According to the Irish, Loftus Hall is the most haunted mansion in Ireland! Situated on the beautiful Hook Head Peninsula in County Wexford, this ancient country house whose origins date back to 1170 has undergone many transformations and improvements over the centuries. But what sets it apart above all is its reputation for being haunted: according to the locals, the place is indeed occupied by the devil… Fascinating for devotees of the occult and frightening for visitors!
It all began in 1170, when a Frenchman named Raymond Le Gros landed in Ireland with his 2 warships, La Bague and La Bonne, to assist Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.
Raymond Le Gros soon won his first battle and secured land in County Wexford, more specifically on the Hook Head Peninsula. He then had a castle built there, called“Houseland Castle“. This is the original construction of Loftus Hall manor house.
However, the man died of the Black Death and the Redmond family took over the land. She built a manor house on the ruins of the old one. It’s a more comfortable castle, then known as“Redmond Hall“.
Time passes. And the manor is going through troubled times. It was attacked in 1642 by English soldiers fighting on behalf of Charles I. The building was then converted into a garrison, housing no fewer than 200 soldiers.
Over the years, the chateau underwent several battles and passed from hand to hand, before finally being sold to John Henry Wellington Graham Loftus, 4th Marquis of Ely. His mother then decided to renovate the manor house, which underwent major changes and improvements, culminating in the building as we know it today. The building comprises 22 rooms, all tastefully furnished and decorated in keeping with the standards of the time.
The building was then renamed“Loftus Hall“: the mansion’s definitive name.
So far, so good: Loftus Hall has had an eventful but coherent history. However, a strange story is about to disturb the reputation of the place…
It all began in 1775. At the time, Charles Tottenham was Lord of the manor.
One evening, he learns that a ship has just docked on Hook Head Peninsula. A young man, then a passenger on the boat, decides to ask for hospitality at the manor… which the owner accepts.
The mysterious young man soon befriends Charles Tottenham’s first daughter, Anne.
One night, the family and the mysterious man decide to play cards. Anne then realizes that she has only two cards instead of the three required for the game. She decides to reach under the table to check if her third card is on the floor…
But what a surprise when she realizes that the young man has an amazing cloven foot!
Amazed and frightened, the young woman got up and shared her discovery with the rest of the family. But before she could speak, the young man leapt up and through the roof of the mansion, leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling!
The family is perplexed…
However, this appearance had terrible consequences for Anne. Traumatized, she loses her mind… so much so that her father decides to lock her up by force in one of the manor’s rooms: the tapestry room, out of sight of her family and friends.
Legend has it that she stayed there for years before dying. She would have spent her time praying, convinced that the young man with the cloven feet was in fact an apparition of the devil.
When he died, rumor had it that the manor had been the scene of disturbing apparitions. For the Irish, there’s no doubt: the manor house is haunted by the spirit of young Anne…
Since then, the legend has become firmly rooted in Irish popular culture. Loftus Hall is now known throughout Ireland, and has the reputation of being the most haunted manor house in the country!
Numerous documentaries have even been filmed on site. Paranormal specialists claim to have recorded strong activity at the site. Some agree that they feel vibrations linked to the devil, others to Anne… while the most skeptical mock and ridicule these beliefs… sometimes creating real polemics where the different camps tear each other apart on the issue.
Despite all the interest in Loftus Hall, the mansion was gradually abandoned before being purchased in 2011 by Aidan Quigley, who decided to market it as a haunted house to a discerning public. Unfortunately, the project was quickly abandoned, and the house put back up for sale in 2020 for the tidy sum of $2.87 million.
Since then, the house has been closed to visitors (although it can be explored virtually on the attraction’s official website, and it is possible to drive past it). It still inspires many fantasies among travellers and Irish people alike. For many, it is considered “the house of the devil and the maiden”.
It’s enough to make even the most skeptical shiver with fear! Especially on Halloween night!
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