Once upon a creepy auld time, in the heart of our island of Ireland, there stood a grand mansion known as Loftus Hall. This imposing structure sat perched atop the desolate Hook Peninsula, its dark silhouette a testament to the secrets it held within. Legends whispered that the mansion was cursed, its history marred by a chilling incident that occurred on a fateful Halloween night. The author remembers a summer there when he was 16 cycling up to it with his girlfriend for the worst bottle of Guinness ever taste but that’s another story…
It was the 31st of October, 1765, when a fierce storm swept across the Irish countryside, even the banshees wouldn’t go out, they stayed in combing their hair for another eve. The wind howled through the barren landscape, and the rain lashed against the ancient windows of Loftus Hall and gave that spooky rattle that Halloween tends to make even spookier. The mansion’s “inhabitants”, the Tottenham family, huddled around the fireplace, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to seep from the very walls. Mansions get very cold apparently!
As the clock struck midnight, a sudden, bone-chilling knock resounded through the mansion. The family rushed to the door, only to find a stranger drenched in rain, seeking refuge from the tempest. He introduced himself as a shipwrecked sailor and begged for shelter.
Lady Anne Tottenham, the daughter of the house, took pity on the stranger and allowed him to stay. That night, a strange and weird feeling seemed to hang over the mansion. As the hours ticked away, Lady Anne and the sailor grew closer, much to the chagrin of her family. Suspicion grew, and the guests at Loftus Hall began to whisper that the sailor was no ordinary man…at all.
Then, as the clock struck midnight once more, the family gathered for a game of cards in the drawing-room. It was then that Lady Anne dropped a card and, upon bending to retrieve it, saw something that would haunt her for the rest of her days. The sailor’s feet were cloven hooves, a sight that could only belong to the Devil himself. (She may have sighed with relief that it was just cloven hooves that she saw!)
With a blood-curdling scream, Lady Anne fell backwards, and the stranger flew into a fit of rage. He revealed his true form, transforming into a terrifying, monstrous figure. Thunder roared, and lightning lit up the room as the Devil himself tore through the roof, leaving a gaping hole above.
In an instant, the sailor and Lady Anne were lifted into the air and pulled through the roof, disappearing into the stormy night. Loftus Hall was left in ruins, and the family was never the same again. The mansion was said to be cursed, haunted by the tortured souls of Lady Anne and the Devil’s victim.
To this day, Loftus Hall remains a place of chilling legend in Ireland, especially on Halloween night. Visitors speak of strange apparitions, eerie sounds, and the ghostly figure of Lady Anne roaming the hallways, eternally searching for the stranger who had come to haunt her family on that fateful Halloween night. Whether fact or fiction, the story of Loftus Hall serves as a chilling reminder that on Halloween, the boundary between the living and the dead particularly at Halloween, may blur, and the past can come back to haunt us in the most terrifying of ways.
Here are some links to help you plan a Halloween fright night at Loftus Hall Halloween 2023:
View Loftus Hall on TripAdvisor here:
And remember to buy your Halloween Costumes from Fun Place – Ireland’s Original Joke and Costume Shop
