Longleat House: The Corridors of Betrayal

Longleat House was one of the first “prodigy houses”—grand Elizabethan mansions built to impress Queen Elizabeth I. Now famous for its safari park, the house conceals darker stories: murdered lovers, tragic wives, and a ghost so well-documented she has her own corridor. The Green Lady of Longleat is one of England’s most famous spectral residents.

The History

Elizabethan Origins

Sir John Thynne built Longleat between 1568 and 1580, creating a revolutionary design that influenced English architecture for centuries. The Thynne family (later Marquesses of Bath) have lived here ever since.

The Murdered Lover

According to family tradition, the 2nd Viscount Weymouth discovered his wife Louisa Carteret with her lover. The viscount killed the man and buried him beneath the cellar floor. During 20th-century renovations, a male skeleton was indeed found beneath the flagstones.

Louisa lived on at Longleat, confined to a corridor that became known as the Green Lady’s Walk. She spent decades there, descending into madness before her death.

The Hauntings

The Green Lady (Louisa Carteret)

Louisa is the most famous ghost at Longleat:

• A woman in green, walking her corridor
• Her expression varies—sometimes sad, sometimes deranged
• The Top Floor corridor is her territory
• Footsteps, cold spots, and apparitions are common
• Staff avoid this area after dark

The Murdered Lover

The man killed and buried beneath the cellar may not rest easy:

• A male figure seen in the cellars
• Sounds of someone trapped or struggling
• His discovery did not end his haunting
• The violence of his death echoes on

Lady Louise Bath

A more recent ghost, Lady Louise (wife of the 6th Marquess), appears:

• In her favorite rooms
• Elegant in early 20th-century dress
• A gentler presence than Louisa
• She seems to still care for the house

The Elizabethan Builder

Sir John Thynne himself has been reported:

• In the Long Gallery
• Inspecting his creation
• Elizabethan dress of a prosperous gentleman
• Pride emanates from this spirit

The Servant Quarters

Below stairs, servants continue their work:

• Footsteps in the service passages
• Doors opening and closing
• The bell system occasionally rings with no one pulling
• The machinery of a great house runs on

The Safari Park Connection

Some claim the safari park affects Longleat’s atmosphere:

• The energy of hundreds of animals
• Strange responses from animals near the house
• Lions and other creatures seem aware of presences
• The combination creates unique phenomena

Modern Activity

Longleat House welcomes visitors and paranormal investigators:

• The Green Lady corridor is consistently active
• Photographs capture unexplained phenomena
• EVP recordings in multiple locations
• The cellars produce particularly strong responses

Visiting

Longleat offers the house, safari park, hedge maze, and gardens. It is one of the most visited attractions in England. The house tours include the Green Lady’s corridor.

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Longleat House hides murder beneath its elegant floors and madness within its walls. Louisa Carteret paid for her affair with decades of confinement; her lover paid with his life. Both remain, unable to escape each other even in death.