The Station Hotel

A location that boasts far more hauntings than it does history, The Station Hotel seems an unlikely candidate to be known as one of the most haunted hotels in the UK. Many famous faces, such as Tommy Cooper, have stayed in this hotel over the years; but it isn't the celebrities which are said to haunt the hotel. Instead, the hotel holds a legend about the murder of a maid; and it is both her and her killer who are said to haunt the location, along with two children. Plenty of poltergeist activity is said to occur here, along with apparitions in a few of the bedrooms.

History

The Station Hotel, now known as The Station Hotel and Banqueting, is located in Dudley; a town, in the Midlands, which is northwest of Birmingham, England. The area is also known as 'The Black Country' due to Dudley's history of being both a mining area and an industrial area. The black soot from the coal industry is what provided the nickname for the area. The area was proficient in chain mailing, and part of the chain made for the Titanic was made in Dudley. The railway station, which the hotel's name refers to, opened in 1850. At the time, the main hotel in Dudley was called 'The Castle'. During 1896, it was proposed that a new hotel should open; and so a license was granted for 'The Station Hotel' to open on the corner of Birmingham Road and Trindle Road.

There is some uncertainty amongst sources as to when the hotel was built, when it opened, and if the current hotel is the original building. It seems it partially opened on the 28th of May 1898 as a black and white building which featured a courtyard, stables, and a fountain infront of it. The entrance for horses and carriages was located where it's new entrance is on the corner of Trindle and Castle Hill. The fountain, which horses used to drink from, was moved from it's original spot on the top of Castle Hill to make way for a statue of the Earl of Dudley. Sources have said that traffic lights have replaced the fountain, so it's unclear if this means the traffic lights now stand instead of the statue, or if the fountain was relocated to a space where traffic lights now stand.

During 1899, 'The Opera House' opened opposite to The Station Hotel. This brought many rich upper class clients, who frequently visited The Opera House, to the hotel. From my research, it seems the hotel fully opened during 1910; however these sources refer to this date as being the date the hotel was built. As the 1898 date for it being built seems accurate, I assume these sources mean that construction was finished during 1910, and so the hotel could fully open. I have found that the hotel was apparently destroyed during 1936 to make way for a larger hotel, and that it was rebuilt on a larger site either during 1936 or 1938. It seems that rather than being destroyed, land in the area was cleared and so the hotel could be extended and modernised during 1936. I would assume the 1938 date could either be an error, or it could be the date the hotel fully reopened following the extension. It seems that the building is still in the same location, and that the cellars are still the same from that original 1896 date.

During 1933, The Opera House burned down. It was replaced by a modern theatre called 'The Dudley Hippodrome' which opened in 1936. People who starred at The Dudley Hippodrome would often stay at The Station Hotel; one of these people being George Formby. Apparently a large crowd gathered outside the hotel to see George, and so he performed for the crowd from the balcony of his suite. Other stars who stayed at the hotel include Bob Hope, Jonny Ray, Bing Crosby, and Tommy Cooper. Laurel and Hardy also visited the hotel while on their 1947 theatre tour.

In the 1960's, the hotel was further modernised and a cocktail bar opened downstairs, along with a function room bar which had a reputation of being the longest bar in the country at the time. In more recent history, The Station Hotel was at risk of being permanently closed when the COVID 19 pandemic hit; an event which caused a stain on the hospitality industry. Luckily the hotel was bought, and so remains open under the name 'The Station Hotel and Banqueting'. Part of the location is known as 'The Office Bar and Restaurant', and this is owned by Tony McKeon. It was a £250,000 project, and offers meals and drinks themed to the TV programme 'Peaky Blinders'. It's located on the ground floor and has a capacity of 250 people. The hotel itself has thirty-eight ensuite bedrooms, although this may have decreased to thirty-six. It featured in the 2018 film 'Laurel and Hardy', and has been investigated by a number of paranormal investigators; including 'Most Haunted' and youtubers 'The Ouija Brothers'. The hotel also hosts mediumship nights and psychic fairs.

Hauntings

Apparently there are two legends which give origin to the hauntings within The Station Hotel. The first legend says that, roughly 200 years ago, a landlord took a servant girl into the cellar. He wanted to have his way with her, but she refused and threatened to tell the man's wife. As a result, the landlord clubbed the servant girl to death and hid her body in a vat of ale. Other sources have dated this legend as dating from the early 1900s, and they've said that the landlord was hanged for the murder. The second legend says that a manager, called George Williams, had an affair with a maid called Elizabeth Hitchin. I have found that George's last name is 'Williamson' and that Elizabeth's last name is sometimes 'Hitches'. The legend goes on to say that George found out Elizabeth was pregnant and so stabbed and strangled her. I believe that, due to the similarity of both legends, they are the same story retold in slightly different ways.

A number of rooms are said to be haunted within The Station Hotel. These rooms are room 214, 215, 216, and 217. The cellar, bar area, and gas room are also said to be haunted. The Most Haunted team caught a chair move by itself within room 214. Room 214 is also potentially haunted by the spirits of 'Pete', also known as 'Peter', and 'Betty'. During an investigation, 'Peter' gave his year of death as being '80', that he worked as a waiter during '80', and that he died in a kitchen. During this investigation, he also seemed to confirm the presence of children which he called 'rascals'. Orbs have been seen in room 214, and so has a faint figure that stares out of the window.

