears. Also, during sightings, the aroma of her perfume hangs in the air – it is upon this scent that the olfactory identity of the hotel is based.
There is also the ghost of John Wood’s* former housekeeper, who usually manifests as poltergeist activity. She lost her entire inheritance due to a gambling addiction. John Wood took pity on her and employed her as his housekeeper; however, she unfortunately was unable to shake the addiction, and she became depressed and hanged herself in what were then the servants’ quarters on the top floor of the house. This ghost recently also manifested as an apparition, which our guests described as a “dead housekeeper”.
Another incident occurred this year in the wing of the hotel. The guests in the room checked out early, saying that there was a “presence” in the room, and that they wanted to leave the hotel immediately. They had been too afraid to take their belongings with them so asked the concierge to go and get them. The concierge described an intense pressure in the room, and an unusual feeling of claustrophobia. He noted while in the room that the curtains were open, and a towel was on the floor. When he returned to the room 5 minutes later to check it again, he discovered the curtains had been closed and the towel was folded on the bed. The housekeeping team had left an hour previously… When he checked the room again in the morning, he said the feeling of pressure was gone, but the curtains were now open again.
That same evening a receptionist stayed overnight to support the nights team. She awoke in the middle of the night to an intense feeling of pressure bearing down on her, making it difficult to breathe. She grabbed her mobile phone to call for help but it did not respond to any button presses. After several long seconds the pressure subsided, and her phone began to function normally again."
--------------------------
*Another part of the document says that, "The Francis hotel occupies almost the entire southern terrace of Queen Square, one of the most important architectural set pieces in the city of Bath, designed by the famous genius of building design, John Wood the Elder, as four terraces of spectacular townhouses. To stay at the Francis Hotel is not just to visit Bath, but to immerse oneself in its history and culture. Work on the building was completed in 1735, and John Wood himself occupied house number 9, which is now the main entrance and lobby of the hotel."
------------------------------
I was also to hear from a member of the night staff (the same person mentioned in the FT letter) and this is what he said;
"As a Night Team Member I stay over in the hotel overnight and carry out tasks such as paperwork and cleaning. We also walk the hotel twice a night to make sure all is secure. While I cannot attest to encountering any spooky spectres on my nightly rounds I have had a few unexplained occurrences that you may find interesting.
The Bust of Solomon
When I began my time at the Francis I was introduced to the bust’s of Solomon and Emily Francis, owners and proprietors of the hotel since 1884 when the hotel was founded. The two busts had pride of place in reception, set within the two alcoves on the right-hand side. Their likeness had stood in these alcoves for as long as anyone could remember. In 2021 the owners rebranded the hotel under their newly created Sutton Collection. As part of the rebranding they brought in a new Hotel Manager. Eager to leave his mark on the hotel, he started off with a few dynamic changes. One of these changes was to move the bust of Solomon Francis to the rear entrance of the hotel. I found it a bit strange that he moved one and not the other with little regard to the significance of the busts. As I was stating this fact that Solomon and Emily were now separated, one of the crystal balls dangling from the chandelier dropped and smashed on the ground. This in itself was strange enough but when my colleague and I went over to see what had happened, a second crystal ball fell from a chandelier on the opposite end of the room. Later that evening a 3rd ball fell off a chandelier at the bottom of the stairs as I was walking down towards it. It landed at my feet. This continued for several weeks until we took the decision to move the bust of Emily to the rear entrance where she now sits in an alcove next to her husband. I don’t know if its just a trick of the light but to me it looks like her smile is a bit more pronounced. You can still see the chipped baubles on the chandeliers in reception from Emily’s hunt for her missing husband.
Moving Doors
Several times I have witnessed doors moving on their own. The first I started to notice was during my night walk. Around the hotel there are a number of fire break doors that swing shut on a timer and exactly 22:05 every night. One of my jobs at around 5am I walk the hotel and open up all the doors again. I’ve experience all sorts from doors that close at the end of corridor when you open the door at the entrance of it to hearing a door opening and closing in an empty stairwell on the floor below you. On more than one occasion I have witnessed the 100 year old turnstile door making a full revolution on its own. Mostly we just laugh it off as wind, but as I write this email, there is a storm blowing a gale outside, I can hear it howling through the trees in Queen Square, so far the door has not budged an inch. One night I tried to get video of the doors to the Boho Marche restaurant swinging back and forth at 3 in the morning. It stopped the moment I took my phone out, but as soon as I put my phone away a shadow moved across the frosted glass window and the doors swung back and forth one more time before going quiet for the night.
EVP?
The most recent and probably my most pronounced experience happened just last week. There was nothing that set the night apart for any other until it got to about 6am. My colleague and I were both sat in reception finishing up some paperwork and chatting about how the shift had gone. I began to hear very faint music so low that I assumed it was coming from my colleague’s computer, but she soon asked me if I could hear music too? I told her I thought it was her and she confirmed that she thought it was me. We got up and started to look for the source of the music and we tracked it to one single solitary speaker in the No 10 bar next to reception. The thing is, is that the whole sound system is connected and if one was on then all the speakers in the bar and the lobby should have been on. When I went to the back to check the sound system it was fully off. The music only stopped when I turned it on and off again. Having my phone in my pocket I was able to use the Shazam app to identify the song before I switched it off. The song that was playing on the one solitary speaker in the bar was titled “Feel Alive Again” by Molly Parden.
During my time here I’ve had plenty strange things happen that even as a sceptic I can’t explain. Nothing alarming and nothing malevolent. One of my colleagues swears that she keeps feeling someone squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. I think what ever it is has the best interests of both guests and workers at heart and for all the strange stuff that happens, I have never not once been scared by it. I am just one of many that have had their own encounters at the Francis. From child like whispers that stop when you do, to shadows that disappear down hallways. I’ve heard all kinds of strange stories working here."
