As the nights draw in and the winter months quickly approach, there is one particular day that sends chills up the spines of the most sceptic of people…. Halloween.
When night falls on Hampton Court Palace this Halloween, the ghoulish Ghost Tours begin.
The HRP team at Hampton Court Palace are all set to unearth 500 years worth of spooky stories and haunted happenings in the idyllic former royal residence and you are cordially invited to join them. When does it all begin I hear you ask? Well obviously it has to be the 31st October, the scariest day of the year!
The team at Hampton Court Palace will be putting on after hours spine-chilling Ghost Tours that not only conjure up supernatural stories from five centuries of royal tragedy and drama but will also enthral visitors with countless tales of spooky sightings from across the centuries.
Visitors will be accompanied around the palace by the State Apartment Warders, who hold the palace’s most mysterious and spine-tingling secrets. The Warders advise that visitors keep an eye out for the spirit of Jane Seymour in Clock Court but also implore you to visit the site of a mysterious shallow grave that was uncovered in the 1870s- only if you dare!
Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that looks after both royal residences and former royal residences including Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House and Kew Palace. HRP raises all of its own funds through visitors, members, donations and sponsor. With the exception of Hillsborough Castle, the palaces are owned by The Queen on behalf of the nation and HRP mange them for the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
As mentioned the first of Hampton Court’s Ghost Tours takes place on Halloween, 31st October, at 6:30pm though the team will also be putting on an extra special and extra spooky late night tour on the same night. It is said that the late night tour will delve even further in to the most gruesome and ghoulish tales of past residents as well as taking in routes of the palace that are usually never seen by visitors. Brilliantly put by the team at Hampton Court Palace:
From empty former Grace and Favour apartments to disused stairwells, where will you find yourself when the lock strikes twelve?
The remainder of the family and adult Ghost Tours will continue sporadically from November 2015 until February 2016. The family tours will offer visitors all the spookiness of an adult tour but tailored for a family audience.
Tickets for the adult tours are priced at £27.50 though for the special late night tour on Halloween are priced at £35, a glass of champagne on arrival is also included. Family tour tickets are priced £14 for adults and £7 for children.
So this Halloween, why not get yourself down to Hampton Court Palace as the team and their past residents are sure to put on a spooky show for you though the HRP team do advise you to wrap up warm as they guarantee shivers whatever the weather!
For more information on the Ghost Tours, visit hrp.org.uk
Photo Credit: Neil Howard
