WELLINGTON HOTEL

Boscastle's famous old coaching inn has more than it's fair share of ghostly inhabitants. Some years ago the Hotel's owner, Victor Tobutt, was working at the reception desk when the figure of a man drifted silently past him. Looking up, he was surprised to see that the man wore leather gaiters and boots, a frock coat and a frilled shirt, such as might have been worn by an 18th century coachman, and his hair tied back in the old fashioned style. "There was nothing insubstantial about him," Victor said, "he looked remarkably solid." To his shock, the apparition disappeared through the wall, but when he began to describe what he had seen to one of his employees, the man completed the description for him. Apparently he too had seen the ghostly visitor on more than one occasion.Another employee at "The Welly", retired policeman Bill Searle has twice witnessed a misty shape wearing what appears to be a cloak drift across the landing and disappear through the wall of a guest room. It is thought to be the spirit of a young girl who, crossed in love, flung herself in despair from the ramparts of the hotel's tower. Victor also believes that another part of the building is haunted by a murdered man, and there is also an "animal friendly" spirit, which was eagerly pursued by a small dog belonging to a writer of ghost stories who was staying in the hotel. Ironically, the writer himself didn't see it, but his wife witnessed a shape moving across the room, followed by the dog excitedly wagging his tail! Several of the staff and customers have also witnessed a dark shape float down the stairs and disappear into the cellar late at night.