A man dressed in black with a pointed hat, who is thought to be George, shakes the beds and turns the lights on and off in both rooms 214 and 217. Elizabeth is thought to haunt rooms 214, 215, 216, and 217. More activity in room 214 includes people waking up in the night to see a white figure standing over them or sitting in the chair opposite the bed. This 'Lady in White' is thought to be Elizabeth. During the December of 2005, a man stayed in room 214 but woke up before 3am to see a young blonde girl kneeling at the foot of his bed. As he had fallen asleep fully clothed, she was untying his shoelace. When the man looked at the girl, she disappeared, and so he then ran out of his room and spent the rest of the night sitting in the bar and following a porter.

People have also experienced bedclothes being pulled, feeling an unseen presence, hearing strange noises, being touched in bed, feeling cold spots, along with feeling their legs being touched in room 214. Wardrobe doors have also been seen to open in that room, plus trigger objects such as coins have been moved. In the August of 2005, someone was staying in room 214 while feeling very upset. They then heard a woman ask 'why cry?' to them even though there was no one there. They jumped upon hearing this, nearly fell out of bed, and felt a cold chill in the room. The same person switched on the tv in that room and heard a loud bang from the bathroom, only to see that the shower door was swinging without explanation. They called their mum, and a growling noise could be heard, presumably over the phone; but no growling could be heard from within the hotel room. When the person was in the bed, they felt the sheets be tugged away from them, and when trying to pull them back the sheets were tugged away even more. When the visitor got out of bed to report the matter, they saw the bed had been moved roughly a foot sideways and that a bag of clothes had been emptied out all over the floor.

In room 215 trigger objects have been moved, along with other items. People in room 217 have experienced the sound of someone sitting in a chair, and they've seen the curtains move without explanation. During the May of 2002, a manager slept in room 217 and hung up a football shirt on a hanger over the wardrobe. He was woken up at 3am by whispering in both ears, and when he turned over he saw a woman standing in the corner of the room while leaning over a dressing table. The woman is reported to have worn a black dress that went to the floor, and that the dress had tight fitting sleeves that ran to her wrists. She also had dark hair which was scraped back and tied into a bun. Once the manager saw her, the whispering stopped, and the woman disappeared once the light was turned on. In the morning, the manager found that his football shirt had been neatly folded and left lying on the foot of his bed.

In the bar area, a temperature drop has been felt even though the temperature actually increased. Also in the bar area, a night porter has reported that glasses and ashtrays move untouched, and that there was an incident where the jukebox played even though it was unplugged at the time. Only the managers had access to the bar area, so the porter went to the bedrooms to see if they could hear the music from there and they couldn't. The porter then went downstairs and saw that the dishwasher was on and leaking, so called the duty manager. It was found out upon the duty managers arrival that everything was unplugged at the time. George Lawley is the name of a man thought to haunt the restaurant area. He was a writer said to have known about the murder within the building, and has been seen sitting at one particular table in the far corner. He's also thought to be the one that throws cutlery which had been put out on the tables, and the one who moves glasses behind the bar. Staff and guests have apparently seen knives flying across tables and plates falling to the floor.

In the cellar, a number of experiences are said to have occured. Lower legs have been held, lights have been seen, a general scary feeling has occured, there has been a sense of a male and children being present, temperature drops have happened, cold spots have happened, someone has been slapped, odd noises have been heard, breathing has been heard, orbs have been seen, a whooshing sound has been heard, pinprick lights have been seen, tapping has been heard, and children have been heard singing. The screams of Elizabeth have also been heard in the cellar, which are then followed by a choking sound and silence. A coin has been thrown in the cellar by a visitor which was then heard to land. The coin rolled into the dark, and then rolled to the foot of the person who threw it. During 2005, a barmaid was changing a barrel in the cellar when she heard a man's voice whispering. Footsteps came from the corridor to the outside of the room, but no one was seen. The silhouette of a man has also been seen while a worker was getting some glasses from the cellar. The silhouette blocked her path and seemed solid. As the worker moved past the silhouette, they felt a coldness.

A séance has occured within the gas room, during which someone's face surcharged to be that of an older woman with dark curly hair which hung down infront, but was tied up at the back. She also had bigger and wider eyes. She didn't feel anything at the time, but afterwards felt sick with a heady feeling. Also in this room, people have felt the back of their neck be grabbed, along with hearing a voice in their ear. A spirit is said to stand behind people in this room, flashes of light occur above people, shadows are seen, people sway, and people can sometimes smell something cooking.

