It’s now well into August, the dog days of summer, and smack bang in the middle of holiday season here in the UK. What could be a more fitting blog for you today, being created by me, sizzling away in The Shed at Weird Wiltshire HQ, than a story of a haunted holiday home in Chideock. Yes, we are travelling outside of Wiltshire today, but not far, as we head to the neighbouring county of Dorset. For all I know someone out there might be reading this blog right now that is actually on holiday, down in that pretty, but rather haunted little place called Chideock.
I have sat on the main story I have for you for over a year now – It was kindly sent to me by a fellow Weirdo called Amy. She and her family went on a little holiday to Chideock a few years back and let’s just say, it wasn’t the relaxing break they were hoping for.
Once Amy told me her story, I thought I’d have a little dig around – you know by now that I love doing research. At heart I am a big folklorish nerd! It seems there are quite a few stories associated with this Dorset village, down on the south coast. There are two haunted inns (there’s always at least one!), a hollow way with the sinister name of Hell Lane and even a Grave Dog – a type of black shuck.
Let’s start with Amy’s story of her family holiday in late-18th century Swiss Cottage. You can stay here by the way, if you like to share your holiday with a ghost!
‘‘My family and I all stayed at Swiss Cottage for a holiday back in roughly 2009, and we had the scariest experiences. The house had a strange, unsettling atmosphere, especially in the two front bedrooms upstairs. The smaller of the two felt particularly cold and heavy, much more intense than the larger one.
We often heard what sounded very loud women’s voices, speaking in what felt like 19th-century language, as if they were getting ready to go out. These sounds came not just from the small bedroom, but also from the downstairs dining room, the downstairs bedroom and even the driveway outside.
I was about 8 years old at the time, playing hide and seek with my cousin, when I saw a woman standing in the doorway of the front upstairs bedroom. She was holding something in her hands and looked directly at me while almost motioning for me to go away, as if to leave her alone. She looked very angry and was dressed in clothing that seemed to be from the 19th century. It didn’t scare me but I think she was trying to tell me to stay out those two bedrooms.
My sister arrived two days after us (and we hadn’t told anything about our experiences). We had her sleep in that same front bedroom. The first night, she thought our mum had come into the room and sat at the edge of the bed in the dark, she even felt her breath while they were ‘talking’. But when she turned on the light, no one was there. She then clearly heard footsteps walking around the bed.
Strangely, the dining room and living room felt better and a little more welcoming. In the end, that’s where my sister chose to sleep, on the sofa with my cousin, because she absolutely refused to go back upstairs like the rest of the family.
Neither my cousin nor I felt comfortable playing in the garden near the garden well (if it’s still there). That gave me an overwhelming feeling that someone was watching me. From the small drive we also saw two different women walking around in the bedrooms and both looking out the windows upstairs.
I was the only one who slept upstairs in the back bedroom, which oddly enough felt okay.’
Well, I’m not sure about you but I would not have enjoyed that holiday if it had happened to me. In fact I would have cut the holiday short! Amy told me her dad was a huge sceptic, but even he struggled to explain the experiences. I’m hoping to get hold of Amy again as she did say her dad was willing to share his side of the story. I’ll let you know if we manage to chat.
The Legless Ghost of The Clock Inn
Back in the 1990s, the landlord and landlady of The Clock Inn witnessed something pretty disturbing outside in the middle of the carpark. A friendly-looking young female apparition was stood waving at them before she disappeared into thin air. What makes this story even more alarming is that the woman didn’t appear to have any legs. This started the locals talking – apparently others had seen this ghostly woman too.
Who this woman could be remains a mystery, but given there has been an inn on this site since the late 17th-century, the possibilities are endless.
The George Inn
If you head along the A35, you’ll come across The George Inn, a late 17th century public house. According to the current owners, Amy and Jamie, it used to be haunted, but at present all is quiet.
They said before the inn was refurbished back in 2016, it was supposedly haunted by a woman who had been shot outside. They named her Judy.
‘I found that, out of hours, some strange things used to happen, like glasses flying off the shelves. I think it was just her making her presence known. One guest in the cottages opposite said they saw her in the window.’
She must have been pretty impressed by the refurbishment because there have been no reported ghostly shenanigans since then.
The Grave Dog
This story was reported back in the 1900s by a couple taking a walk through the sleepy village one evening. They realised, as they walked along, that a strange sort of entity in the form of a dog, was following them. If they increased their speed, so did the phantom dog.
Heading along the road from Morcombelake, they passed the graveyard and took a turn away from it. They watched as it headed towards a gravestone and just vanished. This left them with a very uneasy feeling. The locals, fearful of it being a Black Dog (a Shuck), a portent of doom, named it the Grave Dog.
That brings our little trip to Chideock to an end. There is a road named Hell Lane which requires further investigation – I think a trip down there might be needed at some point.
If this blog has whetted your appetite for ghostly holiday home stories you can read a blog about my own experience of a family holiday up to Boroughbridge in Yorkshire here.
Don’t forget; I’m always on the lookout for spooky and weird stories from Wiltshire and beyond. If you have a tale you would like to share I’d love to hear from you. Contact me here.
If you enjoy my weird tales from Wiltshire and beyond and can spare a few pennies, please head over to Ko-fi and buy me a cuppa. Every bit is used to help bring you more stories. I sure would appreciate it.
Leave a Reply