Saturday, September 1, 2007

South Wales' Rhymney House Hotel Haunted

Rhymney House Hotel licensee Rob Dunster says he definitely feels a presence every time he steps into the 19th Century building.

The small hotel, situated on the A465 near Rhymney Bridge, appears in the Haunted Cardiff and the Valleys book, compiled by the South Wales Paranormal Research team, and is thought to be haunted by a pregnant maid who threw herself from the top window.

The hotel has been owned for six years by the Dunster family, who all differ in opinion on the presence.

Licensee Rob, 42, says he is spooked by the building and believes there is a definite presence.

He said: “I am quite sure there is something here.

“We have had two paranormal groups come to visit us and they have both felt it.

“I think it’s in the cellar.”

Rob’s sister Jackie, 52, also works part-time at the hotel. She said: “I am a bit of a sceptic. I think the nature of the building makes it a bit eerie because parts of it are dark and cold.

“But whenever I stay the night on my own, I’m more worried about humans breaking in than ghosts.

“But one of the previous owners said their daughter used to speak to a kind old lady who would sit on the edge of her bed.”

The Grade II-listed building, which sits on a two-acre site, is surrounded by a farmyard and a row of ageing listed trees. The owners say it is prone to a lot of nocturnal noises.

Rob said: “We do hear quite a few strange noises at night and that can be a bit spooky, but I don’t think it’s too bad.

“If our guests ask about the paranormal activity, we tell them if they want it to be haunted it is, but if they don’t want it to be, it’s not.”