Haunted Hotel In Wales Has Its Own Christmas Ghost

The Cobden’s Hotel in Capel Curig, Wales, was originally known as Tan-y-Bwlch prior to Frank Cobden purchasing it in 1890. Cobden was a famous cricketer in the late 1800s and the hotel was then named after him.

Eventually, the hotel was purchased by the Pett family who ran it from 1970 to 1976. Laurie Pett and his two sisters spent part of their childhood at the hotel and they weren’t the only occupants on the property as the location is said to be quite haunted by several ghosts.

Laurie, who is now 57 years of age, said that many guests over the years had reported seeing ghosts at the hotel, specifically in the only room that had an outdoor balcony. “Also, during our first Christmas there, the lights all suddenly went out. George, our chef who had worked at the Cobden’s for many years, said it happened every year, and they called it the ‘Christmas ghost’,” he claimed.

When Laurie’s father first bought the hotel, he hired a full time builder who helped to refurbish the building and even stayed there during that time. “He slept in a room in the hotel, the only resident during the refurbishment, where he used to tell of scary happenings at night, noises and things out of the corner of his eyes, and he was terrified to go to bed,” he recalled.

The hotel closed down in 2016, but Laurie went back to the building a few months ago and even though it was all boarded up, he was able to see into the bar that his father built and took a picture through the window. And what he captured in the photograph was pretty creepy.

After looking closer at the photo, he noticed what appeared to be two figures near the bar. “Firstly I don’t know for sure, I’m aware of the power of suggestion, and of light anomalies so it might be nothing,” he said, adding, “But when I looked closely at the dark leather seat, or small settee, behind the white shadow, you can see two old men sat on the seat, with their caps on, and the shirt and tie of one of them, they are very faint but it’s there.” The picture that Laurie took with the two figures can be seen here.

So, who were the two figures in the picture? They could be any number of apparitions witnessed over the years, such as Miss Cobden who was Frank Cobden’s sister whose ghost has allegedly been seen several times wearing green clothing. The spirit of Frank’s daughter Evelyn has also been seen wandering around and has been described as a “benign” presence.

There is good news in regards to the building, as Jill Stubbington purchased the hotel last year and is currently renovating it into a twelve-bedroom guesthouse.