Haunted Cardiff

Cardiff’s dark history stretches back to ancient times. Here are some of the ghostly stories that have emerged over the years

Cardiff Castle

It is quite fitting perhaps that the title of Cardiff’s most haunted building falls to Cardiff Castle.

The Second Marquis of Bute’s family owned the castle for six generations and it was here that the man himself died. The small chapel behind the library is said to be haunted by his ghost. A small bust in his honour stands in the very spot where he died.

His most notable reappearance was in 1976 when a young couple told a member of the castle staff that ‘A tall man in a cloak pushed past them in a great hurry.’ The woman, who had been standing at the top of a stairway, witnessed a tall figure of a man in a red cloak. He appeared to be scowling at her and then he vanished. The man’s appearance matched that of a painting of the 2nd Marquess, which was hanging on a nearby wall.

He has been spotted most often in the library wearing a long coat but there is also an unidentified ghost wandering the castle grounds.

Back during the 19th and 20th centuries, there were reports of a phantom coach within the castle walls. Witnesses reported seeing and hearing the coach, including the horses. Elsewhere, a ‘faceless vision in a flowing grey or white skirt’ has been reported in one of the castle’s stockrooms. The apparition appeared as a wispy mist.

Other strange phenomena has regularly been reported in and around the castle, including furniture being moved and heavy doors being locked and unlocked.

Rummer Tavern

This building is believed to date from the early 18th century. Its long, narrow shape indicates that it was built on a medieval burgage plot – a rectangle of land at right-angles to the main street.

Both staff and customers have reported seeing or experiencing ghostly presences in the popular pub, usually in the toilets and the cellar. Records show that the spirit that resides in the pub is that of a sailor who died in the building soon after finding his wife in bed with another man. What isn’t clear is how the sailor died.

Llandaff

The ancient site of Llandaff, with all its history and narratives, has seen its fair share of dark events over the centuries. Before the creation of the cathedral, it became established as a Christian place of worship in the 6th century AD, probably because of its location as the first firm ground north of the point where the river Taff met the Bristol Channel.

Just behind the cathedral, there was once a road, which was known as the ‘road of the dead’. It is said that dead bodies were transported along this road from the River Taff to be buried in the graveyard, which is now abandoned and overgrown.

Other sightings in the area have included the ghosts of soldiers, monks, and priests. Visitors to the graveyard have reported seeing ghostly children playing, peeping out from behind the trees and gravestones while laughing and singing. The children may be linked to a cholera outbreak in the area that occurred during the 1800s. Many were buried in mass graves.

There is also the story of the so-called ‘frog woman’, who in life, was described as having frog-like qualities. It is reported that she was the disfigured daughter of a wealthy couple, who were embarrassed to show her in public. The girl died at a young age and is said to haunt the main road from Llandaff into Cardiff city centre.

The Cow and Snuffers

The Welsh equivalent of the Banshee – known as the Gwrach y Rhibyn – was reported in November 1877, at the former Llandaff North pub, The Cow and Snuffers.

A man, who was staying in a property near the pub, was woken by the noise of the banshee, and he reported that he watched it from his window.

He described it as ‘a horrible old woman with long red hair and a face like chalk, and great teeth like tusks.’ The witness said that she was wearing a long black gown and she moved towards the public house, where she let out a ‘frightful screeching’ noise.

The witness watched as she went into the Cow and Snuffers and was told the following morning that the landlord had passed away during the night.

Cardiff Royal Infirmary

The city centre hospital has been a hotspot of ghostly goings-ons over the years. Members of staff, patients and even contractors working there have reported seeing apparitions, including a matron in a corridor who simply vanished into thin air.

A woman in grey has also been seen and members of staff have reported being knocked over by an invisible force. There is also the story of a woman appearing on CCTV who went into the hospital. She shouldn’t have been there and ten minutes later, she reappeared on CCTV and walked past the security guard. The guard said he saw no one walk past him.

Castell Coch

One of the notable stories that has come out of Castell Coch relates to what has become known as the Castell Coch Cavalier. The tale was first told by Cardiff chemist Robert Drane in 1858, and it reappeared in a book a few years later.

The story goes that a woman of good standing took up residence in the castle. She moved in with two of her servants, a man and his wife, and during their stay, they heard many noises that they couldn’t explain away.

One night, the woman was in her bed when she saw ‘a venerable gentleman, in a full dress suit of the time of Charles I, looking fixedly on her: his face was deadly pale and every feature impressed by sorrow.’
The woman got up out of bed but the man retreated, out of a door that was in the shadows. When the woman arrived at the door, she found that it was locked.

The male servant, who was feeling disturbed by the constant noises, expressed his worries and suggested that they all moved out. The woman laughed off his suggestions, but later that night, saw the phantom man again in a corridor, where he disappeared through the stone wall.

The woman later found out that the former master of the castle left jewels and money in an underground passage during the time of the Civil War. The master was killed and was never able to return in life to the castle.

The woman, not wanting to leave her two servants, left the castle forever, leaving it deserted.
Stories also abound about the White Lady, whose young son was said to have fallen into a bottomless pool of black water somewhere within the castle grounds; he was never seen again. His grief stricken mother died of sorrow, and is said to wander the passages and corridors of the castle. Rumour has it that Lady Bute, who lived in the castle after her husband’s death, was driven from the castle by the constant appearances of the White Lady.