Ballechin House
Welcome to the story of one of the most haunted houses you may never have heard of: Ballechin House. This grand Georgian estate once stood in Perthshire Scotland and was originally built in the early 19th century. Although the building itself was not centuries old, it stood on land that the Steuart family had owned since the 15th century. It looms over the Ballechin Wood, which many believe to be behind the strange things that went bump in the night (and the day) at Ballechin.
For about 30 years, there didn't seem to be anything newsworthy about the house. However, that began to change in 1834 when Major Robert Steuart inherited Ballechin House from his father. The Major was with the army in the East India Company and lived in India. Not wanting to let the house go to nothing (and perhaps wanting a little money to line his pockets) he began to let the house to tenants for over 15 years. In 1850, he retired from the army after 25 years of service and returned to his family estate. Not much is known about him, but it was known he had one wish. Upon his death, his spirit would return to the home to occupy the body of his favorite black spaniel.
Being unmarried, he spent most of the 26 years he lived at Ballechin alone and became somewhat of a character about town. His decades in India made him a true believer in Reincarnation and, notably, transmigration (I bet that black spaniel wish makes more sense now). He did employ a young housekeeper, Sarah, who died quite young in 1873. When the major died in 1876, childless, Ballechin went to his sister Mary's second son, John, who was married with children. Although they weren't frequent visitors of Ballechin, they were quite scared that the Major's last wish was to be reincarnated as one of his dogs. In a strange act of fear that his soul would return as a black spaniel, John had all the dogs on the property shot.
It was said the activity began shortly after that.
Strange happenings began to plague the house and the house erupted into a cacophony of strange and untrackable noises. Like many hauntings, they started out as raps and taps. Then, the sounds of people walking and talking began. John's wife also claimed to smell an overpowering aroma of dog when she went into his office. Events continued on and off for years and it was rumored that's why John's family had such a hard time maintaining a staff.
In 1883, John expanded the house to better fit his family. However, some claimed it was to get his children out of the haunted area. The original parts of the home John allowed nuns to use as a retreat.
From the late 1880s, multiple visitors from priests to governesses reported awful happenings and experiences in the home. In 1895, John died and his family began renting the home in 1896. The home was rented to a family, but they left after only 11 weeks. All markers of traditional hauntings: phantom smells, knocks, moans, breathing, talking, and even some apparitions were felt and reported throughout the home.
In 1897, after hearing rumors and the growing panic surrounding Ballechin it caught the attention of The Society for Psychical Research and they rented out the home and a team of investigators stayed at the property over several months. Various methods were used in an attempt to explore the haunting including seances, ouija board sessions, crystal gazing, and vigils
The SPR group caught some flak in an article from The Times in June 1897 when they had not disclosed to their owners their intent for renting the home. The owners felt deceived by the notoriety the investigation kicked up.
Ada Goodrich-Freer, one of the leading investigators, later released a book on the investigation: The Alleged Haunting of B– House. This did not further the validity of the investigation, sadly, many believed the claims in her book to be dubious at best. This, of course, may be due to sexism as many believed that a woman could be responsible (or un-distracted enough) to carry out serious investigative work. Because of the critique she received for this investigation in The Times and other outlets, Ada was let go from the SPR.
The house was demolished in the 20th century. Was it due to a decay and lack of upkeep? Or was there true fear around this haunted house?
The blog image depicts Ballechin House, taken before its demolition in the 1960s. This image is a two-dimensional representation of a building or architectural work which has been destroyed, demolished, or otherwise permanently altered in a way that makes it impossible to take a new photograph serving the same encyclopedic purpose. This image is protected by copyright by the publisher of the destroyed architecture. It is believed that the use of low-resolution versions of such images qualify as fair use.
