GHOSTS !
Beaulieu is reputed to be one of Britain's most haunted places.
Ghosts have been seen, heard and sensed here for over a hundred years.
The Reverend Robert Frazer Powles
The ghost monks of Beaulieu Abbey were referred to by Powles, the Vicar of Beaulieu, from 1886
until 1939 and were part of his daily life. He knew them by name, making comments like: "Brother
Simon was here again last night. I heard his boots squeak." Once a parishioner remarked to him
that a service had been poorly attended, but Powles reported that it had in fact been very full,
obviously counting the ghost monks invisible to all but himself as part of the congregation!
A Strong Smell of Incense
This is often sensed in Palace House, especially in the rooms upstairs, which were once used as
chapels. Local legend says the smell is supposed to signal the death of someone in the village
or that one of the Montagu family is in danger.
The Grey Lady
Generally thought to be Isabella, Countess Beaulieu, who died in 1786. This is probably because
of her appearance in this portrait. She has been seen several times walking through walls and
making a lot of noise in what are now the Private Apartments of Palace House. Visitors have also
seen her in the main house and ask why the costumed guide won't speak to them !
Auditory Haunting
This takes the form of the Gregorian Chant used during services. It takes place at night, in the
Abbey and echoes across the lawns, often quite loudly, before fading away and then becoming loud
again. It is often heard after the death of a villager or on a still crisp night. Once, knowing
that someone had died, a resident asked if a special service had been held for the departed,
only to be told she must have heard the ghost monks. Footsteps are heard approaching the
monastic doorways and climbing stairs in the Abbey and there is a clink of keys, but no-one is
seen. A phantom funeral has also been heard in the probable area of the monks' burial ground,
with the echo of slow footsteps, followed by the sounds of a spade in the earth.
