Polly, the ghost of a maid who fell downstairs

Housemaids’ Tower

John (conservator) said to me recently that there was a bad feeling at the foot of the stairs of the Housemaids' Tower. Several people have told me that a maid died there after falling down the stairs. Angela (previous Visitor Services Manager) related to me last week that there used to be a Room Steward called Ros who has since died. When she was at the castle she used to see a servant called Polly who she talked about regularly. She said that Polly was 14. Ros said that Polly was the maid who fell down the stairs and died. Ros used to see her in the King’s Bedroom and the Slate Bedroom. The room guidebook was often moved when she was stewarding in the Lower India room. It was sometimes found in the middle of the floor.

A psychic visitor said that she has seen the body of a young housemaid lying at the foot of the stairs of the Housemaid's Tower. She described her as being quite young. She said that the girl had been rushing because she was late for work, or that someone was calling her urgently, and that she had tripped and fallen, and consequently died from her injuries. The floor at the foot of the stairs is a stone floor and the stairs are very steep.


Kitchen stairs

Several visitors have seen a Housekeeper and they often comment on her authentic costume, assuming that she is a room steward. She is usually seen standing at the top of the stairs near the tearoom, which used to be the Housekeeper’s room. Apparently she looks very stern and has a large bunch of keys dangling from her waist, as though she is in charge and is making sure that nothing is being done that she wouldn’t approve of!