The children are thought to be called Catherine and Richard. Catherine is either six or seven years old, and was killed when she was run over by a runaway horse-drawn carriage. Richard is either three of four years old, and died from a blood disease. Both children run through the halls and play tricks on the staff. The children have also been heard to laugh through the building. Other activity to occur in the building includes knocking and banging on doors, plus guests wake up with scratches, and sometimes they feel someone sitting on them. The feelings of strangulation and nausea have also been felt by guests, and women feel headaches; particularly while in the cellar. George is seen and heard walking up and down the cobbles pathway, and orbs have been seen in the bridal suite. It's also speculated that Elizabeth's body may be located near the front of the hotel. Most accounts of activity featured in this article have been reported by the researcher Tracy Monger.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. A manager, George Williams/Williamson, in black and pointy hat (?) - rooms 214, 217, cellar

2. A maid/servant girl, Elizabeth Hitchin/Hitches (?) - through hotel, rooms 214, 215, 216, 217

3. George Lawley, poltergeist - restaurant area

4. Little girl, Catherine, 6/7 yrs old, ran over - through hotel

5. Little boy, Richard, 3/4 yrs old, blood disease - through hotel

6. Pete/Peter, waiter, died in kitchen, worked and died during '80' (?) - room 214

7. Betty (?) - room 214

8. Temperature drops/increase - bar area

9. Cold spots - cellar, 214

10. Curtains move - 217

11. Poltergeist activity - throughout hotel

12. Unseen presence felt - 214

13. Touched in bed - 214

14. Legs touched/lower legs held - cellar, 214

15. Coins move - 214, cellar

16. Wardrobe doors open - 214

17. Bedclothes pulled - 214

18. Sound of someone sitting in chair - 217

19. Lights seen - cellar, gas room

20. Orbs - cellar

21. Feeling of being slapped - cellar

22. Breathing heard - cellar

23. Whooshing sound - cellar

24. Tapping - cellar

25. Children singing - halls, cellar

26. Face morphing during séance - gas room

27. Sick feeling - gas room

28. Back of neck grabbed - gas room

29. Whispering - 217

30. Voices heard - 217, 214, gas room

31. Smell of cooking - gas room

32. Shadows seen - cellar, gas room, 214, 217

33. People swaying - gas room

34. Shower door swinging - 214

35. Woman's voice heard - 214

36. Growling heard - 214

37. Unplugged appliances operational - bar area, kitchen

38. Feelings of strangulation

39. Headaches felt by women - cellar

40. Scratches

41. People feel someone sitting on them

42. Screaming - cellar

My Thoughts

I was quite amazed to see the quantity of reported phenomena when compared to the amount of documented history. As a result, I can't help but question the validity of this location's reputation as being so incredibly haunted. There is no certainty when articles discuss the murder that is said to have occured here, which leads me to think that no murder occured at all. I could be wrong with that, but this location isn't so old that no good documentation of such an event should exist. So, given most hauntings are given cause by the murderer and his victim; I can't help but doubt these hauntings. Now, do I think the location is haunted? Yes, just not by George and Elizabeth. I do think past employees and managers could be present, but not in accordance to what seems to be only a legend.

It's incredibly important to say that Most Haunted investigated this location and that it was Derek Acorah, a dubious medium at best, who claimed that most of these spirits haunt the location. Other teams have since investigated, but I've found no good evidence that Derek's claims hold any truth. I don't doubt there may be mild poltergeist activity here, along with the rare apparition, but the way sources discuss The Station Hotel puts an image in mind of it being highly active with haunting phenomena. I doubt this is the case. I did find one trip advisor review which claims the location to definitely be haunted, which you can see below. In summary, I don't think The Station Hotel is particularly haunted. I could easily be wrong as I've never been there myself, but from looking at the facts; the spirits said to be present don't align with any solid facts about what is a relatively new building. The only explanation for such hauntings is that a previous location may have existed on the site, and so the spirits are not that of managers and maids; but more likely are connected to whatever existed there previously.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading to the end of this post! I really was amazed to see how little there was about this location's history. As said earlier, it is a relatively new building though and I've found that usually the 1900s is a time not much happens for a location aside for changing owners. The hauntings though really do seem both extensive and extravagant, so I really can't help but think they've stemmed from Most Haunted's visit back in 2003.

A special thank you goes to Damain, Nicolette, Kerry, GD, The Cornish Ghost Whisperers, Beardo Gets Scared, Starlight Phoenix Paranormal, Paranormal Penny Pinchers, the Australian Paranormal Society, and Codegas Codex of Curiousity for your continued support of The True Paranormal. If you want to follow The True Paranormal you can do so on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Tumblr. You can also subscribe to The True Paranormal on YouTube, or directly to this website through the bar on the left which will give you email notifications. That bar also lists all of the links which will take you to The True Paranormal's various social media platforms. If you want to contact me about your own experiences, or about anything at all paranormal, you can email thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com

A Donations Message

At the moment I don't have any ads running on anything, and I intend on the blog always being free for everyone to view because I believe knowledge should never be kept behind a paywall. I do, however, still need an income in order to continue writing articles. If you would like to donate towards The True Paranormal, you can do so via PayPal. If you are interested, my username is Daniel Carr and my paypal email is danielcarr130913@gmail.com. If you donate, I will be sure to thank you across social media and in my articles. Anything donated is much appreciated.